The Community School Development Project in Moldova (Phase II)

20 December, 2024

Implementation Period: April 2010 – March 2012

Implementer: Step by Step Educational Program

Financial Support: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, OSI (Open Society Institute), Soros Foundation Moldova

Other Partners and Supporters: ISSA (International Step by Step Association), Ukrainian Step by Step Foundation, Local Public Administrations/Mayors’ Offices, District Departments of Education, Youth, and Sports

Project Goal: Empowering schools to develop their own democratic culture, open to multiple partnerships and meaningful learning for individuals of all age groups, to become catalysts for social change in their communities.

Focus in Phase III of Project Implementation:

Expansion of the Community School Network:
- An additional 12 institutions from rural communities joined the network of community schools.
- These schools, located in regions with already established community schools, were inspired to adopt and implement successful practices.
- Local projects initiated and implemented by the new schools included vocational courses (woodworking, IT training, handicrafts), creation of a community newsletter, Parent School initiatives, volunteer programs, and more.
Training Component:
- The training sessions aimed to facilitate significant change by transforming schools’ internal culture and creating learning communities.
- Local training sessions were offered to these schools, focusing on building a learning community based on the principles of an active community school: cooperative learning, partnerships with families and communities, meaningful learning using community resources, child-centered learning, inclusive education, and lifelong learning.
- A total of 375 teachers participated in these training sessions.
Community School Conference:
- The conference titled “Community School Development – Step by Step Towards an Active Society” brought together 53 representatives from 45 community schools.
- It provided a platform for networking and sharing experiences related to school transformation and the implementation of local projects (Project Fair).