PASCAL subscribers may be interested in current research on educational planning at the urban level being undertaken at International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP)/UNESCO. The urgent need to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) has led to their promotion at the global level. Yet, it is at the local level that the most promising solutions are emerging.

Cities are at the forefront to achieve quality education (SDG 4) on their territory, as enlightened by the crucial role they play to face the COVID-19 pandemic education crisis. There is, however, a dearth of comparative and global studies on how cities conduct educational planning and management for sound education strategies.

The research project ‘Local challenges, global imperatives: cities at the forefront to achieve Education 2030’ aims to fill this gap and to answer one central question: how can cities ensure successful planning to achieve SDG 4? This research project takes a qualitative approach and entails a multi-case study design. It will focus on cities from diverse geographical, demographic, and income-level contexts, and with outstanding experience in developing innovative education strategies in line with the 2030 Agenda.

The research focuses on the city’s education strategy (design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation) and the ecosystem of actors involved in educational planning and management at the city level. Ultimately, the study aims at stimulating knowledge sharing and strategic thinking between cities on how to successfully plan for SDG 4.

Further details of the project are attached and if you are interested in this work please feel free to contact me at [email protected]