Prof. Anna Odrowąż-Coates, Maria Grzegorzewska University, Poland
Full Professor of Social Sciences in the Field of Education. Head of the Doctoral School at Maria Grzegorzewska University. Chair of the Board of the RN10 Research Network on the Sociology of Education at the European Sociological Association (ESA). President of the Polish Educational Research Association (PTP). President of the International Korczak Association (IKA). She holds the UNESCO Janusz Korczak Chair in Social Pedagogy. Since 2024, she has served as an expert at the UNESCO Intergovernmental Office for Management of Social Transformations (MOST) at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. She is Editor-in-Chief of “Language, Discourse and Society” (ISA) and Co-Editor of the journals “Society Register” (UAM) and “Pedagogika Społeczna NOVA” (UAM). Her research focuses on social science issues related to inequality, inclusion, human rights, and children’s rights.
Assoc. Prof. Ledia Kashahu-Xhelilaj, Aleksandër Moisiu University of Durrës, Albania
She is a lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Education, “Aleksandër Moisiu” University of Durrës, Albania, where she has been teaching since 2008. She has contributed to international and institutional research projects focusing on teacher education, curriculum development and evaluation, and inclusion in higher education. In 2022–2023, she led a research project evaluating initial teacher education programmes in primary and preschool education at “Aleksandër Moisiu” University. Her research interests focus on the role of families in educational processes, parental roles and competencies, school–family partnerships, and school–community relations. She is particularly interested in how family and school contexts intersect in shaping the educational experiences of children and young people, as well as in how teachers can foster meaningful collaboration with families. Her broader academic interests include continuing teacher education, professional development, and educational evaluation. Her work is guided by a commitment to understanding and strengthening the relationships between families, educational institutions, and the wider social context.
Assoc. Prof. Luís Castanheira, Bragança Polytechnic University, Portugal
He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences. He serves as President of the Scientific Committee of the Master’s Degree Programme in Special Educational Needs and Inclusion at the Polytechnic University of Bragança (UPB). He is also Director of the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Basic Education at the same university. He is President of the Municipal Assembly of Vinhais, Portugal, an Integrated Member of the Research Centre for Transdisciplinary Studies in Education and Development (CITeD) at UPB, and a Member of the Technical and Scientific Council of the School of Education at UPB. He is also a Visiting Professor at the University of São Tomé and Príncipe and Coordinator of an international project on Special Educational Needs in São Tomé and Príncipe. He has participated in numerous international projects, including the CARE Project – Enhancing Early Childhood Education and Care in Palestine; the TUT4IND Project – Inclusion for All; the PEREQT Project – Girls’ Empowerment and Quality Education for All; the Teacher Training Programme for Preschool Teachers, Supervisors and Mentors in São Tomé and Príncipe; the TELESPA Project; the DEMOLA Project; the EYDP Project; the Pilot Project; the EXPEDUCOM Project; and the Drop-in@IPB Project. He has published numerous articles in various international academic journals, serves as a peer reviewer, and is a member of the editorial boards of several scholarly journals. His research interests include Social Sciences, History of Education, Special Educational Needs, Inclusion, Supervision, Preschool Education, and Interculturality.
Assoc. Prof. Jasmina Vrkić Dimić, University of Zadar, Croatia
She has been employed at the Department of Pedagogy, University of Zadar, since 1999. Since the 2021/2022 academic year, she has served two consecutive terms as Deputy Head of the Department of Pedagogy at the University of Zadar. Throughout her career at the Department of Pedagogy, she has contributed to the delivery of numerous courses. She is currently the course coordinator and lecturer for Didactic Theories and Instructional Didactics, Methodology of Educational Work, ICT and Learning, Learning in Digital Environments, Contemporary Technology in Education, and Active Forms of Learning and Teaching. Since the beginning of her academic career, she has been involved in delivering programmes for the acquisition of teaching competencies at several institutions, including the University of Zadar, the Stjepan Matičević University Centre, and the Rudolf Perešin Training Centre of the Croatian Air Force. From 2014 to 2024, she served on the editorial board and subsequently as Executive Editor of the scientific journal „Acta Iadertina.“ From 2002 to the present, she has collaborated on numerous research projects, including „Moral Qualities of Participants in Education“, „Intercultural Changes under the Influence of Tourism in the Republic of Croatia“, „Zadar ZaDar – Experiential Pedagogy in Science Subjects for the Development of Gifted Students“, „Competency Standards for Teachers, Pedagogues and Mentors“, and „Be Prepared and Competent“. Within the EU CONEXUS European University Alliance project, she was a member of the working group responsible for comparing study programmes in the field of education at the University of Zadar (Croatia) and the Catholic University of Valencia (Spain). She also participated in two institutional research projects: „Identification of Key Factors for the Implementation of Inclusive Education“, and „Giftedness in Adulthood – Experiences and Opinions of MENSA Croatia Members“. She participated in the implementation of the Teaching Academy programme as an expert trainer. She has published more than 45 scientific papers and participated in over 50 scientific and professional conferences in the field of pedagogy, delivering more than 30 presentations. She continuously engages in various forms of professional development, as well as scientific and professional round-table discussions and public panel discussions on current issues in education. Her main research interests include didactics, teaching methodology, active forms of learning and teaching, information and communication technologies (ICT), and leisure-time pedagogy. She has been a long-standing member of HPGD Zoranić, Matica Zadrana, and the Croatian Pedagogical Society.