"STEPS-Strategies and Tools for Educational Progress and Success" is an interdisciplinary project aimed at educational success in two critical areas of high school education, such as the scientific one and the linguistic one. Based on the international training of teaching staff and schoolboard, the project goal is to improve teaching methods, strategies and tools to increase educational success, thus enhancing the motivation of students, as well as internationalising the Institute's profile. The project also intends to develop international networks for strategic partnerships in the upcoming years. Background and participants' profiles The data and results collected in the past five years have shown that the most critical areas in school performances are the scientific and linguistic ones (the largest percentage of the 27.92% failure rate in individual disciplines is in the scientific/language area). To increase educational success as well as improve the quality of school motivation, the “STEPS Project” has selected the following staff for mobility, based on their language skills, previous experiences, competence on CLIL methodology and new technologies. - Four teachers in the scientific area - Ten teachers in the linguistic area (English, Spanish, German, Chinese) - Three teachers in CLIL training - Head Teacher and Deputy Teacher (Total: 19) Objectives and Participants' Selection The selected teachers will take part in staff training courses aimed at acquiring strategies, methods, and tools to accomplish educational success in scientific subjects as well as languages, and/or to improve CLIL methodology. The headteacher and deputy teacher will investigate practices and organizational modes pertaining to different cultural environments in order to improve the quality of the school offer for students, exploring motivational strategies to reduce early school leaving in a European perspective. The selected courses are: - Using Technology for Teaching English" (Cardiff, UK, I.S.P.) - 2 teachers - Spice Up your Teaching Ideas: Methodology in Practice Today (Malta, E.T.I. - Teacher Training and Development) - 1 teacher - Talleres para llevar los medios de comunicación al aula de ELE (Santander, Spagna, Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo e Instituto Cervantes) - 2 teachers - CLIL: an Introduction to Teaching through English (Dublin, Irlanda, Atlantic Language School) - 1 teacher - Food for Thought (Rennes, Francia, LFEE Europe) - 2 teachers - CLIL Practical Methodology for Teachers Who Teach Science or Maths or Technical Subjects "Bilingually" in English at Secondary Level, (Portsmouth, UK, I.S.P.) - 1 teacher - Practical Ideas for the Teaching of Literature in the Classroom (Exeter, UK, I.S.P.) - 2 teachers - European Teachers of English Focusing on Literature (Cheltenham, UK, I.S.P.) - 3 teachers - Reducing Early School Leaving (Southhampton, UK, I.S.P.) - 2 teachers - Course for European Primary and Secondary Headteachers (Southhampton, UK, I.S.P.) - 3 teachers The objectives common to all the staff applying for mobility are: 1. Enhancing new educational methods and technologies; 2. Sharing the best practices with international colleagues / staff training abroad; 3. Establishing a net of international partners in order to construct strategic partnerships in the upcoming years; 4. Developing a stronger intercultural awareness within the European framework. Short-term impact: In terms of school achievement, the Institute intends to reduce the early-leaving rate and to increase the pass rate in individual subjects by 5 per cent in five years (from 27.92% to 23% by 2019); After mobility, the teachers and board will share the best practices with the rest of the staff, as well as establish digital platforms for individualized educational needs; the pupils and teaching staff of schools located in the area/region will also benefit from our mobility thanks to the preexisting network of projects, stages, and internships. As our school is the CLIL local coordinator, the competences will also be used in the coaching and support of CLIL teachers and in promoting workshops and activities comprised in the CLIL training courses. Long-term impact On the regional/national level, the Institute intends to share materials, methods and strategies for educational success, both through open platforms and workshops/meetings organized by the LEND Association, as well as articles published on the association's magazine. Among the long-term benefits on the European level, the School aims at developing strategic partnership and creating an increasing European awareness in the name of inclusion and educational success.