The Education Support Program (ESP) works to facilitate change in education and national policy development in Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and Mongolia. Its activities help to develop the capacities of individuals and networks that are able to access and manage their own technical support and policy analysis. ESP's approach to education emphasizes teaching and learning that develop human potential; systemic change, cost-effective and sustainable solutions, equity and quality, and democratic governance.
At the core of ESP's activities is the recognition that one of the main obstacles to effective education change in the region has been a highly centralized, top-down approach to education planning, which has excluded major stakeholders from education policy development. Some countries have made progress in introducing education reform, but others are still struggling to find appropriate solutions. Many education reforms are introduced through changes to legislation and regulations that lack follow-up support for implementation.
ESP works to improve the reform process by assisting Soros foundations, NGOs, and education institutions with projects to democratize education policymaking and offer a variety of models for education reform.
The Education Support Program maintains its own separate website at http://www.osi-edu.net/esp/.