About

CIDREE is run by the members, for the members.

Mission of CIDREE
The mission of CIDREE is:

• to contribute to the quality of the member institutions through mutual linking and sharing high – level knowledge and experience
• to shape CIDREE as an influential, dynamic and responsive network that supports the individual and corporate interests of its members
• to represent the interests of the member institutions in other European and international organisations and networks

General aim of CIDREE: knowledge management through networking
As a network, CIDREE wants:

• to ensure the mobilisation and circulation of high level knowledge and information amongst the member institutions, contributing to a more effective realisation of their own mission
• to make new knowledge, generated by collaboration, available to the member institutions and other stakeholders.

Added value
The CIDREE strategy is based on the simple idea that the exchange of information and expertise among professional educators gives added value to their own activities in terms of knowledge, efficiency, effectiveness and the growing European dimension of educational research and development.

Key functions of the member institutions
The majority of CIDREE members play a key role in national curriculum reform and development. Some of them also develop national qualifications, assessment and/or examination programs. Other members monitor national assessment and examinations.
The main task of almost all government agencies is providing policy advice to their ministries, generally coupled with providing guidance and advice on policy implementation to schools. In the latter context some of them commission or develop classroom materials.
A number of member institutions play a key role in teacher training and in-service training.
Some members primarily conduct research, sometimes in combination with curriculum development and review.

Activities
CIDREE organises activities such as study visits, one-off events and meetings of experts in order to stimulate the sharing of information and experiences.
CIDREE also organises international collaborative projects that function as tools for research and development. These collaborative projects are initiated by the members and encourage them to coordinate research, compare curriculum approaches and develop mutually beneficial results.

Professional development of staff
Engagement in CIDREE activities contributes to the advancement of knowledge, experience and expertise. Members are encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities when planning their staff development programmes. The institutions bring to CIDREE their own particular activities, questions, needs and expectations and in return can benefit from comments, answers, ideas and materials.
In this way CIDREE ensures the mobilisation and circulation of high-level knowledge and information amongst its members.

How CIDREE works
The Annual General Assembly under supervision of its elected president decides on the strategic plan and the admission of members. The GA also elects the Board, sets the annual fee and makes policy decisions.

The Board under supervision of its elected chairman puts forward the topics to be discussed and agreed by the General Assembly. It implements resolutions and looks after the interests of CIDREE during the periods in between the meetings of the Assembly.

The National Coordinators Meeting plays a key role in engaging the member institutions in the CIDREE network by defining particular needs for collaboration. Each member institution is represented by a National Coordinator.

The Secretariat is responsible for the administrative and financial operations and has publicity and organisational tasks. Furthermore, the secretariat is responsible for programme coordination, the promotion of communication and contacts among institutions, the promotion of CIDREE as a knowledge network in relation to external institutions, and the support of the design of a long-term policy and annual plan of activities. The secretariat is the first point of contact for potential new members.

Finances
All members pay an annual fee, which covers

• the costs of the funding of collaborative projects and other activities
• the administrative management costs of CIDREE
• the costs of CIDREEs website
• the costs of the meetings of the General Assembly, the Board and the National Coordinators Meeting

Public relations and communications
CIDREE’s main PR and communication tool is the CIDREE website: www.cidree.org. The website contains information on CIDREE members. Furthermore, information is exchanged between CIDREE members and national coordinators about collaborative projects and the activities of member institutions as well as other bodies and institutions. Also, the results of collaborative projects are published on the website.
CIDREE’s newsletter, CIDREE Brief, contains information about forthcoming activities, events and seminars. It also covers developments in member institutions, new projects, etc.