EUROPEAN SCHOOL HEADS ASSOCIATION

Their core work

ESHA is a European association representing school leaders and heads, headquartered in Utrecht. They bring the practitioner voice of school management into EU research projects focused on modernizing education — connecting schools with universities, science institutions, and communities. Their core contribution is facilitating the adoption of open schooling models, social innovation in education, and inclusive participation frameworks across European school networks. They serve as a bridge between policy-level educational research and on-the-ground school implementation.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

ESHA's early H2020 involvement (2017) centered on opening up schools to society — making science education accessible, building responsible citizenship, and fostering co-creation and collaborative learning methods (OSOS, NEMESIS). By 2019, the focus shifted toward inclusion and structural partnerships: children's participation in integration contexts (CHILD-UP) and formalized cooperation between schools, children's universities, and higher education (PHERECLOS with open badges and third mission concepts). The trajectory moves from pedagogy innovation toward institutional frameworks for inclusive, cross-sector education.

ESHA is moving from classroom-level innovation toward systemic approaches for integrating schools with universities and community institutions, with growing emphasis on migrant children's inclusion.

How they like to work

ESHA participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as a practitioner network that contributes school-level expertise and access to school leader communities rather than managing research agendas. With 55 unique partners across 22 countries in just 4 projects, they operate in large, diverse consortia (averaging 14+ partners per project). This makes them a well-connected network node that brings European-wide school access to any consortium they join.

Remarkably wide network for a small portfolio: 55 unique partners across 22 countries from just 4 projects, indicating they consistently join broad, pan-European education consortia. Their reach spans most of the EU, with no narrow geographic clustering.

What sets them apart

ESHA's distinctive value is direct access to school heads and principals across Europe — the people who actually decide what happens inside schools. While universities and research institutes study education theory, ESHA can mobilize practitioners for piloting, validation, and real-world adoption. For any consortium that needs to test educational innovations in actual school settings at European scale, ESHA offers a ready-made dissemination and implementation channel that few other partners can match.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NEMESIS
  Largest ESHA budget (EUR 298,625) and most ambitious scope — developing an entirely new educational model for social innovation skills through co-creation and real-world experimentation.
• OSOS
  Flagship open schooling project connecting schools with local communities and science institutions to build science capital and responsible citizenship across Europe.
• CHILD-UP
  Marks ESHA's expansion into migration and integration policy — addressing hybrid integration of migrant children through dialogue-based participation approaches.