Resources
Explore a wide range of valuable resources on GCED to deepen your understanding and enhance your research, advocacy, teaching, and learning.
1,402 Results found
School Leadership Roles and Standards: Observations from the International Study of Teacher Leadership Year of publication: 2024 Author: Charles F. Webber | Dorothy Andrews | C.P. van der Vyver | Clelia Pineda-Báez | Janet M. Okoko | Edith J. Cisneros-Cohernour | José Gabriel Domínguez-Castillo | Mohammed Elmeski | Molly P. Fuller | Joan M. Conway | Cristina Moral-Santaella | Gloria Gratacós | Samira Idelcadi Corporate author: UNESCO | Global Education Monitoring Report Team This paper was commissioned by the Global Education Monitoring Report as background information to assist in drafting the 2024/5 GEM Report, Leadership in education. This report summarizes the findings of the International Study of Teacher Leadership(ISTL), conducted in 12 countries. The researchers share descriptions of the increasing interest in teacher leadershipas a factor in student learning and school improvement. ISTL researchers focus primarily on classroom-based teachers who—in collaboration with formal school leaders, parents, community members, and colleagues—impact school-wide decision making and pedagogical practices. The report offers insights related to teacher leader behaviours, the complexity of teacher leadership, how teacher leaders learn to lead, and the importance of contextual factors that support and impede teachers who provide informal leadership to schools and the communities they serve. The researchers compare cross-cultural requirements of good leadership and offer contextually situated analyses of leadership visions and goals, the impact of teacher leadership on educational outcomes, necessary preconditions for effective leadership, and policies that develop teacher leadership. The researchers also describe the readiness of school communities to embrace teacher leadership, described variously as parallel leadership, shared leadership, and distributed leadership. The report argues for a shift from considering standards for teacher leadership—too often based on the assumption that leadership is consistent across cultural and organizational settings—to the more flexible and contextualized conceptualization of leadership dimensions such as purpose, self-awareness, intentionality, and culture building. The ISTL researchers also argue that teacher leadership is but one component of an integrated approach to educational governance that addresses the complexities of teaching and learning in relation to rapid socioeconomic change, global migration, political tensions, and the emergence of new technologies. The ISTL also reinforces the ongoing importance of classroom teachers in the achievement of educational objectives. The ISTL team concludes this report with a set of research recommendations. 
Global Education Monitoring Report 2024: Gender Report; Technology on Her Terms Year of publication: 2024 Corporate author: UNESCO | Global Education Monitoring Report Team The 2024 Gender Report tells the increasingly positive story of girls’ education access, attainment and achievement, which is helping reverse decades of discrimination. But there is much more to say on gender equality in and through education. A companion to the 2023 GEM Report, this report looks at the interaction between education and technology with a gender lens. First, it looks at the impact of technology on girls’ education opportunities and outcomes. Although many instances are seen of radio, television and mobile phones providing a learning lifeline for girls, particularly in crisis contexts, gender divides exist globally in both access to technology and in digital skills, although the latter are smaller among youth compared to among adults. Biased social and cultural norms inhibit equitable access to and engagement with technology in and outside of school, with girls always left on the wrong side of the divide. While technology offers many girls opportunities to access important education content in safe environments, for instance on comprehensive sexuality education, technology in practice often exacerbates negative gender norms or stereotypes. Social media usage impacts learners’ and particularly girls’ well-being and self-esteem. The ease with which cyberbullying can be magnified through the use of online devices in the school environment is a cause of concern, as is the biased design of artificial intelligence algorithms. Second, the report looks into the role of education on the shape of future technological development. It shows that women struggle to pursue STEM careers, which manifests from an early age in the form of anxiety in mathematics and develops into a reluctance to study STEM subjects, ultimately resulting in a lack of women in the technology workforce. Women make up only 35% STEM graduates, and hold only a quarter of science, engineering and ICT jobs. Ensuring women participate on equal terms in shaping the world’s ongoing digital transformation will ensure that technology works for everyone and takes into consideration the needs of all humanity. 
Can African Countries Afford Their National SDG 4 Benchmarks? Year of publication: 2024 Corporate author: UNESCO | Global Education Monitoring Report Team This brief paper follows the broad methodological approach of the two previous SDG 4 costing exercises and their main assumptions (UNESCO, 2015a; UNESCO, 2020). It introduces the SDG 4 benchmarking process and how to estimate the cost of achieving these targets set by countries, largely based on their sector plans. Finally, it presents the revised assumptions of the model and the key findings. Despite lowering ambition, there is still an average national financing gap of USD 78 billion per year in the 44 low- and lower-middle-income countries in Africa. 
Global Education Meeting: Fortaleza Declaration; Unlocking the Transformative Power of Education for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Futures Year of publication: 2024 Corporate author: UNESCO | Brazil. Ministry of Education The 2024 Global Education Meeting (GEM), held in Fortaleza, Brazil, marked a significant milestone in the global pursuit of education equity and financing, with the adoption of the powerful Fortaleza Declaration by over 650 participants including over 50 Ministers from across the globe. Reunión mundial sobre la educación: Declaración de Fortaleza; Aprovechar el poder transformador de la educación para forjar futuros pacíficos, equitativos y sostenibles Year of publication: 2024 Corporate author: UNESCO | Brazil. Ministry of Education Este documento recoge la declaración de los ministros, los jefes y los miembros de las delegaciones nacionales, los representantes de los organismos de las Naciones Unidas, los asociados humanitarios y para el desarrollo, las organizaciones internacionales y regionales, las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, la profesión docente, los jóvenes y los estudiantes, el sector privado y las fundaciones, a partir de su participación en la Reunión Global sobre Educación (GEM) 2024, llevada a cabo los días 31 de octubre y 1° de noviembre. Esta reunión, organizada por la UNESCO y con sede en Brasil, tuvo el propósito de trazar la ruta para que la educación sea la prioridad de las naciones, las regiones y el mundo como un elemento clave para alcanzar todos los ODS, adoptando un enfoque integrado y de aprendizaje permanente, centrado en el fortalecimiento y la transformación de la educación. 
Transforming Knowledge and Research for Just and Sustainable Futures: Towards a New Social Imaginary for Higher Education (Education, Research and Foresight: Working Papers; No.33, 2024) Year of publication: 2024 Author: Leon Tikly Corporate author: UNESCO The paper considers why it is important to transform knowledge and research for just and sustainable futures and discusses the role of higher education in these transformation processes. The paper sets out how knowledge, research, and knowledge systems can be understood and critiques knowledge hierarchies that have emerged in the context of colonialism, leading to the marginalization of the knowledge systems and languages of the colonized. It is argued that there is a need to create new ecologies of knowledge that value and develop synergies between ‘all of the archives of the world’ and that can revitalize and expand the knowledge commons and contribute to more just and sustainable futures. Higher education has a pivotal role to play in the creation of new ecologies of knowledge and a revitalized knowledge commons through promoting socially and ethically engaged research, the decolonization and reorientation of university curricula and pedagogy to foster sustainable futures, and the democratization of universities to better represent historically marginalized groups. Underpinning this role must be a shift from a Western modernist social imaginary of higher education to one based on a new planetary consciousness. 
Guidelines for the governance of digital platforms: safeguarding freedom of expression and access to information through a multi-stakeholder approach Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO Guidelines for an Internet for TrustSafeguarding freedom of expression and the right to information while dealing with dis- and misinformation, hate speech, and conspiracy theories requires a multistakeholder approach. This is the reason why UNESCO, the leading UN agency for the promotion and protection of freedom of expression and to information, is launching Guidelines for the Governance of Digital Platforms. The Guidelines outline a set of duties, responsibilities and roles for States, digital platforms, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, media, academia, the technical community and other stakeholders to enable the environment where freedom of expression and information are in the core of digital platforms governance processes. The Guidelines were produced through a multi-stakeholder consultation that gathered more than 10,000 comments from 134 countries. These global-scale consultations fostered inclusive participation, ensuring a diversity of voices to be heard, including those from groups in situation of marginalization and vulnerability. Cultivating an Internet of Trust is a shared responsibility among all stakeholders. It calls upon us all to sustain an enabling environment for freedom of expression and the right to information. 
Countering Holocaust Denial and Distortion through Education: A Guide for Teachers Year of publication: 2025 Corporate author: UNESCO Antisemitic hate speech, disinformation, and conspiracy theories thrive during crises, making it vital for teachers to address these issues in school curricula. Social media has significantly amplified the spread of such harmful content, including Holocaust denial and distortion. These falsehoods, rooted in antisemitic prejudice and conspiratorial thinking, threaten our shared historical memory and promote hatred. To effectively combat these issues, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of the Holocaust —how and why the genocide of the Jewish people occurred. This knowledge helps us recognize the causes and risk factors, contributing to the prevention of future atrocity crimes and the fight against antisemitism. In the digital age, it is also imperative to be able to decipher the manipulation of history, and the misrepresentation of the past.The guide provides teachers with the necessary tools and guidance to prevent the spread of Holocaust denial and distortion. It equips teachers with knowledge, teaching principles, and strategies to foster digital literacy, historical understanding, and critical thinking in learners. Aimed primarily at history and social sciences teachers, it outlines key concepts, teaching methods, and approaches to counter Holocaust denial and distortion. 
Countering Holocaust Denial and Distortion through Education: Lesson Activities for Secondary Education Year of publication: 2025 Corporate author: UNESCO Adaptable lessons to foster critical thinking, empathy and tolerance Holocaust denial rejects historical facts outright, while distortion manipulates the narrative. Both phenomena undermine historical truth, fuel antisemitism, and attack democratic values. By addressing these issues, this set of lesson activities for secondary education seeks to build students’ resilience against falsehoods through fostering critical thinking, empathy, and global citizenship. It was developed by UNESCO and funded by the European Commission to equip educators with tools to confront the dangerous spread of Holocaust denial and distortion. With 12 engaging lessons, students aged 14 to 18 will explore the historical facts of the Holocaust while learning to critically evaluate misinformation in today’s digital world. From analyzing survivor testimonies to deconstructing harmful memes and conspiracy theories, this resource features 12 adaptable lessons that focus on historical literacy, media analysis, and social-emotional competencies. Topics range from identifying denial and distortion, evaluating media and online sources, analyzing primary evidence like survivor testimonies, and understanding the misuse of Holocaust history in memes and conspiracy theories. Activities are scaffolded with questions, examples, and practical exercises to encourage analytical skills and promote meaningful classroom discussions. The lessons also include suggestions for incorporating primary sources, visiting memorial sites, and addressing broader issues of genocide and hate. In doing so, the guide aims to not only preserve Holocaust memory but also strengthen the values of truth, empathy, and tolerance in younger generations. 
Covering Hate Speech: A Guide for Journalists Year of publication: 2025 Author: Cherian George Corporate author: UNESCO This guide is the first in a series of guides for journalists prepared jointly by the UNESCO Communication and Information and Education Sectors on covering hate speech and its different manifestations.This guide explains what may count as hate speech, the harms it may cause, the way it works, and how media gatekeepers and other actors can address it. Many debates around hate speech are about law and regulation. Understanding the law, especially international law, can help journalists when reporting incidents where speakers are accused of hate speech. It can also help them analyse whether existing laws, as written and as applied, comply with international human rights approaches for striking the right balance between freedom of expression and the right to dignity, equality and non-discrimination.