SLEs introduced the concept of STE(A)M Learning Ecologies realising local open schooling partnerships between formal, non-formal and informal education actors, enterprises and civil society organisations. Within these learning ecologies, diverse stakeholders collaboratively addressed real-life challenges in local communities, with shared ownership, distributed leadership and equal space to take initiative.
Building on desk research, stakeholder consultation, online surveying and extensive field implementation, the project developed a comprehensive conceptual and methodological framework for the design and implementation of STE(A)M Learning Ecologies. The methodology was tested through a two-phase implementation approach, consisting of a pilot phase followed by a large-scale mature phase.
Overall, the project scaled from 13 pilot SLEs to over 100 SLEs implemented across 16 countries, engaging more than 4,000 learners and over 500 stakeholders. This progressive scale-up enabled systematic validation and refinement of the SLEs methodology across diverse educational, cultural and organisational contexts.
Learner engagement activities were designed, implemented and evaluated using a structured pedagogical and monitoring framework, generating evidence on meaningful learner participation, transversal skills development and science-oriented study and career pathways.
In parallel, the project developed a strong policy-oriented dimension. Through continuous policy monitoring, structured policy dialogues and peer-learning activities, SLEs supported national and European policymakers in understanding the added value of open schooling-enabled STE(A)M Learning Ecologies. Evidence-based policy recommendations were produced to contribute to a supportive STE(A)M policy landscape.
