The aims of the project: The core idea was to improve the school’s quality through the development of teaching and to achieve an intensive joint process of improvement by offering the opportunity of mutual visits of teachers and the chance of teaching in partner schools, including feedback from partner to partner. Another goal was to enhance the European dimension of the school (though student contacts as well) and to lower the rate of school drop-outs. Joint participation at vocational training seminars by teachers from the partner schools could enhance this common process. It was intended to strengthen the following main educational areas: 1. the promotion of talent/giftedness (derived from the program of the enhancement of the very skilled students) 2. the enhancement of competitive athletes 3. ITC in the classroom 4. Gaining the title MINT-EC-school The number and profile of participants: The tasks for the participants were defined in the staff teams responsible for the different school development fields. The participants had profound experiences in teaching their subjects and are exceptionally qualified in this respect. There was an adequate number of them who were able not only to establish the skills gained in this project in their respective school development field but in the whole school by offering vocational training at their school. Description of the conducted activities: Sitting in on lessons within the framework of job shadowing (first and second year of the project) covered a wide scope. After thorough preparations the participants collected specific information on the underlying conditions and the arrangement of the school’s development of the institution being visited as well as the topical focus of institutions other than schools. They did this in close consultation with the headteacher or the project coordinator as well as in intensive exchange with the staff of the institution being visited. Colleagues of the partner school in return were invited to participate in job shadowing at the Deutschhaus-Gymnasium and pass on their experiences to their own school. In both project years “European weeks” were organized with participants from six countries as well as several singular activities (due to organizational as well as subject-related reasons). Based on comprehensive consultation of the schools’ administrations, teachers were integrated in specific project work in different lessons, including eTwinning. The aim of job shadowing at institutions other than schools was to enhance the teachers’ subject-related skills. Training through eVOCATION was intended to strengthen the pedagogical dimension. Proceedings of the project implementation The school administration of the Deutschhaus-Gymnasium coordinated the entire project in close agreement with the project partners. It supervised the preparations of the participants and the evaluation and distribution of the results of the project. The counseling of europafels ensured the intercultural scale of the agreements with the partner institutions. There were no language barriers as all the participants in all of the institutions can communicate competently in at least one of the working languages, i.e. German or English. Achieved results and effects and intended long-term benefits: By getting to know and critically evaluating other forms of open and distance learning, project work and new media/ digital skills the teachers involved in this project could reflect their own teaching methods and share their views with teachers of the partner schools. The feedback showed great contentment of the participants, both from the Deutschhaus-Gymnasium and the partner institutions abroad. The professional contacts between the members of staff in the different partner schools enhanced the network of the schools and their European dimension by the mutual exchange of experiences and project beyond a singular subject or a particular school only. The school put in a subsequent application in order to enhance and reinforce the achieved results. Within the duration of the project phase, the Deutschhaus-Gymnasium gained the status of a centre of competence for the enhancement of talent/giftedness in the administrative district of Lower Franconia. Due to this new task, the results will be taken into account in teachers’ training courses in the region and thus improve school development in Lower Franconia. In close cooperation with the neighbouring Friedrich- Koenig-Gymnasium the European contacts were closely connected. They will be extended, based on individual focusses, in the future. Two applications for Erasmus-Plus coordinators in the administrative disctrict of Lower Franconia originated from the cooperative project. Thus the project has reached a great extent of sustainability for the entire administrative district as well as for the European partner institutions.