Network Meeting 2014, Porto

The network meeting during the annual EERA-conference in Porto was well-attended. Twenty researchers joint our business meeting for the first time. The meeting provided useful opportunities to share ongoing research projects and methodological challenges, and to look for collaborative activities. The business meeting evaluated the overall quality of sessions and discussed topics for the Budapest conference and other potential collaborative activities of the members, including activities with other networks.

We decided to develop a programme activity around alternative programmes for at risk youngsters in primary and secondary education in order to expand support services for teaching and learning within regular school systems (more inclusive school systems, see earlier section of network report). Proposals for paper sessions, symposia and posters on this theme are encouraged for the Budapest conference. These may be empirical, methodological or conceptual. We particularly invite papers that describe and review theoretical frameworks and the knowledge base concerning this topic. Furthermore we will explore the possibility of writing a book on this topic. Dolf van veen, Annelli Sarja en Sirpa Janhonen will lead on this. Members of the research network will prepare a major symposium during ECER 2015 on multi-service schools, innovative education and health and human services partnerships.

Furthermore it was decided that the research network, again, will encourage the development of collaborative and comparative reserarch projects. In Budapest during our business meeting we will decide if we will update our 1997 book Children and Youth at Risk and Urban Education; Research, Policy and Practice, in which we analysed and discussed educational and youth policies in member states of the EU. Network members can contact one of the convenors if they are interested to participate.

Finally, we discussed Horizon 2020 and other funding opportunities in the EU and member states. Dolf van Veen reported on EU-meetings he had attended for EERA on early school leaving/preventing drop out and exclusion, and on early child care and primaty education.