EDUCA Flagship, led by the University of Jyväskylä, aims at identifying research-based solutions for issues in education and creating a novel research ecosystem.

EDUCA Flagship 2024-2028

EDUCA Flagship research addresses the challenges of decreasing learning achievement, increasing truancy and dropout rates, and digital technology in education.

EDUCA Flagship 2024-2028

Research & Impact

EDUCA will generate deeper understanding of the effects of policy reforms and interventions, optimal learning moments and teacher and principal competences.

EDUCA Flagship

_{The EDUCA (Education for the Future) Flagship, funded by the Research Council of Finland, addresses the challenges of decreasing learning achievement, increasing truancy and dropout rates, and digital technology in education by creating a novel research ecosystem that promotes the cross-pollination of methodological and conceptual approaches spanning educational science, psychology, learning analytics, sociology, and economics.}

_{The EDUCA Flagship is creating a unique data infrastructure, integrating existing data while concurrently augmenting it with large-scale data collections and how AI can be used to support education.}

_{EDUCA will generate deeper understanding of the effects of policy reforms and interventions, optimal learning moments and engagement, teacher and principal competences, and ways in which education can better support social and personalized learning processes and more effectively use technology enhanced learning environments in education.}

_{The consortium of the EDUCA Flagship consists of researchers from the Universities of Jyväskylä, Helsinki and Turku, and Aalto University, and is led by Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen, Professor of Education at the University of Jyväskylä.}_{In total, the consortium brings together hundreds of researchers from Finland and from top universities abroad, such as Harvard, Yale, and Oxford.}

News about EDUCA

February 7, 2025
Light at the end of the tunnel for principals as burnout eases and engagement rebounds
After years of strain, the latest survey examining the workplace wellbeing of Finnish school leaders shows an upswing. For years, the annual Principals' Barometer painted a bleak picture of the pressure they were under. But 2024 marked a turning point. “The covid pandemic cast a long shadow,” says Academy Professor Katariina Salmela-Aro of the University of Helsinki.
February 5, 2025
Recognition for Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen’s textbook production
The Association of Finnish Nonfiction Writers has awarded Professor Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen, director of the EDUCA Flagship consortium, the Textbook Writers’ Award 2025. The award recognises her long and meritorious work in producing high-quality textbooks.
January 30, 2025
Teachers involved in the two-year pre-primary education trial found it more goal-oriented than regular early childhood education
Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä examined the perspectives of early childhood education teachers participating in a two-year pre-primary education trial. They aimed to determine if the pre-primary education for five-year-olds differed from regular early childhood education.
January 29, 2025
EDUCA researchers start to assess the segregation of learning and well-being in the Helsinki metropolitan area
The Cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa have launched a new Urban Policy Council, established in cooperation with the University of Helsinki and Aalto University. The independent and autonomous research panel will provide a critical report of education and learning, with a particular focus on the segregation of learning and well-being in early childhood.
January 21, 2025
"Language-aware teaching requires a new way of thinking"
“Language-aware teaching should be part of all subjects and every teacher’s work,” says Postdoctoral Researcher Elisa Repo in Tiedonportti magazine.
January 14, 2025
A trial for two-year pre-primary education changed the social environment of five-year-olds in early childhood education
Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä have examined structural factors related to the quality of early childhood education in the experimental and control groups involved in the trial.
October 21, 2024
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Culture visited EDUCA in Jyväskylä
Anita Lehikoinen, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Culture, gave the Uno Cygnaeus Lecture in Jyväskylä in early October. In her speech on the history, present and future of Finnish educational system she boldly assessed the policy choices made. She also discussed ongoing research projects with EDUCA's post doc researchers.
September 18, 2024
The first EDUCA Consortium Meeting strengthened team spirit
More than 150 EDUCA Flagship researchers, mentors and stakeholder representatives gathered in Helsinki in mid-September for a joint Consortium Meeting.
September 2, 2024
EDUCA flagship presented in Tiedonportti magazine
The latest issue of the University of Jyväskylä's Tiedonportti online science magazine presents the university's first flagship project EDUCA, which is internationally unique.
August 8, 2024
EDUCA-Doc doctoral researchers started their doctoral training at the University of Jyväskylä
The EDUCA-Doc doctoral researchers in education and psychology at Jyväskylä started their three-year work at the beginning of August.
April 11, 2024
How to put education policy to the test?
Finland is testing changes in national education before committing to them – and showing how randcomized controlled trials can take the guesswork out of policy-making
March 6, 2024
The Education for the Future (EDUCA) Flagship receives 4.6 million euros from the Academy of Finland
Last October, the Academy of Finland selected three research consortia from the University of Jyväskylä for the EDUCA Flagship.