Search results

This publication combines statistical data and qualitative information to provide a wide-ranging overview of the organisation and functioning of European education systems, as well as insight into the ways in which the countries concerned are responding to common challenges in education. It is based on data collected through the national units of the Eurydice network, Eurostat, and the PISA/PIRLS [Programme for International Student Assessment/Progress in International Reading Literacy Study] international education survey databases. The 121 indicators contained in this report are arranged into six subject-based chapters entitled Context, Structures, Participation, Resources, Educational Processes and Graduates and Qualification Levels. In each chapter, the information is presented in accordance with the following structure, namely by ascending order of educational level, progression from the most general to the most specific information, and from local administrative level up to national level. The summary at the beginning of the report presents the main issues contained in the report and briefly reviews the most evident emergent trends. Main issues are associated with demography, pre-primary education, compulsory education, higher education, financing, teachers, school autonomy, and quality assurance. These include: addressing demographic changes resulting in a decrease in the school-aged population; improving access to, availability of and participation in pre-primary education; trends toward raising the school-leaving age to guarantee the acquisition of core competences; the development of widespread and improved professional development programs; growing school autonomy; and ways of measuring quality through external evaluation.