In 2021, the Vilnius Municipality in Lithuania, together with the Vilnius Education Progress Centre, launched the “Vilnius is a School” project that promotes a different concept of learning throughout the city, including public spaces, businesses, and civic life.
Now approaching its fifth year of implementation, the project is helping to create a more dynamic, connected, and resilient education system by extending learning beyond the classroom and into the city itself. The project was one of the winners of the 2022 Global Mayors Challenge.
Credit: Open Vilnius and Veritas International Training Centre
Context
Vilnius is home to approximately 170 schools and 87,000 students, representing around 14% of its 607,000 residents. Despite this significant share, the traditional education model, which largely focuses on classroom-based knowledge transfer, has struggled to keep pace with a rapidly changing world.
Three key challenges are identified:
- It is increasingly difficult to engage students and capture their attention, despite the link between student engagement and educational outcomes.
- Teachers are resistant to change.
- Businesses and city institutions are not engaged in education.
In response, the municipality aimed to transform education by promoting learning that is dynamic, connected, and relevant to city life.
Approach: Vilnius is a School
Vilnius implemented the “Vilnius is a School” project in response to the aforementioned challenges. The initiative reimagines the city as an extended learning environment and brings lessons beyond school premises — in museums, public institutions, and businesses — thereby integrating real-world contexts into education. A custom online platform supports lesson planning and scheduling, enabling teachers, city partners, and host institutions to share lesson plans and build better connections.
The municipality introduced a target for the project: at least 2% of lessons should take place outside the classroom.
To ensure effective implementation, the municipality adopted the following strategies:
- Communications: city-wide campaigns and signature events (e.g., Going Outside Day) to boost community momentum.
- Teacher training: certified continuous education and celebratory events support teachers and communities of practice in experiential learning.
- Urban integration: public organizations, businesses, and other city institutions physically host practical, curriculum-integrated lessons.
- Pedagogy: experiential and career-connected learning complements classroom lessons across all subjects, with lesson quality reviewed by subject teachers.
Below is the programme for lessons outside.
Credit: Vilnius Municipality
Benefits
The “Vilnius is a School” project is generating positive outcomes for students, teachers, and city partners.
Students show early signs of increased engagement, well-being, resilience, and social cohesion. They also develop a growing enthusiasm for learning and a stronger connection to school. Older students gain more exposure to career pathways through the project.
Teachers show signs of cultural change as they advocate for more outdoor learning. Participating teachers report increased job satisfaction and professional growth. Meanwhile, demand for teacher training is high. They also receive professional development in experiential and place-based education.
Implementation challenges and recommendations
The project is facing initial scepticism and implementation challenges, highlighting the need for cultural shifts, engagement of trusted messengers, and strengthened data systems.
Challenge 1: curriculum integration
Early scepticism often stems from the perception that outdoor lessons are merely fun activities rather than structured learning experiences; teachers also face challenges aligning activities with curriculum requirements, with limited integration of STEM subjects.
Solutions / recommendations:
- Develop subject-specific guidance and model lesson activities, with a particular focus on strengthening STEM integration.
- Ensure outdoor learning activities are clearly linked to schemes of work and assessment objectives.
- Strengthen teacher and institutional support to better align outdoor lessons with curriculum requirements and expected learning outcomes.
- Establish peer review mechanisms for uploaded lesson plans, leveraging expert input to ensure quality and relevance.
Challenge 2: finding the right messenger
Improved performance results from a bottom-up mindset shift among teachers and school leaders.
Solutions / recommendations:
- Host recognition and celebration events alongside a strong professional development program to reinforce teachers’ to strengthen teachers’ ownership and commitment beyond monetary or material incentives.
- Provide platforms for teachers to share their experiences, as hearing directly from peers.
- boosts confidence in changes to outdoor learning.
Challenge 3: data system
There is no reliable system to monitor external lesson metrics, which makes understanding performance drivers difficult.
Solutions / recommendations:
- Invest in robust data systems to enhance visibility of performance trends and support evidence-based decision-making.
- Increase staffing dedicated to data monitoring and reporting to improve oversight and accountability.
- Establish a comprehensive dashboard to track participation, equity, and key barriers, enabling improved visibility and more targeted interventions.
Challenge 4: barriers to participation
Transport costs and logistics restrict access for peripheral schools, and fragmented booking systems add to teacher workload.
Solutions / recommendations:
- Enhance transport support for peripheral schools.
- Streamline booking systems via a centralised, real-time platform integrated with timetabling.
Challenge 5: inclusion and equity
Inconsistent accommodations for students with special needs and Lithuanian language learners; learning materials are often inaccessible.
Solutions / recommendations:
- Set minimum accessibility standards for providers.
- Offer multilingual learning materials and inclusion training to ensure universal participation.
Challenge 6: embedding in school practice
Outdoor learning remains ad hoc and dependent on teacher initiative, with scheduling constraints.
Solutions / recommendations:
- Appoint coordinators for outdoor learning at the school level.
- Schedule regular outdoor learning sessions.
Challenge 7: building quality through co-design
Weak feedback loops, limited co-design between teachers and providers, and coordination issues reduce consistency.
Solutions / recommendations:
- Promote co-design of activities.
- Implement structured feedback after activities.
- Create a shared library of best practices.
- Streamline booking systems via a centralised, real-time platform integrated with timetabling.
Impact evaluation
In 2024/2025, more than 47,000 lessons were held outside the classroom, with more than 4,880 teachers participating. Over 51% of students spent at least 2% of their lessons learning outdoors. More than 960 lessons were uploaded, and more than 245,000 lessons were downloaded on the online platform. 1,000 teachers were trained in experiential learning.
According to an impact evaluation study, the project has positively improved student aspirations, engagement, and socio-emotional skills:
- 1.7% increase in college aspirations.
- 1.5% increase in homework completion.
- 0.94% rise in self-regulation and grit, reflecting students’ focus on long-term goals and perseverance.
- 1.09% increase in students’ sense of belonging and integration with peers.
- 2.08% increase in students’ attitudes toward competition and belief that hard work leads to success.
- A positive rise in the school climate index, which reflects students’ attitudes toward school, their perception of safety and support, and peer relationships.
Feedback from students and teachers indicates that lessons outside have positively improved the learning experience and brought great value to both groups.
Source: Vilnius municipality
Conclusion
“Vilnius is a School” demonstrates how cities can reshape education through urban spaces, partnerships, and digital tools. While a rapidly evolving world makes it more challenging to connect with students, it also opens new opportunities. Platforms for lesson planning and data monitoring support more coordinated, evidence-based learning.
By combining these tools with experiential, place-based methods, Vilnius shows that modernization is both a challenge and a resource. Cities can use this to develop more engaging, relevant, and adaptable education systems that better meet students’ needs today.