Iva Boneva, Executive Director, Liliya Arakchieva, Project Manager and Stefka Chincheva, Training and Development Specialist at
Centre for Inclusive Education participated in panel “Management and inclusive school: Lessons of a Pilot Model”, part of discussion forum “Managerial Challenges to Innovative Schools and Networks in Bulgaria”. The event was held on December 14th, 2017 at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and was organized by Interaula, Inter-University Institute for Management of Education.
The representatives of Centre for Inclusive Education presented the Bulgarian Model for organisation of school processes to build inclusive school environment. They also shared lessons learnt during its creation in partnership with five schools within
Phase 1 of One School for All programme (2014-2016) and its implementation in other ten schools within
the second Phase of the programme which will continue to 2019. The Model defines inclusive education as constant process of self-improvement of the school through the achievement of specific development goals and the identification of new ones in four areas important for each school: school leadership, teaching practices, child safeguarding and family partnership. After the presentations there was a discussion why the change of school environments happens on school management level, who is responsible for the change and why a systematic approach is needed for the existing of inclusive school environments, why the school needs support from outside and of what kind of skills and support teachers need in order to be inclusive.
Other subjects during the forum were presentation of the Progressive School of Institute for Progressive Education, Montessori Method of Education – practices in one kindergarten in Gabrovo and a primary school in Jeleznitsa, how acting is useful for the development of school leadership, challenges to private schools which should at the same time have to respect the State standards, and still do not give up their mission and vision with which they are created.
The event ended with presentation of a Model for polycentric inspection of schools, according to which a voluntarily formed network of schools in Sofia – City monitors and controls itself, and by this removes the controlling role of the Regional Department of Education (RDE) and gives an opportunity for exchange of ideas, mutual support and methodological role of RDE.
