On December 10th we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the “Learning Schools” (LES) Program, the joint initiative of PAFF and the Center for Citizenship Education Foundation in which 5,000 schools and 150,000 teachers from all over Poland have participated over the period of twenty years. The celebrations were held online.
The special guests at the celebration were Ambassador Jerzy Koźmiński, PAFF President and CEO; Dr. Jacek Strzemieczny, the program initiator, main expert, former President of the Center for Citizenship Education Foundation; Dr. Grzegorz Mazurkiewicz, Professor at Jagiellonian University and the Director of Public Affairs at the Faculty of Management and Social Communication, Jagiellonian University; Beata Kacprowicz, the Director of No. 3 Elementary School in Malbork (which has been participating in the program for 20 years); and Dr. Jędrzej Witkowski, the President of the Center for Citizenship Education. The hosts of the event were Sylwia Żmijewska-Kwiręg, a member of the Center for Citizenship Education Board and Director of the “Learning Schools” Program, and Ewelina Gorczyca, “LES” Program Coordinator and expert.
Below you can find the video report of the celebration.
The celebration was preceded by Help to Learn. From Formative Assessment To Students’ Self-Directed Learning online conference with participation of educational experts: Prof. William Stroud, Teachers College Columbia University (USA), Natalia Boszczyk and Dr. Jakub Bochiński. Among the participants of panel discussion were Danuta Sterna, LES program expert in formative assessment; Małgorzata Wiśniewska, Elementary School in Babice; Maria Osińska, No1 Elementary School in Piastów; Beata Wilmanowicz , No 27 Elementary School in Toruń; Teresa Michalak, Elementary School in Karniewo; and Roman Seta, Elementary School in Warcin.
The highlight of the celebration was a recital of the Adults band – Igor Spolski, Karol Strzemieczny and Izabela Lamik.
Under the program, implemented since 2000, comprehensive activities based on the best foreign models have been carried out to improve quality of Polish education. The quality of education at Polish schools, especially those in rural areas and small towns, is enhanced primarily by improving teaching techniques.
The “LES” Program introduces an original quality assurance system into the daily practice of schools, which ultimately increases the skills and autonomy of teaching staff, bolsters the position of the principal as the leader of the school transformation process and improves teamwork. All that results in improved teaching effects. It is a broad program – it encompasses teacher on-line training sessions and courses, staff workshops, post-graduate courses and conferences for principals, and a systemic program of support for schools introducing the formative assessment and other innovative educational practices.
Over 20 years about 5,000 schools have taken part in the program. Training sessions offered as part of various components of the “LES” Program covered 120,000 teachers.
The program is managed by the Center for Citizenship Education Foundation.
