Mapping education for sustainable development in super-diverse urban secondary schools in Brussels

Abstract

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is widely promoted through global frame-works, yet how these translate into practice in super-diverse urban secondary schoolsremains insufficiently understood. This study applies the ESDUC framework as an analyticallens to examine how its four building blocks: competences, teaching strategies, communityengagement, and school culture are implemented in Dutch-speaking secondary schools inBrussels, and which factors influence their implementation. Drawing on a qualitativemultiple-case study with interviews and focus groups involving pupils, teachers, and schoolleaders, the findings show that ESD implementation is partial and fragmented acrossschools and actor groups. Sustainability is predominantly framed in ecological terms,while transformative, culturally responsive, and community-based approaches remainweakly developed. Implementation is strongly shaped by urban realities such as multi-lingualism, socio-economic vulnerability, and a structural mismatch between pupils’ livedexperiences and school practices. By mapping these dynamics, the study identifies facili-tating and constraining factors in applying ESDUC and offers context-sensitive insights forresearch, policy, and practice in Brussels and other metropolitan settings.