Over recent decades, education policy has been preoccupied with economic growth while paying insufficient heed to global sustainability challenges. International initiatives to promote education for sustainable development (ESD) have been hampered by a lack of clarity on how to implement this form of education. To address this concern, a Rounder Sense of Purpose (RSP) began as a three-year EU-funded project that set out to develop a practical accreditation model for educators working on ESD. Expert and user opinion was sought through several rounds of structured consultation with over 500 people, chiefly using a Delphi approach, to develop and validate the model. The resulting framework comprises 12 competences, each with three learning outcomes and several underpinning components. This is supported by a range of activities largely reflecting a constructivist pedagogy. A range of assessment techniques have also been piloted within the project although this remains an area for further enquiry. Ultimately, it was decided not to design a single qualification template because defining the award to such a level of detail would make it more difficult to apply across multiple jurisdictions. Partners also felt that such an approach would atomize learning in a way that runs counter to the holistic principles of sustainability. RSP provided a rich learning experience for those involved and has already demonstrated its potential to extend its impact well beyond the original participants.

The current study scrutinises issues concerning school leaders’ education and training on education for sustainable development (ESD). Particularly, it explores principals’ self-reported competence for organising and implementing ESD in schools and their needs in education and training in order to effectively lead sustainable schools. Data were obtained from a nationwide survey in 150 primary schools in Cyprus during 2005–2007. The analysis revealed that school principals in Cyprus are poorly equipped for their new role as leaders of sustainable schools and agents of change, and focused on exploring suitable forms, content and approaches for their professional development on ESD. The outcomes are discussed in a national and international context since they have implications for ESD professional development programmes. Finally we discuss the need for upgrading principals’ professional development programmes and ideas for further research in the field.

This chapter examines the implementation of the whole school approach (WSA) to education for sustainable development in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) region through 34 national reports submitted by its member states. The reports were analyzed under six axes: schools’ vision, ethos, leadership, and coordination; curriculum; pedagogy and didactics; school management and operations; professional development; and school environment. Despite a clear orientation toward a whole school approach, the analysis showed that within the UNECE region, the six axes were unevenly addressed and some were poorly reported, leading to a partial view of the state (e.g., school infrastructure). The results are discussed in the framework of the whole school approach literature providing insights on ways to strengthen the approach and eliminate gaps and challenges through the new implementation framework of the UNECE Strategy on ESD 2021–2030.