1. Returning the drop-outs back to schools Project
Rytis Šiautkulis
Kristina Ignatavičienė
National Centre for Special Needs Education and Psychology
Vilnius 14/11/2013
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2. National Centre for Special Needs Education and Psychology
Methodical centre under Lithuanian Ministry of Education and Science, responsible for the assurance of efficiency, availability and quality of education and assistance for children with special educational needs (SEN).
The main areas of activities are:
Special education for children with SEN;
methodical maintenance for Pedagogical Psychological services (56 municipalities);
Professional quality development trainings of psychologists, special pedagogists and social educators, working in education system;
Production of measusres for educating children with SEN.
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3. Grounds to initiate a project
Absence of common definition of drop-out risk group
There was no agreed vision on how to tackle a problem of drop-outs and early school leavers
Teachers’ lack of skills in how to work with pupils at risk
No elaborated cooperation practice between institutions on the drop-out issue
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4. Starting
The idea was to search for the measures to solve the problem of drop-outs and early school leavers, to find the best way that would be applied on the National level.
Lithuanian Ministry of Education and Science has assigned the budget to tackling this problem and appointed National Centre for Special Needs Education and Psychology to work up and implement the project.
National project was initiated and launched along with the support of European Social Fund.
Implementation stages:
Phase I m. (6,4 mln. Lt - 1,9 mln. EUR)
Phase II m. (4,1 mln. Lt – 1.2 mln. EUR)
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5. Aims of the project
To return the children that are not attending or not learning to regular school by:
assuring wider awailability of pedagogical psychological assistance, efficiency and quality
developing the professional qualification of specialists and strenghtenning the methodical basis of municipal Pedagogical Psychological Services
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6. Specificity of the Project
The Project was implemented together with project partners: municipal governments, municipal Pedagogical Psychological Services and local schools
First there were discussions finding the decent way of how to work with the issue in respect of the specific situation of drop-outs in each municipality (counseling, conferences, professional meetings, etc.)
The Project was implemented in 12 municipalities, each of which formed the activity groups for non-learnes, non-attenders and those at risk to drop-out (living in poorer social conditions, having SEN, etc.)

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8. Activity groups. The aim
By providing professional help to assist pupils in:
overcoming learning dificulties,
filling the educational gaps,
gaining learning advancement,
experiencing success in learning process,
learning creativity, interaction and cooperation, life skills,
strenghtening self-esteem,
solving the arrising personal, psychological problems.
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9. Activity groups. Children specificity
With conduct disorders
Having learning difficulties or non-motivated
Performing truancy or non-attendants
From socialy / economically disadvantaged families or families at risk, etc.
Often with lower self-confidence
Having assessed SEN
The number varied from 15 to 20 children per group
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10. Activity groups. Working structure
Social educator, special pedagogist and teacher were hired to conduct the activities in the group.
In each group the basic and compulsory activity is assisting in doing homework.
The rest of activities were designed in respect of composition of children in the group, their needs and interests, and differed from municipality to municipality (social skills‘ learning groups, fine art and music workshops, sports, excursions, etc.)
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11. Activity groups. Technical facilities
Premises are supplied by municipalities
Each group was equipped with 2 working places for educators and 20 places for pupils (tables, chairs, book-shelves, etc.).
Various devises for educational purposes were provided (PC with soft programmes; musical instruments; audio video players, sports and tourism equipment, table games, etc.)
Constant supply with the materials and means for various fine art workshops

12. THE MODEL OF EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR CHILDREN IN ACTIVITY GROUPS
Psychologist
Social educator
Pedagogist
Special pedagogist
SCHOOL
PARENTS
CHILD
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13. Activity groups. Social support
Children were also supported with:
Clothes
Catering
Exercise books
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14. Outcomes. Achievments Of children behavior:
higher learning performance (higher motivation to learn, were passed to higher level at school, made better grades in curriculum).
Improved the rallations with peers, parents, teachers (became more friendly, acquired friends, improved communication and social skills, etc.).
Personal performance (started to plan a day as well as the future, became more self-confident, independent).
Of teachers‘ attitude and behavior:
changed a point of view towards the children with conduct dissorders and with lower learning performance
Changed the opinion that all the attention must mainly be oriented towards children berforming better learning
Of municipality officers:
The absenteeism has became more emphasized and actual issue, there are more discussions on this topic
There was a special pupils’ attendancy register system approved in some municipalities which ought to be applied in each school
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15. Follow-up
In 7 municipalities (out of 12) the activity groups are still active on their own supply
Even though municipalities are financing the accommodation for groups and salaries for educators, supply is much narrower, hence the capacities of service provision is lower
The municipalities that still continue the activity groups work are aware of the use and necessity of that kind of measure
In some municipalities the support and prevention measures for children are not the ultimate priority
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16. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
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