Education and the Sustainable Development Goals: A Global Agenda for Change
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Education and Approaches".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 6999
Special Issue Editors
Interests: sustainability; education; community; participation
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, providing a shared global framework for promoting peace, prosperity, and sustainable futures for both people and the planet. At the heart of this agenda are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which outline an integrated plan of action for ending poverty, improving health and education, reducing inequality, spurring economic growth, combating climate change, and preserving biodiversity.Education is fundamental to realizing this ambitious vision. This Special Issue aims to explore in depth how education, across all its forms and levels, is contributing towards a global agenda for change, enhancing our understanding of sustainability issues and catalyzing action toward achieving the SDGs. We are particularly interested in investigations into how the SDGs are being assessed in interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and cross-sectoral ways. However, we welcome submissions examining the SDGs through other lenses and contexts, including, but not limited to, indigenous knowledge, higher education, school education, adult education, informal and community education, or professional training.
Possible topics for submissions include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Theoretical frameworks for integrating the SDGs into educational curricula and pedagogies.
- Empirical studies evaluating the implementation of SDG-related interventions.
- Case studies showcasing discrete activities or programs focused on the SDGs.
- Explorations of how the SDGs interface with diverse epistemologies and knowledge systems.
- Investigations into barriers and enablers for SDG adoption across educational contexts.
- Comparative analyses of SDG-related policies and practices across countries or regions.
While SDG 4 specifically targets the quality of education, there remains a significant gap in the scholarly literature examining how the entire suite of 17 SDGs can be operationalized across all levels of education and other systems. This Special Issue aims to address this gap and advance the interdisciplinary discourse on education's vital role in achieving the UN's sustainable development targets.
We welcome theoretical and empirical contributions from a range of disciplinary perspectives and contexts. Authors may focus on single SDGs; however, an examination of interlinkages between multiple SDGs is encouraged. Both full-length articles and shorter commentaries or perspectives will be considered.
This Special Issue will be of interest to researchers, educators, policymakers, and practitioners engaged in initiatives related to education for sustainable development and the UN's 2030 Agenda. We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Kim M. Beasy
Valeria Vargas
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- sustainable development
- sustainable development goals
- education
- Agenda 2030
- United Nations
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