In this sequence, you as a school head, will probably find an unusual proposal: to assess your own school through the lenses of human rights. This focus can have many positive aspects, most importantly, whether the underlying value system sufficiently promotes inclusive learning and the personal development of every student in your school. Are the teachers, the entire school staff, the parents, the board, and you yourself actively engaged in this effort and treated with the same mutual respect?
To that end, we propose to discuss five topics, followed by five matching questions:
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For all five topics, you will find a short introductory text in support of your and your collaborators’ awareness, followed by a list of indicators for your collective review. You might find and list additional ones.
Our self-assessment proposal is the following:
Together with a team, select one of the five topics. Within that chosen topic, please narrow the assessment again down to the 10 indicators that interest you the most.
| (Topic 1) Inclusiveness |
(Topic 2) Effectiveness |
(Topic 3) Health and safety |
(Topic 4) Gender-friendliness |
(Topic 5) Involvement of the community |
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| Key question | How inclusive is my school and what is the basic understanding of the concept of inclusion among the professionals in my school? | How academically effective is my school in fulfilling the promise of a quality education for all? | How healthy and safe is my school in terms of the students’ emotional, psychological, and physical well-being? |
Is my school gender-responsive in creating environments and competences which support equality? | How actively does my school engage the students, their families, and the community in all aspects of school life? |
