Exploring the Validity of the RISE ‐ UP Framework for Sustainability Education in Super‐Diverse Urban Schools: A Delphi Approach

Despite many frameworks for sustainability education (SE) developed over the past two decades, and the specific call for contextual anchoring, none address its implementation in the distinctive context of super‐diverse urban environments. Yet the complexity and diversity of urban contexts demand tailored approaches. Urban schools offer unique opportunities for SE, where diverse perspectives on sustainability meet context‐specific challenges. This study offers a conceptual validation of a recent framework, developed for secondary education, combining key elements of SE and urban education (UE). It was validated by 23 international experts across research, policy, and practice. Using a three‐round Delphi study, experts assessed the framework's relevance, clarity, completeness, and specificity. The majority agreed on its relevance, addressing a recognised need, and the potential to support SE in urban settings. While the four building blocks of the framework namely—competences; effective teaching strategies; community engagement; and school culture—were retained, experts proposed several refinements to enhance its clarity, completeness, specificity, and usability. These included clarifying the urban context, incorporating pupils' intercultural competences, and merging parental and local community engagement. The refined framework represents one of the first frameworks of sustainability education contextualised for super‐diverse urban secondary schools, offering a validated conceptual foundation for implementation.