What's New in the ISSA Network:
Vision for ISSA's Future - ISSA Launches New Ten Year Strategy
In 2007-2008 ISSA engaged in a highly participatory process to develop
a vision for the association's next ten years; the most important voice
in this process was that of ISSA's Members. The goal was not to develop
'the ultimate plan,' but rather to develop a concept of ISSA's focus and
direction, which will provide a unifying theme, stimulus, and motivation
for all its activities. Ten years after it was established in 1999, ISSA
continues to build upon the substantial investment and success of OSI's
Step by Step Program and upon the vibrant network and movement resulting
from this program, with the aim of improving the lives of children and
their chances for success in life. Over the years, ISSA has grown to become
the pre-eminent early childhood development network in Central Eastern
Europe (CEE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In this
new phase of its development, the association will expand to be a broader
professional and advocacy network, with the goal of becoming, by the end
of 2019, a widely recognized leader on issues related to care and education
for children from birth through primary school, as well as an advocate
and resource both for formal center-based early education and for broader
early childhood development concerns.
ISSA's 9th Annual Conference on Democratic Practices in Education: An Inspirational International Meeting
To explore how education for active citizenship helps children learn
democratic values, 320 early childhood practitioners, researchers, policy
makers, and NGO activists from more than 70 countries from Europe and
around the world met in Budapest, Hungary 9-12 October 2008, at ISSA's
9th Annual Conference: Active Citizenship: Democratic Practices
in Education, co-hosted by the World Forum Foundation.
ISSA Announces 10th Anniversary Conference
The International Step by Step Association is pleased to announce its
10th Annual Conference, "Seeds of Change: Effective Investments in
Early Childhood for Enduring Social Progress," which will take place
in Bucharest, Romania, 14-16 October 2008. The event, which marks ISSA's
10th anniversary, will explore holistic approaches to education, where
political will and economic investments go hand in hand with effective
implementation to ensure the development of social capital and societal
cohesion. Special focus will be devoted to promoting a comprehensive approach
to early childhood development and education (ECDE) as the strongest foundation
for wellbeing and success throughout life.
Interview with the Executive Director of ISSA's Member from Armenia
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Ashken Gyurjyan, Marine Mkrtchyan, Aramais Pashinyan, Aleksan Movivsyan, Ruzanna Tsarukyan |
ISSA has a conversation with Ruzanna Tsarukyan, Executive Director of
the Step by Step Benevolent Foundation - Armenia (SBS BF), ISSA's national
member in Armenia. SBS BF was founded in 2001 to continue and build upon
the Step by Step Program which had been implemented in the country since
1998 by the Open Society Assistance Foundation-Armenia. Ruzanna talks
about SBS BF's activities today and how the challenges facing Armenian
education have changed over the years.
Ukrainian Step by Step Foundation Calls for Ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Ukraine
Natalia Sofiy, former Executive Director of the Ukrainian Step by Step
Foundation and current consultant for the World Bank, calls on the people
and government of Ukraine to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities, which came into force in May 2008 after ratification
by 20 countries.
ISSA Reading Corner Books Available for Online Purchase and Viewing
ISSA is pleased to announce that the Reading Corner children's books
are now widely available for purchase and viewing online through ISSA's
new online bookstore, as well as other online venues.
Non-profit/Corporate Partnership Benefiting Children and Families a Success
ISSA is pleased to share the great success of "Opening Magic Doors,"
an ongoing non-profit/corporate partnership with the IBM Global Work/Life
Fund for the benefit of children and their families. Since January 2008,
ISSA has provided IBM with more than 2000 early literacy activity kits
for families of IBM employees in eight countries in collaboration with
the IBM Global Work/Life Fund.
ISSA Supports Children in Europe Policy Paper
ISSA joins Children in Europe, Eurochild, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre,
and others in urging the European Commission to take a stronger lead in
developing early years services, to eliminate child poverty, and to improve
services for all children. ISSA supports Children in Europe's Policy Paper,
Young Children and their Services: Developing a European Approach (PDF),
and encourages an active dialogue about its recommendations among ISSA's
members.
ISSA Member Article Published in Childcare Exchange Magazine
Childcare Exchange Magazine featured an article written by Sasa Milic,
Executive Director of ISSA's national member in Montenegro, the Pedagogical
Center of Montengro. In the article, Mr. Milic recounts his experiences
mentoring a Roma student who went on to become a preschool teacher and
director of a Roma NGO.
ISSA Honored by Donation from the Civic Education Project®
ISSA is honored to have been chosen recently by the Civic Education Project® (CEP) to receive a donation of CEP's remaining financial assets as CEP
closes its doors. CEP cited ISSA's similar goals and mission in its decision.
ISSA will use the donated funds for pursuing the organizations' shared
mission: access to quality education for all children so that they may
become active citizens in democratic societies in the regions where ISSA
is active.
ISSA Network Events:
9th Annual ISSA Conference - Active Citizenship: Democratic Practices in Education
Budapest, Hungary - 9-12 October 2008
ISSA Professional Development/Organizational Development - Training on Leadership
Zagreb, Croatia - 29-30 October 2008
ISSA/DECET Meeting
Zagreb, Croatia - 31 October - 1 November 2008
ISSA Cross Program Meeting on the Revised ISSA Standards
Belgrade, Serbia - 9-10 December 2008
ISSA Professional Development/Training on Science of ECD
Belgrade, Serbia - 11-12 December 2008
International ECD News:
Annual Report on Education Systems in the EU Confirms Slow but Steady Progress
In July, the European Commission presented the latest data on Member
States' progress towards the 2010 goals they have set themselves for their
education systems under the Lisbon Strategy. This annual "indicators
and benchmarks" report looks at each individual country's performances
in key areas such as completion of secondary education, school dropout
rates, low achievers in reading literacy, graduates in mathematics, science,
and technology, and the participation of adults in lifelong learning activities.
The key finding of the 2008 report is that overall Europe is making progress
in all five areas - with the exception of low achievers in reading. However,
although education and training has been improving slowly but steadily
in EU Member States since 2000, progress needs to be faster in almost
all areas in order to reach the 2010 targets.
EU Commission Communication: "Improving Competences for the 21st Century: An Agenda for European Cooperation on Schools"
The European Commission wants Member States to cooperate better in order
to make school systems more relevant to pupils' and employers' needs in
the knowledge-based Europe of the future. In July the Commission presented
the Communication "Improving Competences for the 21st Century:
An Agenda for European Cooperation on Schools," which states
that change, sometimes radical, will be needed if Europe's schools are
to equip young people fully for life in this century.
EU Green Paper: Migrant Children and Education: a Challenge for EU Education Systems - Call for Comments
A Green Paper adopted by the Commission in July opened the
debate on how education policies may better address the challenges posed
by immigration and internal EU mobility flows. The presence of significant
numbers of migrant children has substantial implications for European
education systems. Key issues are how to prevent the creation of segregated
school settings, so as to improve equity in education; how to accommodate
the increased diversity of mother tongues and cultural perspectives and
build intercultural skills; how to adapt teaching skills and build bridges
with migrant families and communities.
Eight American Institutions Call for Full Reinvention of Higher Education Programs for Professionals Working with Children from Birth to Age Five
Research has continually shown that in order for children to have exceptional,
high quality early care and education, they must have teachers and staff
with specialized knowledge, skills, and experience. In a newly released
paper, eight American organizations request that every college president
address this by asking two questions: What is the current state of our
early care and education programs? How can we make them better?
Resources:
RAND Occasional Paper: The Economics of Early Childhood Policy: What the Dismal Science Has to Say About Investing in Children
Early Childhood Services in the OECD Countries: Review of the Literature and Current Policy in the Early Childhood Field
Building the Future of Family Involvement
State of the World's Mothers 2008
Three New Publications from the Bernard van Leer Foundation
Towards an Early Years Learning Framework
The Fight Against Discrimination and the Promotion of Equality: How to Measure Progress Done
OECD Trends in Education - 2008
Events and Opportunities Outside the Network:
Council of Europe: Training of Trainers in Human Rights Education with Children
Budapest, Hungary - 12-19 October 2008
7th European Round Table on Poverty and Social Exclusion
Marseille, France - 15-16 October 2008
Eurochild Fifth Annual Conference
Budapest, Hungary - 5-7 November 2008
2008 NAEYC Annual Conference and Expo
Dallas, Texas, USA - 5-8 November 2008
Democracy and Human Rights in Adult Education Conference - Intercultural Dialogue: Challenge for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education
Vienna, Austria - 14-16 November 2008
International Conference on Education
Geneva, Switzerland - 24-29 November 2008
Deadline for Abstract Submission
- 15 December 2008
XIV European Conference on Developmental Psychology
Vilnius, Lithuania - 18-22 August 2009
