Empowering evidence-informed education across Europe: launch of the EVIDALI project
In an era where schools generate vast amounts of data, from assessment results and attendance records to learning-management analytics, educators often struggle to transform these numbers into meaningful insights. Teachers and school leaders are under increasing pressure to use data for personalised instruction, resource allocation and school improvement, yet many lack the targeted training, policy guidance and collaborative networks necessary to make data truly drive decision-making. Meanwhile, policymakers crafting national strategies may not always have a clear view of what happens inside classrooms, resulting in well-intentioned plans that fall short in practice.
Acknowledging ng this gap, the EU funded project EVIDALI - Evidence-Informed Data Literacy for Policy & Practice, addresses: What conditions are needed for data-literacy strategies to succeed in diverse school contexts? By combining rigorous policy mapping, collaborative learning labs and direct engagement with teachers, EVIDALI will bridge the divide between data collection and data-informed practice.
Four-step approach
To ensure that both policy and practice inform one another, EVIDALI unfolds in four complementary strands:
- Mapping & analysis: A comprehensive review of existing digital-literacy policies and support measures in all EU Member States, focusing on how schools and teacher-development programmes currently address data use.
- Policy learning labs: Interactive workshops where policymakers and researchers co-design evidence-based, context-sensitive data-literacy strategies, drawing on detailed national case studies derived from our mapping exercise.
- School-level survey: A large-scale, representative survey of European schools to uncover how teachers use data, and to pinpoint the most pressing needs for training and resources.
- Validation & capacity building: Hands-on workshops with teachers and trainers to identify, peer-review and refine ten exemplary data-use practices, feeding directly into a free MOOC on Data Literacy for Teaching launching in 2026.
By weaving together these activities, EVIDALI will not only strengthen the capacity of policymakers to design evidence-informed strategies but also equip teachers and school leaders with practical tools and a supportive community.
Over the next three years, EVIDALI will deliver: an EU-wide mapping report on data-literacy policies and school support systems; a Teacher Data Literacy Uses & Needs Report based on survey findings; ten validated good-practice cases and five in-depth school case studies; policy briefs co-created in our Learning Labs; and a free MOOC, complete with videos, activities and case materials, available in English, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.
We invite educators, policymakers and researchers to join us on this journey. Stay updated on our research, events and open-access resources by visiting the EVIDALI website and following us on social media. Together, we can unlock the power of data-driven education and empower schools across Europe to thrive.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.