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http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-12-960_en.htm?locale=en
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... In some cases, education systems aggravate their situation by providing unequal access to quality education and challenging transition experiences (in particular in the systems that practice early tracking) (Ruhose & Schwerdt, 2016). One's place of residence significantly impacts educational opportunities and outcomes: pupils coming from wealthy neighbourhoods, cities, regions and countries tend to stay in education longer and reach higher levels of qualification than their poorer peers (Ballas et al., 2012). Migrant pupils, who are often over-represented among socio-economically disadvantaged groups, face additional challenges in schools. ...
... In some cases, education systems aggravate their situation by providing unequal access to quality education and challenging transition experiences (in particular in the systems that practice early tracking) (Ruhose & Schwerdt, 2016). One's place of residence significantly impacts educational opportunities and outcomes: pupils coming from wealthy neighbourhoods, cities, regions and countries tend to stay in education longer and reach higher levels of qualification than their poorer peers (Ballas et al., 2012). Migrant pupils, who are often over-represented among socio-economically disadvantaged groups, face additional challenges in schools. ...
The success of learners in school and in life is highly dependent on the capacity of education systems to address their diverse needs, and to keep pace with rapid societal and economic changes. To achieve this, education systems must become more flexible and dynamic, employing innovative approaches to learning and teaching, reconsidering the traditional roles and players in education, and opening up to a wider range of stakeholders and communities. This study seeks to consolidate evidence on the ways in which schools and education systems can embrace innovation and ensure that every child can realise his or her potential. By engaging in discussions with a variety of national stakeholders and looking at inspirational examples of innovative schools that have succeeded in transforming their pedagogical and organisational practices regardless of unfavourable conditions, this study explores what drives and supports sustainable innovation in education.
... Stated in more general terms, present-day society has embraced the idea of schooling as both a personal and a common good. Perhaps the main transformation of youth over the twentieth and early twenty-first century was one of increasingly delayed entry into the labour market, because school was attended for longer periods of their lives (Ballas et al. 2012). It seems evident that the role of higher education has been reinforced by the now legions of university-trained experts who make up so much of the contemporary world, and who in turn, perpetuate the legitimacy of the university and its models of knowledge. ...
Since the second half of the twentieth century, participation in higher education has increased to historically unprecedented levels. Expenses for education are now perceived as investments in ‘human capital’; modern society is described as a knowledge society. Not much is known about the socio-historical details of this process. The chapter presents an analysis of geographical divergences at the top and the bottom end of the human capital distribution in Belgium and its regions. The authors analyse the forms of segregation of both high-skilled and less-skilled human capital. Their empirical findings suggest that the success of particular regions depends not only on the abundance of highly skilled workers, but also on their ability to avoid relatively large shares of the less-skilled.
... This has been confirmed in earlier academic literature, which shows in general that pupils with a low socioeconomic background tend to be slower in developing academic and linguistic skills. They display learning-related behaviour problems more often, show lower motivation towards learning, leave education and training earlier, and leave with lower qualifications and insufficient competencies for full participation in society (Aikens and Barbarin, 2008;Ballas et al., 2012;Blanden et al., 2005;Kaylor and Flores, 2008;Morgan et al., 2009). EQUALSOC showed that this effect of general socioeconomic characteristics on children's cognitive skills, language skills and overall learning capacity can be detected as early as preschool age (EQUALSOC Network, 2011) 11 . ...
... Inequalities based on various individual characteristics and/or socioeconomic background can be translated into educational inequalities through the reinforcement of social divisions within the educational institutions (Ballas et al., 2012;see Chapter 4). In turn, initial educational attainment and achievements can have a significant effect on later educational outcomes. ...
Education policy needs to cater for diversity and enable all citizens to succeed in education and to develop their full potential according to their specific needs and irrespective of their backgrounds. However, in reality, educational inequalities are a key challenge to education systems across the EU, often linked to socioeconomic disadvantage, low participation rates in early childhood education, low parental educational level and family support, ethnic or migrant background amongst others.
This report highlights concrete policies and practices that work to disrupt or prevent educational disadvantage. The Key Findings are based on a review of 20 research projects funded under the Sixth and Seventh EU Framework Programmes for Research and Development (FP6 and FP7).
The review was commissioned by the Directorate General for Education and Culture (DG EAC) and carried out by the Network of Experts on Social Aspects of Education and Training (NESET II).
... When we speak of educational competitiveness, national innovations and socio-economic investments as something contemporary, we must bear in mind that these concepts were precisely what the educationalists of the 1960s employed to pursue a greater educational expansion. It seems, then, that in many ways the present crises of higher education demonstrate a return to the pre-1960 conceptions of social stratification, exemplified by alarming reports published by the European Commission (NESSE 2012). Especially in the FRG, again, the country is faced with the dilemma as how to fill in posts in the labour market due to the lack of qualified domestic workforce (see e.g. ...
In today's overpowering neoliberal dogma, the written media often renders strong economic developments and generous welfare state policies as incompatible. At a European level, the recent economic and financial crisis has worryingly reinforced this trend, exemplified by strategic cuts in higher education funding in the majority of EU member states. This article takes the present European crisis as its point of departure, and by drawing on the example of post-war higher education expansion in Finland and West Germany, it argues that crisis can provide beneficial insights into the causes, capacities, forms, and mechanisms of change in current capitalist economies under increased austerity. This analysis thereby condemns the alleged incompatibility of economic growth and egalitarianism, and concludes by suggesting - as was also implied by the Finnish and West German press of the 1960s - that investment in human capital via education needs to be maintained and increased to facilitate the EU member states out of the economic crisis.
... C'est ainsi que plusieurs chercheurs et spécialistes posent un regard particulier sur les différents systèmes d'éducation et de formation à travers le monde. Plusieurs travaux et études internationales s'intéressent à l'adaptabilité de ces systèmes au nouveau contexte économique (Bernier, 2011;Ballas et autres, 2012;Bernier et autres, 2011;Peters, 2013), tandis que d'autres portent sur la précision des caractéristiques et débouchent sur des suggestions des voies d'avenir à tracer (Hoffman, 2011;Lasserre, 2011). Un aspect particulièrement soulevé porte sur la transition entre l'école et le travail (Bernier, 2011;Doray, Ménard et Adouane, 2008;Hannan, Raffe et Smyth, 1996;Lehmann, 2000), une phase complexe qui est fortement dépendante de la qualité des études, de la situation sur le marché du travail, des conditions économiques, démographiques et des traditions nationales (OCDE, 2012, p. 398). ...
... Cette difficulté s'avère croissante, surtout en temps de crise économique, puisque les employés avec une expérience professionnelle sont souvent préférés aux débutants sur le marché du travail (OCDE, 2012). Le chômage des jeunes augmente de manière générale et certains pays, comme l'Espagne, l'Italie ou la France sont marqués par un taux de chômage des jeunes particulièrement élevé et cherchent des solutions pour remédier à cette situation (Ballas et autres, 2012;Lasserre, 2011). ...
... En adoptant un regard international, il est d'ailleurs intéressant de considérer que les systèmes d'éducation et leur lien avec les entreprises sont loin d'être uniformes (Ballas et autres, 2012). En effet, la nature de l'institution de l'éducation dans une société 1 se distingue notamment par rapport à l'implication de l'État (Estevez-Abe, Iversen et , et leurs liens avec l'économie varient en fonction du référentiel sous-jacent aux politiques publiques (Doray et Maroy, 2003). ...
This report oulines the implementation of the Teacher Learning for European Literacy Education (TeL4ELE) project in Spain. The Key Educators in Spain continued developing their new roles as “experts” in the genre based reading pedagogy, studying the theory and application of the functional model, and preparing summaries of the training material in Spanish for the teachers selected to follow the courses in the pedagogy. These worked in different languages -Spanish, English, French, Basque. The contents were adapted to the different levels of the students: end of primary, beginning of secondary. In both geographical areas, and Regional Communities, the schools participating were implementing Content and Language Integrated Learning with English as the foreign language. A number of subject specialists (of History, Biology, Physical Education) in the secondary schools were teaching through English. Other subject areas were: Spanish Language; English as a Foreign Language; French as a Second Foreign Language; Maths, Classical Culture.
At the European level, the importance of a qualified workforce is
acknowledged in the revised priorities for the strategic cooperation in the field of education and training
(European Commission, 2015a); it identifies professionalisation of staff as one of the key issues for further
work in ECEC. In many countries, part of the workforce is represented by low qualified ECEC assistants. In the CoRe study, assistants are defined as ‘invisible workers’, meaning that their presence is usually not taken into
account in policy documents, and that they have far fewer possibilities of qualification and of professional
development than core practitioners do. Data from the last Eurydice report shows that ECEC attendance
among children under 3 is very low across Europe (European commission/EACEA/Eurydice/Eurostat,
2014). The same report underlines that for about 30 % of parents, the low quality of ECEC services
represents a barrier to use them. Improving the competences of all staff (core practitioners and
assistants) would improve the services’ quality, which would in turn attract parents to ECEC services.
Investing in the professionalization of assistants represents a key element for ECEC quality improvement,
especially since in a number of countries the share of assistants in the services is rapidly growing (see 2.1.,
Table 1). This growth needs to be accompanied by a strong investment in competent systems that value
the contributions of all staff, and involve the whole workforce in continuous professional development.
Otherwise, in response to budget constraints or if reforms are too hurried, assistants may be hired over
their more qualified colleagues and this could lead to a “deprofessionalisation” of ECEC staff.
Professionalisation of Childcare Assistants in ECEC
Building on the findings of the CoRe study (Urban et al., 2011; Vandenbroeck et al., 2016), we review the
profiles of ECEC assistants in 15 European countries1 and their professionalization opportunities. We then
make recommendations on how to develop coherent pathways towards qualification and continuous
professional development (CPD) for assistants. In addition, we present examples of successful pathways
towards qualification and CPD in three selected European countries (Denmark, France, Slovenia).
The European Union has set ambitious goals: to promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, to find pathways to create new jobs and to offer a sense of direction to our societies. This requires significant strengthening of our knowledge and innovation capacity and our creative capability as drivers for future growth.
As the world becomes more inter-connected and competitive and as research and technological know-how expands, new opportunities along with more complex societal challenges arise. Overcoming these challenges will require all citizens to have a better understanding of science and technology if they are to participate actively and responsibly in science-informed decision-making and knowledge-based innovation. It will involve input from user groups, specialists and stakeholder groups. Professionals, enterprise and industry have an important role to play. In this way, together with learns and benefits from the involvement.
At the moment, Europe faces a shortfall in science-knowledgeable people at all levels of society and the economy. Over the last decades, there has been an increase in the numbers of students leaving formal education with science qualifications. But, there has not been a parallel rise in the numbers interested in pursuing science related careers nor have we witnessed enhanced science-based innovation or any increase in entrepreneurship.
Science education research, innovation and practices must become more responsive to the needs and ambitions of society and reflect its values. They should reflect the science that citizens and society need and support people of all ages and talents in developing positive attitudes to science. We must find better ways to nurture the curiosity and cognitive resources of children. We need to enhance the educational process to better equip future researchers and other actors with the necessary knowledge, motivation and sense of societal responsibility to participate actively in the innovation process.
This is a good time to expand opportunities for science learning, in formal, non-formal and informal settings. Evidence shows that European citizens, young and old, appreciate the importance of science and want to be more informed and that citizens want more science education. Over 40 % believe science and technological innovation can have a positive impact on the environment, health and medical care and basic infrastructure in the future.
This report identifies the main issues involved in helping all citizens acquire the necessary knowledge of and about science to participate actively and responsibly in, with and for society, successfully throughout their lives. It provides guidance concerning increasing the participation of enterprise and industry to science education policy and activities. It sets out the challenges we face and how science education can help Europe meet its goals and equip citizens, enterprise and industry in Europe with the skills and competences needed to provide sustainable and competitive solutions to these challenges. A more responsive science education can promote broader participation in knowledge-based innovation that meets the highest ethical standards and helps ensure sustainable societies into the future.
The Framework for Science Education for Responsible Citizenship identifies six key objectives and associated recommendations, which in combination, can help bring about the systemic changes required to generate a sustainable effect across our societies and in our communities.
