A report examined which developed (OECD) countries deliberately attempted to reproduce social stratification through educational policies, and which countries put greater emphasis on intervening in the stratification process. It challenged a 'one-policy-fits-all approach' that advocated education policy reforms designed to increase equal opportunities in education. The context of each country needed to be considered before the implementation of such policies.
Source: Miroslav Beblavy, Anna-Elisabeth Thum, and Marcela Veselkova, Education Policy and Welfare Regimes in OECD Countries: Social stratification and equal opportunity in education, Working Document 357, Centre for European Policy Studies (Brussels)
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Dec
A paper examined the extent to which vocational training had contributed to increasing the growth rate of labour productivity in Europe between 1999 and 2005. One extra hour of training per employee accelerated the rate of productivity growth by around 0.55 percentage points.
Source: Hector Sala and Jose Silva, Labor Productivity and Vocational Training: Evidence from Europe, Discussion Paper 6171, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Dec
A paper said that higher education expansion in Europe had brought about an increase in background-related inequality. This had mainly occurred in the previous decade, and had been concentrated in the bottom half of the background distribution.
Source: Francesco Vona, Does the Expansion of Higher Education Reduce Educational Inequality? Evidence from 12 European countries, Working Paper 2011-12, OFCE Sciences-Po and Sapienza University of Rome
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Dec
An article examined changes in higher education governance in England, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. The empirical evidence showed that governments continued to govern, and had not lost any of their policy-making power: but they had simply changed the way they steered higher education.
Source: Giliberto Capano, 'Government continues to do its job. a comparative study of governance shifts in the higher education sector', Public Administration, Volume 89 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
An article examined the assumption that 'macro level' political variables such as welfare state systems and immigration regimes shaped the conditions encountered by young immigrants, and thus had an impact on their school performance. The results showed that native students benefited from social-democratic welfare states and immigration-friendly integration regimes, whereas immigrant students underperformed under these types of regimes.
Source: Flavia Fossati, 'The effect of integration and social democratic welfare states on immigrants? educational attainment: a multilevel estimate', Journal of European Social Policy, Volume 21 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
A new book examined where, when, and how minority-ethnic groups missed out on educational opportunities in European countries.
Source: Ian Law and Sarah Swann, Ethnicity and Education in England and Europe: Gangstas, geeks and gorjas, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Dec
A paper examined the main characteristics and motivations for reforming higher education systems, first in England ('a successful process from the point of view of the policy-makers') since the early 80s, and then at the European level since the mid-90s.
Source: Jean Luc Demeulemeester, Reforming Higher Education Systems in Europe Since the 80s: Between utilitarianism and justice?, Working Paper 11/058, Centre Emile Bernheim (Universite Libre de Bruxelles)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Dec
A report presented the preliminary results of research into the situation of young people in Europe, focusing specifically on those who were not in employment, education or training. It explored the economic and social consequences of their disengagement from the labour market and education.
Source: Young People and NEETs in Europe: First findings, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Dec
A paper examined the effects of changes in the institutional design of the educational system on school attainment over the period 1930-2000 for 24 European countries.
Source: Michela Braga, Daniele Checchi, and Elena Meschi, Institutional Reforms and Educational Attainment in Europe: A long run perspective, Discussion Paper 6190, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Dec
A new book examined polices in European countries that were aimed at preventing the reproduction of social and educational inequalities. It considered the limits and possibilities of educational reform.
Source: Marc Demeuse, Daniel Frandji, David Greger, and Jean-Yves Rochex (eds.), Educational Policies and Inequalities in Europe, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Dec
A report examined the challenges facing educational and training services across Europe.
Source: Tine Andersen, Hanne Shapiro, Tom Leney, and Clara Emilie Ellegaard, Educational and Training Services: Anticipating the Challenges, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Date: 2011-Nov
An article examined the relationship between the institutional stratification of higher education systems and graduate employment prospects in Germany and Britain. The vertical differentiation of British higher education institutions and degrees differentiated the transitions to the service class more strongly than in Germany.
Source: Kathrin Leuze, 'How structure signals status: institutional stratification and the transition from higher education to work in Germany and Britain', Journal of Education and Work, Volume 24 Issue 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Nov
A new book presented new research related to childcare policies and children's everyday lives in early education and care institutions in Europe. It highlighted the close connexion between (on the one hand) labour market and work-life balance issues and (on the other) development of particular care arrangements for small children.
Source: Anne-Trine Kjorholt and Jens Qvortrup (eds.), The Modern Child and the Flexible Labour Market: Early childhood education and care, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Nov
An article examined children's experiences in Europe of victimization and offending while travelling to and from school. Almost one-fifth of young people were regularly subjected to behaviour that they considered anti-social: but most showed high levels of self-confidence and security. The key was the existence of protective friendship groups – pointing to a move away from increasing 'formal' interventions, such as CCTV, towards supporting existing, informal methods used by young people to limit the possibility of victimization.
Source: Stephen Moore, Rachel Maclean, and Tom Jefford, 'The "land in-between": a comparative European study of the victimisation of young people travelling to and from school', Crime Prevention & Community Safety, Volume 13 Issue 4
Links: Abstract | Anglia Ruskin press release
Date: 2011-Nov
A study compared mobility trends across 10 countries, including the United Kingdom (and England). Gaps in school readiness in England between less advantaged children and their more advantaged counterparts were larger than those in similar nations such as Canada and Australia, but smaller than those in the United States. Disparities in early child outcomes persisted into adolescence, with comparatively large attainment gaps observed in England.
Source: What Prospects for Mobility in the UK? A cross-national study of educational inequalities and their implications for future education and earnings mobility, Sutton Trust
Links: Summary | Telegraph report
Date: 2011-Nov
A paper examined the claims made for the value of pre-school education and care, using cross-national time series data for a large number of developed (OECD) countries. The analysis confirmed the association between participation levels in pre-school education/care and female employment rates. However, the cross-national analysis did not support the argument that raising aggregate levels of participation necessarily reduced social gaps in attainment at 15 years of age.
Source: Andy Green and Tarek Mostafa, Pre-School Education and Care: A Win-Win Policy?, LLAKES Research Paper 32, Centre for Learning and Life Chances in Knowledge Economies and Societies
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Nov
An article compared the development in apprenticeship training in England with that in other European countries, particularly Germany. In both countries, the apprenticeship system displayed high levels of gender segregation. Attempts to improve and expand apprenticeships in England, including tackling occupational segregation, were unfolding in a climate of severe economic recession and public finance restraint.
Source: Jim Campbell, Emily Thomson, and Hartwig Pautz, 'Apprenticeship training in England: closing the gap?', Journal of Contemporary European Studies, Volume 19 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Nov
A study examined the competency requirements of staff in early childhood education and care in Europe. High-quality education and care services for young children depended on the right mix of knowledge, practice, and values applied by individual staff – but also by institutions and the education system.
Source: Mathias Urban, Arianna Lazzari, Michel Vandenbroeck, Jan Peeters, and Katrien van Laere, Competence Requirements of Staff in Early Childhood Education and Care, European Commission
Links: Report | European Commission press release
Date: 2011-Oct
A paper examined returns to education in Austria, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. There was a high variation in the effect of education on unemployment duration. Overall, the returns to education were estimated to be highest in the UK, and lowest in Sweden.
Source: Daniela Glocker and Viktor Steiner, Returns to Education Across Europe: A comparative analysis for selected EU countries, Discussion Paper 2011/15, School of Business and Economics, Freie Universitat Berlin
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Oct
A report provided an overview of available evidence on funding mechanisms in education and training in Europe. It considered the advantages and drawbacks of a wide range of funding mechanisms, including tax incentives, grants and subsidies, loans, and individual learning accounts.
Source: Torberg Falch and Hessel Oosterbeek, Financing Lifelong Learning: Funding mechanisms in education and training, European Expert Network on Economics of Education/European Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Oct
A report examined national policies in the European Union on access to higher education, funding, and student support. It said that countries needed to adapt their higher education systems to meet the challenges resulting from rapid societal change. In particular, they needed to open up opportunities for more people to benefit from higher education, matching this objective with coherent measures, funding, and monitoring.
Source: Modernisation of Higher Education in Europe: Funding and the social dimension, European Commission
Links: Report | Summary | European Commission press release
Date: 2011-Sep
A report provided statistical comparisons between education systems in 34 developed (OECD) nations. It said that governments needed to invest in education: in the long run, their budgets would benefit – people with better educational qualifications were less likely to need unemployment benefits or welfare assistance, and paid more tax when they entered the job market. But United Kingdom students were being forced to fund more of the cost of their university education themselves than in most other developed countries.
Source: Education at a Glance 2011, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Links: Report | UK note | OECD press release | European Commission press release | NASUWT press release | NUT press release | TUAC press release | UCU press release | Universities UK press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2011-Sep
An article examined formulations of 'key competences' in European Union member states, and the way in which they were being integrated into the compulsory education curricula.
Source: Gabor Halasz and Alain Michel, 'Key competences in Europe: interpretation, policy formulation and implementation', European Journal of Education, Volume 46 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Sep
A report examined the scale and nature of the problem of early school leaving in the European Union. It looked in detail at how member countries were trying to tackle the problem; and it identified the characteristics of effective policies, leading to a range of recommendations for action at European and national level.
Source: GHK Consulting, Anne-Mari Nevala, and Jo Hawley, Reducing Early School Leaving in the EU, Committee on Education and Culture, European Parliament
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Aug
A study examined ethnic differentiation in schools, and their environments in multi-ethnic communities, in 9 member states of the European Union (including the United Kingdom). It highlighted the factors behind the 'continuous production and reproduction of ethnic distinctions' that worked to the detriment of young people from minority-ethnic backgrounds.
Source: Julia Szalai (ed.), Contested Issues of Social Inclusion Through Education in Multiethnic Communities Across Europe, European Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Aug
A study of 12 European countries found that one additional year of education reduced self-reported poor health by 7.1 per cent for females and by 3.1 per cent for males.
Source: Giorgio Brunello, Margherita Fort, Nicole Schneeweis, and Rudolf Winter-Ebmer, The Causal Effect of Education on Health: What is the role of health behaviors?, Discussion Paper 5944, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Aug
A factsheet provided an overview of European Union education policies and their link to combating racism in education.
Source: EU Education Policies and Their Impact on Racism in Education, European Network Against Racism
Links: Factsheet
Date: 2011-Aug
Researchers examined the different types of brokerage activities and mechanisms that were used to link research evidence to education policy in Europe.
Source: David Gough, Janice Tripney, Caroline Kenny, and Elisabeth Buk-Berge, Evidence Informed Policymaking in Education in Europe: EIPEE final project report, EPPI-Centre (Institute of Education/University of London)
Date: 2011-Jul
A report said that the European Union average score in reading for children at age 15, and the proportion of struggling readers in this age group, remained stable in international (PISA) surveys carried out between 2000 and 2009. The spread of the results in reading (the gap between the highest and lowest scores) slightly decreased. Although most countries had set objectives in relation to reading comprehension, they often lacked sufficiently broad strategies in national guidelines, especially in lower secondary education.
Source: Teaching Reading in Europe: Contexts, policies and practices, Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (European Commission)
Links: Report | European Commission press release
Date: 2011-Jul
An article examined whether educational mismatches (such as overqualification or underqualification) could account for the positive association between education and wage inequality found in data from the European Community Household Panel (and the Portuguese Labour Force Survey). The results showed that the positive effect of education on wage inequality was not due to the prevalence of educational mismatches in the labour market.
Source: Santiago Budr a, 'Are educational mismatches responsible for the "inequality increasing effect" of education?', Social Indicators Research, Volume 102 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jul
A report said that involving families in literacy programmes was essential to increase the literacy levels of children and adults in Europe.
Source: Jon Carpentieri, Karen Fairfax-Cholmeley, Jenny Litster, and John Vorhaus, Family Literacy in Europe: Using parental support initiatives to enhance early literacy development, European Commission
Links: Report | Summary | European Commission press release
Date: 2011-Jul
The final report was published of a project to find out how more young people in Europe who had spent all or part of their childhood in state care could be encouraged and enabled to remain in education after the end of compulsory schooling and go on to study at higher levels. Around 8 per cent of young people who had been in care as children accessed higher education – about one-fifth of the percentage for young people overall. All five countries examined (including England) showed a remarkably similar pattern, despite marked differences in the organization of social care and child protection services, and very different education systems The child welfare/protection system needed to award education a more central and prioritized status in relation to care and transition processes for leaving care.
Source: Sonia Jackson and Claire Cameron, Young People from a Public Care Background: Pathways to Further and Higher Education in Five European Countries – Final report of the YiPPEE project WP12, Thomas Coram Research Unit (University of London)
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jun
A paper examined whether young people aged 15 from disadvantaged backgrounds were less likely to expect to complete university than their advantaged peers. It looked at developed (OECD) nations, paying particular attention to the United States of America and the United Kingdom. Young people from less fortunate families were not as likely to make early plans for university as their affluent peers: but the extent to which these findings differed across countries was rather modest, with little evidence to suggest that the UK (unlike the USA) stood out from other countries.
Source: John Jerrim, Disadvantaged Children's 'Low' Educational Expectations: Are the US and UK really so different to other industrialized nations?, Working Paper 11-04, Department of Quantitative Social Science, Institute of Education (University of London)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jun
A report examined the transition of young adults with disabilities from school to tertiary education and work in developed countries. Access to tertiary education had improved significantly over the previous decade: but it was still harder than it was for other young adults. Students with disabilities were also less likely than their non-disabled peers to successfully complete their studies, or to access employment.
Source: Education and Training Policy Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Tertiary Education and Employment, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-May
A paper examined alternative investment policies and their consequences for the evolution of human capital in Europe. Optimal investment strategies crucially depended on the weight that a society put on equality. If equality were important enough, more investment was needed for disadvantaged children during childhood. If the aim of equality were less important, additional investments needed to be directed more generally to people of younger ages.
Source: Friedhelm Pfeiffer and Karsten Reuss, Human Capital Investment Strategies in Europe, Discussion Paper 11-033, Centre for European Economic Research (Mannheim)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-May
An article examined the transformation of higher education policy in the European Union from the mere co-ordination of educational curricula by national governments to the embodiment of the Lisbon Agenda's 'governance architecture', together with its impact on national policies, institutions, and actors.
Source: Giliberto Capano and Simona Piattoni, 'From Bologna to Lisbon: the political uses of the Lisbon "script" in European higher education policy', Journal of European Public Policy, Volume 18 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-May
A report set out a framework for improving Europe's education and training systems for young people. It called for further investment in education and mobility, concrete measures to improve youth employment, and the involvement of young people in decision-making processes.
Source: Milan Zver, Youth on the Move: A framework for improving Europe's education and training systems, European Parliament
Links: Report | EYF press release
Date: 2011-May
The European Commission published plans for new European targets on the employability and the mobility of students. They included reducing early school leaving, increasing the share of higher education graduates, and getting more adults to participate in lifelong learning. A new benchmark on the mobility of students would measure the share of young people with learning experiences abroad. A new benchmark on education and training for employability would monitor the success rate of young people with different education levels in the labour market in the years after graduation.
Source: Commission Staff Working Paper on the Development of Benchmarks on Education and Training for Employability and on Learning Mobility, European Commission
Links: Working document | European Commission press release
Date: 2011-May
A report said that more than 50 per cent of school pupils received private tuition in some European Union countries. Demand for private tutoring principally came from 'high achievers', and was fuelled by pressure on youngsters to do well in exams and by 'social competition'. Private tutoring reflected – and exacerbated – social inequalities: it was mostly about maintaining the competitive advantages of the already successful and privileged. Financial cutbacks had also reduced the extent to which educational institutions could provide individual learning support within school. Private tuition could restrict children's leisure time in a way that was psychologically and educationally undesirable.
Source: Mark Bray, The Challenge of Shadow Education: Private tutoring and its implications for policy-makers in the European Union, European Commission
Links: Report | European Commission press release
Date: 2011-May
A briefing paper examined the European Union's policy framework on education and training.
Source: Agata Patecka, EU Lifelong Learning Policy Framework, SOLIDAR
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-May
A report said that European Union countries had improved their education systems in key areas over the previous decade: but they had achieved only one of five benchmarks set for 2010.
Source: Progress Towards the Common European Objectives in Education and Training (2010/2011): Indicators and Benchmarks, European Commission
Links: Report | European Commission press release | ETUC press release
Date: 2011-Apr
A report reviewed efforts within the framework of the 'Europe 2020' agenda aimed at raising employment rates and skills levels.
Source: Nina Arnhold, Marcin Piatkowski, and Joost de Laat, Europe 2020: The Employment, Skills and Innovation Agenda, World Bank
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Apr
A paper examined the determinants of females' decisions to invest in post-secondary education in Europe.
Source: Alessandra Casarico, Paola Profeta, and Chiara Pronzato, Great Expectations: The determinants of female university enrolment in Europe, Working Paper 44, Dondena Research Centre (Bocconi University, Milan)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Apr
The interim evaluation was published of the European Union 'Youth in Action' programme, aimed at building capacities through non-formal education. The programme was reaching its objectives: but there was room for improvement, especially in relation to the rationale of the programme.
Source: Andrew McCoshan et al., Youth in Action: Interim Evaluation – Final Report, European Commission
Date: 2011-Mar
An article said that although England and France shared similar patterns in terms of the differential achievement of boys and girls, in the former the boys' underachievement debate was prominent, while in the latter it was non-existent. This supported the view that the emergence of the boys' underachievement debate was not related to a 'grounded reality'.
Source: Marie-Pierre Moreau, 'The societal construction of "boys' underachievement" in educational policies: a cross-national comparison', Journal of Education Policy, Volume 26 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Mar
A report examined education and training opportunities for under-qualified adults in Europe, and policies and measures for enhancing the participation of adults in higher education.
Source: Adults in Formal Education: Policies and Practice in Europe, Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (European Commission)
Links: Report | EC press release
Date: 2011-Mar
A report examined key trends in workplace learning in Europe. It looked at effective policies, strategic partnerships, structures, and instruments that aimed to expand adult learning in the workplace.
Source: Learning While Working: Success stories on workplace learning in Europe, European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training
Date: 2011-Mar
A report examined evidence on the impact of health and health behaviours on educational outcomes in European countries.
Source: Marc Suhrcke and Carmen de Paz Nieves, The Impact of Health and Health Behaviours on Educational Outcomes in High-Income Countries: A review of the evidence, World Health Organisation (Regional Office for Europe)
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Mar
A study examined how inspection findings were expected to improve schools in European education systems with different inspection regimes.
Source: Geoffrey Penzer, School Inspections: What Happens Next?, CfBT Education Trust
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Mar
A report examined progress made since the adoption of the European Commission's action plan on adult learning in 2007.
Source: Action Plan on Adult Learning: Achievements and Results 2008-2010, European Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Mar
A new book examined the 'marketization' of higher education institutions in Europe.
Source: Marino Regini, European Universities and the Challenge of the Market: A comparative analysis, Edward Elgar Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Feb
An article examined the promotion of lifelong learning policies by the European Union.
Source: Alexander Kleibrink, 'The EU as a norm entrepreneur: the case of lifelong learning', European Journal of Education, Volume 46 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Feb
The European Commission published an action plan aimed at giving every child a better start in life – including a call for universal access to high-quality pre-school education.
Source: Early Childhood Education and Care: Providing all our children with the best start for the world of tomorrow, European Commission
Links: Action plan | European Commission press release | Eurochild press release | EurActiv report
Date: 2011-Feb
An article examined the effectiveness of European Union co-operation in policy-making on higher education.
Source: Anne Corbett, 'Ping pong: competing leadership for reform in EU higher education 1998-2006', European Journal of Education, Volume 46 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Feb
An article examined the role played by the Lisbon strategy (2000) in relaunching and consolidating European Union education co-operation.
Source: Luce Pepin, 'Education in the Lisbon strategy: assessment and prospects', European Journal of Education, Volume 46 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Feb
An article examined the role of the European Social Fund (ESF) in supporting the development of vocational training in the member states. Compared with other, more recent, EU programmes and initiatives in the area of education and training, the ESF had not made a significant contribution to the debate about European co-operation in this field.
Source: Gerhard Welbers, 'The European Social Fund: changing approaches to VET', European Journal of Education, Volume 46 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Feb
The European Commission approved an action plan designed to help member states achieve the 2020 headline target of reducing the European Union average rate of early school leavers to under 10 per cent, from the existing level of 14.4 per cent.
Source: Tackling Early School Leaving: A key contribution to the Europe 2020 agenda, European Commission
Links: Action plan | Working paper | European Commission press release
Date: 2011-Jan
A paper examined educational inequalities in European Union member states, using PISA data from the 2000 and 2006 waves. Inequalities had been decreasing only in Germany and Spain, while they had increased in all remaining countries.
Source: Veruska Oppedisano and Gilberto Turati, What Are the Causes of Educational Inequalities and of Their Evolution Over Time in Europe? Evidence from PISA, Working Paper XREAP2010-16, Xarxa de Referencia en Economia Aplicada (Barcelona)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jan
A trade union report examined progress on the skills strategy launched by the European Commission in 2008. It said that it was already becoming evident that the strategy was 'going adrift' well before the onset of the latest economic crisis. Europe's long-run ability to play an active role in the global economy was dependent on raising workers' skill levels and reducing job insecurity.
Source: For a Trade Union Version of the New Skills for New Jobs Initiative, European Trade Union Confederation
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jan
