Proposal with the results, conclusions, and proposed modifications pertaining to in-curriculum and extra-curriculum issues.

The following proposals have been successfully implemented within the framework of the Erasmus+ Educational Program “Our School, My Future – ESL project” in all five partner schools. They aim to motivate and get teachers, students, parents, etc. involved in the task of combatting ESL.

The individual thematic areas of the interventions and/or programs proposed within typical education as well as the activities that fall within the framework of non-typical education were selected, implemented, and proposed so as to satisfy the interests of students, their future professional development, the effort to promote a “healthy” lifestyle as well as the development of student personality as active and socially aware European citizens.

Schools

• ESL prevention and handling is an issue that directly concerns all schools in every education region or EU member-state and, especially, those that are heavily affected and have to deal with a large number of students that drop out of school or have observed an increase in ESL rates. Statistical data at a local level needs to be closely monitored on an annual basis and the results ought to be evaluated before and after specific measures have been taken to prevent or handle ESL.

General Statements and Empirical Observations

Early School Leaving (ESL) or dropping out of school is an educational issue that can be attributed to a variety of factors, such as social inequality, low financial status, the quality of cooperation and interaction between the school where students study and the family that supports them, as well as the quality of education provided by the school in terms of curriculum and teacher expertise.

A number of definitions and relevant terms have been coined to describe Early School Leaving as it is observed among students on different levels of education, attributed to a variety of reasons and factors, or approached on the basis of its duration, education level, the moment a student drops out of school etc. Generally speaking, ESL refers to the students who do not fulfil the minimum requirements for compulsory education in their country of residence. In certain cases, the same term refers to students who have not completed the course they have taken up. However, the term is also used in a broader sense as it can also refer to young men and women that have not completed their studies in the higher levels of education, i.e. it can also apply to university or college dropout rates.