Impact

What difference do we make? Simple Impact Measurement

Understanding and Measuring Impact in the IDEEC Project

IDEEC is about more than teaching entrepreneurship — it’s about making a real difference in the lives of learners, their schools, and their communities. This difference is what we call impact.

But how do we know we’re making a difference? That’s where impact measurement comes in. And it doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether you’re a primary school teacher or working with teens, there are simple ways to measure what’s changed because of your lessons.

Why Impact Measurement Matters for Teachers

Impact isn’t just about numbers — it’s about growth:

Are your students more confident solving problems?
Did they develop new ideas to help others?
Are they thinking more about sustainability or fairness?
Did something shift in how they act or collaborate?

By measuring these changes, teachers can see what worked, improve what didn’t, and show the value of what they’re doing in class.

Impact Question for Challenge Framing: Which challenges / problems matter most to us?
Impact Question for Solutions Experimenting: How can we solve the challenge with creative solutions?
Impact Question for Impact Making: What difference did we make? Did we also change (learn/grow)?

We have developed a set of free tools for reflection, assessment and impact measurement.

Steps:

Step 1: Add a post-programme evaluation after your lesson series. Impact survey

Step 2: Measure impact of the three phases, use the free downloadable spreadsheet and add or delete questions.

Step 3: Plan what impact you want to make. Add a pre assessment to your post and phase impact measurement. Impact survey

Final question: Did you make a real difference? Share a gallery walk for impact, or community impact event.

What Is “Impact” in My Classroom?

For Teachers of Ages 9–12: Keep It Simple and Visual
Younger students can reflect in fun and easy ways:
✅ Two Likes and a Wish
✅ Emoji or smiley-face check-ins
✅ Quick “thumbs up if you felt proud today” activities
These help children express what they learned, what they enjoyed, and how they felt — making their learning visible and meaningful.
🧾 Download: Impact Guide for Ages 9–12 (.docx)

Start with your aims for the lesson. What difference do you hope to make?
In IDEEC, Impact Is Simple and Doable

The IDEEC Toolkit helps teachers measure impact in a fun and child-friendly way. We ask:
Did learners enjoy the lesson?
Did they learn something new?
Are they proud of what they did?
Can they talk about the problem they worked on (like waste or bullying)?
Did they care about helping others or the planet?

Tools You Can Use

IDEEC uses “light touch” tools: easy to add into your lessons as check ins and check outs

Two Likes and a Wish: After the lesson, each child says:
“I learned…” (something they learned)
“I liked…” (something they did or felt)
“I wish…” (something they’d change or do differently next time)

Smiley surveys: Use emojis or thumbs up/down to ask about:
Fun, learning, teamwork, feeling helpful

Quick class check-ins: “Put your hand on your head if you felt proud today!” (yes, even this is impact!)

Why It Matters… Children aged 9–12 are forming ideas about:
🌍 Their place in the world
🤝 Working with others
💡 Solving problems creatively

By using these simple tools, you help children:
Reflect on how they learn
Feel part of something bigger
Begin to link school with real-world challenges

I learned new things in the lesson	two likes and a wish / stars
I had fun during the lesson	thumbs up,middle or down
I am proud of what we did in the activity	gold stars / gallery walk

Developing the competence of self-awareness and self-efficacy is the basis for learners selecting challenges. They need to select or identify challenges from their local context and own experience, if possible, or choose activities from the toolkit.

Working with their challenge, they focus on people and planet, to develop ethical and sustainable thinking. They may travel from the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to their local application, or choose their own. By acting as a coach, the teacher allows a lot of agency, choice, and power for the young people to contribute, aiming to improving the global challenges that concern and matter to them. They have a space to express their own ideas and worries, interests and concerns, which also sparks the development of a plan for a better solution, a better reality, an improved life. This process is encompassed by vision.

Our young people need to be encouraged to use their creativity to develop solutions, thinking outside the box. They also experience that teamwork is needed to select and produce solutions for a particular challenge. Working together, they activate human and material resources, and put together all the pieces to make the solution work. They develop prototypes and test these. They try, and fail. Using self-assessment and feedback from users, they change their product or service and develop critical thinking.

Young learners need to communicate persuasively, to find and use resources and mobilize others. In their projects or challenge work, they need to organize, plan, and change their plans due to failure, change and feedback. Coach your learners to be resilient when encountering problems and implementing solutions. In handling this, they develop their ability to cope with uncertainty, ambiguity and risk.

Did they make an impact? Finally, learners can measure the value the solution has generated. With a vision of impact evaluation, you and your students can share their projects and activities with another class, school, or community. Possibly you can even take their connections globally, or deepen local and community connections.

For Teachers of Ages 12–15: Make Learning Growth Visible

With older learners, you can explore deeper reflection and feedback:

Pre- and post-lesson surveys
Learning journals and checklists
Peer evaluations
Project showcases and gallery walks

These tools help learners track their own development — and show real-world relevance of their learning.

Download: Impact Guide for Ages 12–15 (.docx)

Impact doesn’t need to be complicated. You already observe it in the classroom. IDEEC just helps you notice it more clearly, and maybe record it more often. Use what works for you: whether it’s drawings, reflections, Google Forms, or gallery walks — it all counts. For older learners, we can use more impact measurement tools, and can use more language-dense impact measures, like the free IDEEC impact survey (click to download)

Ask impact-directed questions. What change do you want to see in the world?

Get the learners to self and peer assess their achievement of these competences. Find the competence descriptions under the phases: Challenge Framing / Solutions Experimenting / Impact Making.

Did they learn, grow or change? Measure change between pre and post, (learning) for their achievement of the goals of the phases: Challenge Framing, Solutions Experimenting and Impact Making, or the nine individual capabilities (see the competences in the toolbox)

Challenge Framing

This is the first phase of the IDEEC competence framework, where learners are developing the competence of self-awareness and self-efficacy is the basis for learners selecting challenges. They need to select or identify challenges from their local context and own experience, if possible, or choose activities from the toolkit. Working with their challenge, they focus on people and planet, to develop ethical and sustainable thinking. They may travel from the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to their local application, or choose their own. By acting as a coach, the teacher allows a lot of agency, choice, and power for the young people to contribute, aiming to improving the global challenges that concern and matter to them. They have a space to express their own ideas and worries, interests and concerns, which also sparks the development of a plan for a better solution, a better reality, an improved life. This process is encompassed by vision.

Solutions Experimenting

In the second phase of the IDEEC competence framework, young people need to be encouraged to use their creativity to develop solutions, thinking outside the box. They also experience that teamwork is needed to select and produce solutions for a particular challenge. Working together, they activate human and material resources, and put together all the pieces to make the solution work. They develop prototypes and test these. They try, and fail. Using self-assessment and feedback from users, they change their product or service and develop critical thinking.

Impact making

Peer Feedback: Mix it up. Use self and peer assessment: Don’t let teacher always be the assessor. Use the peer assessment activity 3.9 in the activity kit, for peer and self assessment.

In the final phase of the competence framework, learners are working with their challenge, they focus on people and planet, to develop ethical and sustainable thinking. They may travel from the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to their local application, or choose their own. By acting as a coach, the teacher allows a lot of agency, choice, and power for the young people to contribute, aiming to improving the global challenges that concern and matter to them. They have a space to express their own ideas and worries, interests and concerns, which also sparks the development of a plan for a better solution, a better reality, an improved life. This process is encompassed by vision.

Challenge Framing: Learners identify real-world problems by exploring root causes, stakeholders, and the broader context. This stage builds critical thinking, empathy and problem definition skills.

Link to competences:

Self Awareness and Efficacy / Ethical and Sustainable Thinking / Vision

The Teacher may set up self, peer and group reflection processes and activities that spark learners to:

Identify and assess your individual and group strengths and weaknesses.
Reflect on their needs, aspirations and wants in the short, medium and long term.
Identify and assess their individual and group strengths and weaknesses, and track these as they develop.

Capabilities to self and peer assess

Knowing Myself	Caring for People and the Planet	Imagining the Future
– I know what I’m good at and what I need to work on.	– I think about how my choices affect people and nature.	– I can imagine different ways the future might look.
– I believe I can help others and the planet.	– I believe fairness and kindness are important.	– I make plans to turn ideas into action.
– I see problems as chances to grow.	– I try to make sure my actions create a better future.	– I want my goals to help people and the planet.

Solutions Experimenting: Learners are encouraged to use creativity to develop solutions, thinking outside the box. They also experience that teamwork is needed to select and produce solutions for a particular challenge. Working together, they activate human and material resources, and put together all the pieces to make the solution work. They develop prototypes and test these. Using self-assessment and feedback from users, they change their product or service and develop critical thinking.

Teacher needs to set up a safe experimental space where young people can

Generate ideas with social and/or environmental value (impact)
Create work teams committed to making positive social change
Select ideas and possible solutions for their challenges, working as a team and individually
Name, recognize and share an impact-driven entrepreneurship project solution

Being Creative	Working With Others	Thinking Carefully
– I like finding new and different ideas.	– I work well with all kinds of people.	– I check facts before I make decisions.
– I learn from mistakes and keep trying.	– I respect other people’s ideas, even if they’re different from mine.	– I think about how my ideas could affect people and the planet.
– I can change my ideas when needed	– I help my team stay positive and solve problems.	– I try to choose what’s fair, true, and logical.

Impact Making: In the final phase of the competence framework, Learners need to communicate in an accessible and persuasive way, in order to mobilize resources and mobilize others. In developing their projects, they need to organize their work, plan, and change their plans due to feedback. Surely your learners will encounter problems when implementing solutions. In handling this, they develop their ability to cope with uncertainty, ambiguity and risk.

You can give your students the opportunity to share their projects and activities with another class, school, or community. Possibly you can even take their connections globally, as we have done in the development of this toolkit.

Inspiring and Involving Others	Planning and Organizing	Dealing With Uncertainty
– I help others feel excited about making change.	– I set goals and make plans.	– I can make decisions even when I don’t know all the answers.
– I share ideas clearly and listen to others.	– I manage my time and adjust when things change.	– I test ideas and learn from feedback.
– I make sure we use resources fairly and kindly	– I finish what I start and keep my promises.	– I can change plans quickly if needed.

Did we make an impact IDEEC.EU – Google Forms Download

Download your own copy of the impact survey 12-16+

Reflecting on Your Teaching Practice: As a teacher, self-reflection is a powerful tool for growth. It helps you:

Review your lessons and identify what worked — and what you might change next time.
Clarify the kind of impact you want to make in your classroom, your teaching style, and your connection to real-world community challenges.
Consider how you teach: Are you guiding, coaching, or instructing — and when do you shift roles?

This reflection isn’t just about improvement — it’s about aligning your practice with the values of impact entrepreneurship: agency, empathy, relevance, and social change.

💡 Want to explore what it means to teach for impact? Click below to download your Teacher Self-Reflection Tool, or view the printable PDF version. As a teacher, your own self reflection can help you to do many things: e.g. reflect on your lesson, and change what works, what you will do next time. Reflect on the change you want to make in your classroom, in your teaching, in your links to community projects and connections. Also, you can reflect on the way you teach, are you instructing or coaching?

Find out more about how to teach for impactful entrepreneurship.

Click the button to download your own teacher self reflection, or see the PDF of teacher self reflection here:

PDF of IDEEC Teacher Self-Reflection Questions for Impact-Driven Classrooms – Google Forms Download

Your own copy of the google sheets Teacher Self Reflection

Policy for impact entrepreneurship

Empowering Future Changemakers: Advancing Impact-driven Entrepreneurship Education for Youth – What can you do as a policy maker? Here are our key recommendations:

The policy reports for the IDEEC project provide actionable recommendations for policymakers, school leaders, and teachers. Policymakers are encouraged to integrate social entrepreneurship into the national curriculum, invest in teacher professional development, and provide resources and incentives to support schools in implementing entrepreneurship education. School leaders are advised to prioritize social entrepreneurship within their school vision, allocate resources for teacher training, and foster a culture of innovation.Teachers are urged to incorporate social entrepreneurship into existing subjects, adopt active learning strategies like project-based learning and design thinking, and leverage available resources such as the IDEEC framework. By following these recommendations, each country can create an educational environment that nurtures the next generation of socially responsible innovators, empowering students to become empathetic, creative entrepreneurs equipped to contribute to a more sustainable and equitable future.

Dive into our policy brief developed through in-depth research and analysis across IDEEC partner countries. The document provides actionable recommendations for policymakers to promote impact-driven entrepreneurship education. It explores how social entrepreneurship is supported at both EU and international levels, highlights good practices from partner countries, and offers adaptable strategies to foster impact-driven EE through cross-sector collaboration and innovative partnerships.

Click the button to download the IDEEC policy document

IDEEC Policy Report

Activate school leaders by involving them in networks and events that promote entrepreneurship education, making them drivers of change within schools
Promote experimentation with small-scale pilot projects that engage local actors and can be scaled and adapted across contexts
Guide schools towards existing opportunities, such as national and international programs, fairs, and initiatives that foster an entrepreneurial mindset
Provide teacher training, equipping teachers and educators with innovative, challenge-based teaching methods and tools tailored to social entrepreneurship
Embed impact-driven entrepreneurship in policies, recognizing its role in shaping active citizens and promoting sustainable development.
Encourage cross-sector partnerships, connecting public institutions, private actors, and civil society to co-create impactful educational pathways

Country comparisons: impact entrepreneurship

What does the landscape look like in 2025, in the country ecosystem, for possible support of social and sustainable entrepreneurship education, for children aged 9-15 years? Let’s compare contexts:

Global Best Practices – click on the country to download the detailed country report on impact entrepreneurship

Scotland’s Learning for Sustainability and Social Enterprise Schools programs.
Italy’s B Corp partnerships in Civic Education.
Australia’s Future Anything and Young Change Agents model and alignment with cross-curricular capabilities.
Netherlands’ city-based initiatives tied to youth participation and local sustainability agendas.
Spain’s regional policy leadership (e.g. Extremadura and Cantabria) embedding transversal entrepreneurial skills.

Scotland presents a promising ecosystem for impact-driven entrepreneurship education, supported by a rich array of national frameworks and non-formal programmes. However, the integration of social entrepreneurship into the core curriculum remains limited. The IDEEC framework offers strong potential to bridge this gap by aligning with Scotland’s commitment to learner agency, sustainability, and social justice.

Country report

Spain has established a solid foundation for entrepreneurship education, bolstered by alignment with EU frameworks such as EntreComp and GreenComp. However, current efforts often lack coherence, with limited teacher preparation, insufficient resources, and few scalable models for impact-driven entrepreneurship in basic education. Currently, social entrepreneurship is not explicitly defined or taught as a standalone subject in the national school curriculum for ages 9–15. However, its core principles—such as social responsibility, sustainability, and innovation—can be introduced through various cross-curricular subjects and projects.

Country report

The Netherlands demonstrates momentum in advancing social and sustainable entrepreneurship education for learners aged 9–15, driven primarily by strong municipal leadership, vibrant non-formal learning ecosystems, and cross-sector partnerships. Amsterdam, in particular, stands out as a national frontrunner—supporting programmes across primary, secondary, and vocational education levels, and investing in long-term initiatives such as the FAWAKA school of Entrepreneurship , RIF Impact Economy, and the Impact Education Congress 2025. These efforts underscore the city’s commitment to embedding impact entrepreneurship into the learning trajectory of young people. More work is needed for teacher use and wider and consistent policy uptake.

Country report

In Italy, where youth unemployment remains among the highest in the EU (especially in southern regions), social entrepreneurship education offers young people pathways to create meaningful, locally grounded solutions to community problems. It fosters a mindset of agency and responsibility, equipping learners not only to access jobs but also to generate social value through self-employment and cooperative ventures. By embedding social entrepreneurship education into the education opportunities for Italy, this supports regional development by encouraging young people to remain and invest in their communities, contributing to inclusive economic growth and reducing the North–South divide. This IDEEC report identifies gaps and opportunities in teacher training, curriculum resources, and policy support for social entrepreneurship education in schools. Recommendations include integrating social entrepreneurship into the Italian curriculum, providing targeted professional development for teachers, and fostering partnerships between schools and local social enterprise organizations.

Country report

Australia also does not have a specific subject dedicated to “social entrepreneurship” for students aged 9-15. Instead, concepts related to entrepreneurship are integrated into various learning areas within the curriculum of each state and territory. These curricula are based on the national Australian Curriculum but are adapted to meet local educational needs. . Key gaps identified in the report include the absence of a formalized subject or dedicated time for social entrepreneurship, inconsistent implementation across states and territories, limited teacher training, and unequal access to resources. However, the report also highlights significant strengths within the Australian educational ecosystem, including a robust national curriculum framework that emphasizes general capabilities like critical thinking, creativity, and ethical understanding, as well as a growing culture of project-based learning and a vibrant network of organizations supporting youth entrepreneurship.

Country report

Country comparison for impact entrepreneurship in schools

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