Network 25 had an active, productive year, strengthened by new collaborations and tangible research outputs. The refreshed convenor team has now taken up its posts, clearly allocated responsibilities, and maintained regular contact with members via four newsletters. A convenor specifically dedicated to supporting early career researchers was appointed, reinforcing our commitment to mentoring and inclusion.
Ahead of the ECER 2026 submission deadline, the team ran a “Tips and Sips” virtual meet-up: an informal, well-received session that enabled new, returning, and established contributors to meet convenors, share practical advice, and refine proposals before submission.
Outreach and capacity-building extended beyond conferences. On 28 May 2026, the network organised a two-part Right to Education webinar that attracted 124 registrations from 39 countries. The webinar combined an open public session with a members-only workshop, stimulating international discussion, practical exchanges, and plans for several spin-off activities; a blog post summarising outcomes is in development.
The Children’s Human Rights Education project made notable progress: members convened a CHRE paper session at ECER 2026, held a summer meeting in Tampere (15-17 August 2026), and published three project-related papers addressing initial teacher education, curriculum/content, and children’s perspectives. These outputs demonstrate both the depth of ongoing research within NW25 and its capacity to translate collaborative work into peer-reviewed dissemination. Additionally, a transdisciplinary collaboration initiated at ECER 2024 – focused on participatory research from a children’s rights perspective and led by NW25 early-career researchers – advanced significantly and now has a near-complete chapter ready for publication. Together, these activities show NW25’s commitment to fostering inclusive, methodologically diverse research and to supporting emerging scholars in producing visible outputs.
ECER 2026 offered several standout experiences for Network 25. Participants repeatedly praised the time maintained for discussion for enabling rich, focused exchange – central to NW25’s identity. The network’s special call on “Controversial Topics in Children’s Rights and Education” drew significant interest and attracted newcomers, stimulating debate. Participants also appreciated the strong alignment across sessions, the effective children’s human rights education paper session, and high-quality presentations by emerging researchers.
In conclusion, the network sustained active engagement through its communication channels and encouraged members to share and promote their work; participants also affirmed plans for collective scholarly outputs. Overall, this year strengthened Network 25’s profile, broadened member participation, and advanced collaborative research and publications.