30/04/2026

School innovation forum 2026: Empowering future-ready educators

The 2026 edition of the School Innovation Forum fostered an environment where collaboration within the European education community was encouraged, and resources were shared to empower the new teaching profession.

Empowering future-ready educators

Preparing today's educators for a digitally transformed world is a top priority for policymakers, schools and the EdTech community across Europe. But as schools integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and data-driven systems, a fundamental truth remains: technology does not transform education, teachers do. To explore how to better support the teaching profession, 160 education experts from more than 30 countries gathered in Brussels for the latest edition of the School Innovation Forum, organised by European Schoolnet, on 22 and 23 April 2026.

This year's theme, 'Empowering future-ready educators,' reflected the urgent need to support teachers as they shift from being only knowledge providers to facilitators of learning in technology-rich environments. The event was held in partnership with the partners of two Erasmus+ Teachers Academy projects: ContinueUP and the 21st-century European Teachers. The outputs of these two pioneering projects highlighted how creating cross-border networks of excellence and communities of practice, such as the Erasmus+ Teacher Academies, provides vital laboratories for developing innovative approaches to teacher professional learning that can inspire systemic change across the Union.

Teachers: The heart of digital transformation

In the opening session, Marc Durando, Executive Director of European Schoolnet, welcomed participants by addressing the dual nature of the digital shift.

"Digital transformation is one of the most pressing challenges and the greatest opportunities in education today. Let us place teachers at the centre of this transformation. Not at its margin, but at its heart."

He emphasised that teachers are the "interpreters and guides" of technology, turning raw data into insight and tools into meaningful learning. However, the transition is not without its hurdles. Jan de Craemer, Chair of European Schoolnet, reminded the audience that structural changes are necessary. He noted that: "21st century competences cannot be developed within 20th century structures." He urged a redesign of schools to support both student and teacher development, moving away from rigid, standardised content toward more flexible, human-centred environments.

A European and global priority for the profession

Stefaan Hermans, Director of Policy Strategy and Evaluation at the European Commission (DG EAC), underscored that the teaching profession is the cornerstone of quality education. Drawing on OECD TALIS data, he noted a concerning gap: while teachers are highly motivated, only about half feel valued by society. To address this, he explained that the European Commission is actively addressing key challenges in the education sector through a range of targeted actions, including providing country-specific recommendations to tackle teacher shortages and infrastructure gaps, supporting Erasmus+ Teachers' Academies as flagship initiatives to strengthen connections between classrooms and promote teacher mobility, and developing a Teachers' Dashboard to offer data and examples of good practice across Member States.

From a global perspective, Carlos Vargas, Chief of Section for Teacher Development at UNESCO, highlighted the scale of the issue, pointing to a staggering global shortage of 44 million teachers. He stressed that making the profession more attractive requires going beyond technical skills to focus on professional autonomy, adequate remuneration, and what he described as "life-entangled" learning—embedding professional development within broader social and cultural contexts.

Are we asking the right questions about innovation?

Throughout the Forum, participants reflected on what "innovation" actually means in a classroom setting. Heidi Harju-Luukkainen, Professor at the University of Jyväskylä (Finland) and NORD University (Norway) delivered a keynote addressing the idea that innovation is not just about tech or productivity, but rather a living practice in education. She argued that true innovation is a continuous, interactive process rooted in trust, empathy, and reflection. She cautioned that innovation must be reinterpreted locally.

"Innovation does not originate solely from top-down policies. It is generated within everyday educational practices where teachers interpret and enact change."

Panel discussions

In the first panel, ‘the anatomy of a Future-Ready Educators', researchers from INDIRE and the University of Catania (Italy), the University of Helsinki (Finland), and the University of Glasgow (UK) explored the shifting identity of the educator. Key takeaways of the panel:

Teachers need adaptability, critical thinking, and the agency to act as change-makers.
Recognising both the potential of AI and the risks it poses to professional identity and learner autonomy.
As classrooms become more diverse and complex, the role of the teacher as a mentor and facilitator of inclusion becomes paramount.

A highlight of the Forum was the ‘Voices from the Field' panel, where teacher educators, student and in-service teachers and school principals from Portugal, The Netherlands, Finland, Denmark and Ireland shared the daily realities of the digital shift. The consensus was clear: the biggest constraint is not a lack of "readiness," but a lack of time. Panellists identified several critical pressures:

Workload: Heavy administrative burdens leave little room for professional growth
Technical vs. Pedagogical: Training is often too technical and disconnected from actual classroom needs
The "last to be consulted" challenge: Teachers are often the last to be involved in policy decisions, but the first expected to deliver results
Bridging the gap: ITE and CPD in synergy

Finally, the panel ‘Bridging the divide: challenges & opportunities in the ITE-CPD continuum', integrated by ITE & CPD representatives from the Ministries of education of Croatia and Spain, the University of Zagreb (Croatia) and the University Rey Juan Carlos (Spain), addressed the practical challenges and strategic opportunities of creating a seamless learning journey for teachers. The discussion highlighted the need for a stronger continuum between initial teacher education (ITE) and continuous professional development (CPD).

Lessons learned from collaboration

All panellists drew on their experiences participating in the ContinueUP and 21st Century European Teachers projects, highlighting the impact of these projects in fostering greater collaboration and knowledge sharing to help tackle shared challenges. The project coordinators of these two EU funded projects, Ditte Amund Basballe, VIA University College in Denmark, and Benjamin Hertz, European Schoolnet, presented insights from the above-mentioned EU funded projects and invited teachers and school leaders to discover and utilise their valuable resources.

The 21st Century European Teachers project has shown us that emerging areas like technological empowerment, entrepreneurship, playful learning and sustainable learning are not optional extras, they are becoming core to what it means to teach well in Europe today. The project's co-education model and cross-border mobility approach demonstrate that both student teachers and practicing teachers benefit enormously from working together and across borders to develop these competencies together.

Similarly, ContinueUP has tackled an equally fundamental challenge: the disconnect between initial teacher education and continuous professional development. Its guidelines show us that coherence across the teacher learning continuum doesn't require wholesale structural reform, it requires intentional, well-governed collaboration between ITE and CPD providers, where both sides have a strong understanding of each other's contexts and share a common language and process for supporting teacher learning.

European Schoolnet also outlined the need to empower teachers to foster diversity and inclusion in the classroom, by presenting practical insights and lessons learned from nine case studies showing how teachers in different schools across Europe harness digital technologies to build inclusive learning environments. Moving forward, the goal is to turn these insights into policy recommendations that foster "horizontal and symmetrical partnerships" across Europe and offer a better understanding of the key competencies needed for 21st century education.

Parallel workshops: From curiosity to action

Interactive sessions allowed participants to dive into practical strategies for the modern classroom. The topics of the sessions were:

The lifelong learning mindset: fostering professional curiosity and continuous growth
Developing skills for modern curricula
The inclusive classroom: empowering teachers with inspiring innovative ideas to bring inclusive practices to the classroom
How can structured self-reflection on the use of digital technologies support capacity building in schools?
ITE & CPD in synergy: practical models for collaboration
A co-education model
The tech-empowered trainer
Policy for a future-ready profession

Closing remarks

The closing reflections from Eldrid Gaukstad, European Commission, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport, and Culture, and Jan De Craemer, Chair of European Schoolnet, highlighted a central theme over the past two days: when it comes to empowering future-ready educators, practice and policy must go hand in hand. European Schoolnet extends its gratitude to all the partners, speakers, and participants who made this dialogue possible. The outcomes of the Forum reinforce the commitment of its network of Ministries of Education to support teachers not just as users of technology, but as the primary architects of the future of learning.

You can watch, the recordings here: