On behalf of all the members of our project entitled "Promoting Quality and Equity: a dynamic approach to school improvement" (PROMQE), I would like to welcome you to our project's webpage.

This project (PROMQE) is a European Erasmus+ project sponsored by the European Union and lasts three years (2014-2017). It involves four European countries: Cyprus, Greece, England and Ireland. Cyprus and specifically the University of Cyprus is the coordinating country.

International evaluation studies reveal that in Europe approximately 20% of children are not equipped with the basic skills in mathematics. For instance the latest PISA study revealed that 22% of the European students were low achievers in mathematics and the great majority of them can be found in socially disadvantaged areas. This study also reports that 40% of the variation in student performance in mathematics is found between schools within a country. This implies that interventions targeting students' basic skills in mathematics at the school level are needed.

In this context, this project (PROMQE) aims to support primary schools in socially disadvantaged areas to use an evidence-based and theory-driven approach to promote students' basic skills in mathematics. Schools in the four countries mentioned above are supported to develop their own strategies and actions by using a dynamic approach to school improvement, taking into account their context and specific problems/challenges that they have to face.

The proposed approach draws on a dynamic theory on educational effectiveness which has been systematically tested through national and international studies. This theory draws attention to the actions taken at the school and classroom level in order to improve the school learning environment and the quality of teaching. It also refers to quantitative and qualitative characteristics of these factors by giving special attention to the differentiation dimension. Differentiation is not only seen as an aspect of effective teaching, but also as a dimension that should be taken into account in defining school policy for teaching and school policy for improving the school learning environment. Thus, this project draws on experiences of previous studies which show that these factors are associated with student learning and their learning outcomes and aims to promote quality and equity at school level. Schools in socially disadvantaged areas are, therefore, encouraged to identify intermediate objectives concerned with the improvement of the school learning environment and the school policy for teaching that can contribute to the improvement of learning outcomes in mathematics.

Our webpage is systematically updated and anyone interested in our work will have the opportunity to be informed about the activities and the results of the project at each of its phases.

I would like to invite you to browse our webpage to get a better idea of our project's activities. If you have any questions or would like to have more information about the project, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The project coordinator

Dr Leonidas Kyriakides

Professor of Educational Research and Evaluation,

Department of Education, University of Cyprus