The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: The Response from Educational Research

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About this Research Topic

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Background

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was signed by 193 Member States of the United Nations. To put it in action, efforts should be made by different actors, including educational researchers.

National educational policies are increasingly regulated and influenced by international agendas, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development being one of those. Considering that Sustainable Development poses educational challenges for humankind (such as how to educate students to act as citizens with respect to the environment, and educate teachers to promote inclusive schools), efforts should be made by educators and educational researchers to reflect critically and contribute.

Increasingly, there has been worry expressed by different actors (e.g. politicians, scientists, journalists) regarding the planet we live in, not only from an environmental point of view, but also from a social one, including calls to reduce consumerism and respect cultural differences. There is a shared need to “save our planet”, by “thinking globally, and act locally”. Considering the Agenda 2030 as a landmark to such a purpose, the achievement of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals will only be successful with the commitment of all, including from those working in the field of education (e.g. teachers, teachers’ educators, researchers).

This Research Topic strives for an answer to how educational research responds to the challenges presented by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This article collection welcomes research studies which (a) enable to map what has been achieved, and (b) give contributions to move forward.

The research studies to be submitted to the topic may have a theoretical or empirical approach. They should aim to reveal the social relevance of the research presented in connection with any of the 17 Sustainable Development goals, and not only the 4th SDG, in several areas, for example (Initial and/or In-service) Teacher Education, Educational Diversity and STEAM Education.

Keywords: Agenda 2030, educational research, social relevance, teacher education, actions to put forward the Agenda 2030

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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