Situation
UNICEF’s Rights Respecting Schools is an international school model that places children’s rights at the centre as an integrated part of the school’s teaching and values. The aim is to give children a solid understanding of their rights and strengthen their ability to put this knowledge into practice. The ambition is to educate engaged citizens who actively defend their own and others’ rights – an effort that not only makes a difference in the classroom, but also in families and in society more broadly.
Complication
Despite the wide reach of the Rights Respecting Schools programme, there is a lack of robust evidence on whether and how the initiative works, both in Denmark and internationally. This applies both to the immediate objectives regarding pupils’ knowledge and practice of rights, and to the overarching objective of strengthening children as citizens. To fulfil the full potential of the Rights Respecting Schools programme, it is necessary to know how the initiative works, and how it is best designed and implemented. A strong evidence base is crucial for maintaining the programme’s relevance, strengthening the effort strategically and ensuring that it can be embedded widely in the future school landscape.
Recommendation
On behalf of UNICEF Denmark, Epinion has documented the effects of the Rights Respecting Schools programme. The analysis shows that pupils at Rights Respecting Schools experience greater participation in teaching and increased feelings of safety compared with other pupils. The study also indicates that the effects only become apparent over time, and that implementation can be strengthened through a more systematic embedding in the schools’ policies and values. Based on these results, Epinion recommends that the initiative be further developed and scaled up, enabling UNICEF Denmark to target the effort, achieve even better results and secure future funding.
