• Initial literary research regarding laws and policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Federation and RS.  Research of European and International Conventions dealing with Education that Bosnia has signed.  Preliminary contact and collection of data from the Ministries for Education in the Federation and RS, Cantons and Brcko, and the Federal Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees 

• Gather information from the OSCE regarding current policies and integration of schools, school incidents in ethnically sensitive areas (high and law returnee areas).

• Collect data from local and international organizations such as: OHR, Council of Europe, UNICEF, UNESCO, and Step by Step Program.

PHASE 2. (Preliminary) fieldwork and data gathering (March 2003; July-December 2003)
 

• Preliminary Field Work
• Analysis of all elementary school textbooks (Step by Step Program guidelines and Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Research and collect data on the educational and professional training of teachers (including Step by Step teachers).
• Based on initial research, determine what 6 locations would be chosen for the study (preferably where Step by Step schools could be found as well).  Make initial contact with the municipality and school authorities.  Obtain permission from the Ministries on Education to conduct participant observation in the classroom. 
• Conduct participant observation in the classroom in ten different locations, interviews and surveys with the Director of School, School Psychologist, teachers, parents, and pupils.
• Data collection and streamlining
• Organizing data and further planning and re-evaluate research based on collected data and results

PHASE 3. Conduct final analysis, final report and develop policy recommendations (January-March 2004)
 

• Running the data through analytical tools
• Additional field travel and report drafting
• Conduct Final analysis of data
• Attend any national and/or international meetings regarding educational policies, presenting preliminary findings.
• Write up a report with specific and detailed information on the bottom-up implementation of educational policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed by a thorough analysis (using SWOT, Symptom-Cause-Effect, Claim Holder, Duty Holder Analysis and Development Goal Setting in Context of Human Rights).
• Produce recommendations on educational policies and disseminate information.
• Make the report available in local language version and share it with schools/municipalities that were assessed, researched, and analyzed.