The contribution of PISA to the convergence of education policies in Europe

The international comparative studies on students’ outcomes have initiated analyses that have had a growing influence on national and sub‐national education policies in industrialised and developing countries. It is particularly the case of the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) which started in 2000 and has organised surveys every 3 years, so that the 2015 survey was the 6^th. Its influence has been particularly important for several reasons: 1) it assesses the basic competences in reading literacy, maths and science of 15 year‐olds students, i.e. around the end of compulsory education in many countries; 2) the assessment is based on a reliable methodology and the tests are completed by qualitative surveys and studies; 3) and the results lead to recommendations and are amplified by the media in most countries. However, it is not easy to evaluate the real impact of PISA because of the existence of other international studies such as IEA's TIMSS and, particularly in Europe, the influence of the recommendations and benchmarks of the EU that has been growing steadily in the last 25 years. Our analysis of the impact of PISA and EU policy focuses on the evolution of the education policy in France, but also studies its evolution in a few other European countries. Finally, we underline the limits of the influence of PISA and international standards in education towards a convergence of education systems because of the importance of their specific historic and cultural contexts.     

Policy Formulation and Networks of Practice in European eLearning: the emergence of a European E-Learning Area

This article discusses the emergence of a European E-Learning Area (EELA) as a consequence of three factors that can be observed in the e-learning developments over the past decade. The first factor consists of the carving of a policy sector in e-learning via formal instruments such as the eLearning Programme, the Lifelong Learning Programme and an array of other e-learning policy stipulations embedded in larger policy instruments at European level (e.g. Framework Programme). The second factor is represented by the mainstreaming of e-learning activities, both through formal and informal measures across multiple domains. Finally, the proliferation and consolidation of interlinked networks of practice as incubators of e-learning innovation and sharing of expertise act as the third factor in the shaping of EELA. The conceptualisation of EELA is substantiated through an analysis of the European e-learning policy documentation and the findings of a questionnaire distributed to the coordinators of projects under the eLearning Programme. In light of the findings, theoretical and practical implications for EELA as a nascent policy domain are explored and offered as a basis for further debate on this theme.     

Technologies of governance and education welfare: monitoring education transitions in Greece

ABSTRACT

The aim of this article is to explore the ways educational transitions, i.e. student dropout and early school leaving (ESL), are understood and governed in the contemporary Greek sociopolitical context that is dominated by a persistent economic crisis. Drawing upon the residual nature of the Greek welfare state the paper examines the shifts in the dominant discourses referring to ESL. Furthermore, it attempts to understand the configurations of educational attainment as well as the significance of monitoring technologies such as those of comparative statistics, especially in the context of European governance. It is argued that education transitions are multifaceted phenomena and act as sensors of socio-economic and cultural diversity in each national setting. While EU governance shifts from sophisticated technologies to direct unreserved control, compliance with the rules is a manifestation of political realism on the part of the Greek state, but at the same time a representation of the never accomplished European political integration.     

Overcoming of the stereotypes and prejudices for Roma students and their integration in school

The most significant aspects within this taking place in the educational system regarding to paper are overcoming the stereotypes and prejudices that are Roma children. In addition to this, there are couples of explorations which explain the way of how the Roma children are integrated and socialized within the school borders and more concrete within a class. In that context, it gives the marks, at the same time, the visions of the Roma students in creating a comfortable atmosphere where they would find themselves to be motivated and show their best optimal school results, as well as support and encouragement for their increased activity, motivation and initiative within the school. Also, the author presented some project experiences from Sweden and Macedonia. As a pattern of an informal education from Faculty of Pedagogy in Skopje, which is very interesting, offers possibilities for development of capabilities and awareness of unity, mutual respect, tolerance ethnic harmony and building up of the consciousness of the existence of the other, especially for Roma students. The human ideas like being the first to love and taking initiative without wanting to be loved are accessible to everyone and are especially useful for youngsters.     

欧洲的俄罗斯?--浅析俄欧关系的三个层面

俄罗斯是一个地处欧亚大陆的国家，自彼得大帝改革以来，俄罗斯一直试图走一条西方式的发展道路．但由于自身政治、经济和思想意识等方面的原因，俄罗斯却始终与欧洲诸国格格不入。本文力图以彼得改革后的俄国为起始点，以现今俄国的政治经济为背景，从经济物质层面、政治制度层面和思想深度层面着手分析俄国与欧洲关系的发展脉络和整体趋势。     

Key Competences in Europe: interpretation,policy formulation and implementation

The evolution in Europe towards more competence-based curricula in the last ten years or so is the result of several exogenous factors and a determined European policy. The Reference Framework of Key Competences for Lifelong Learning, a Recommendation approved by the European Parliament and the Council in 2006, and the work carried out within the Open Method of Coordination as well as by European research bodies have had a significant impact on Member States' curriculum reforms. This article shows that some terminology issues, both conceptual and practical, may explain, together with other causes, the diverse formulations of key competences and the way in which they are being integrated into the compulsory education curricula by the Member States or at intra-national levels. The focus of the article is on cross-curricular competences because these are the key competences which require the most significant innovations in teaching and learning practices, on assessment tools and procedures, and school organisation. The analysis illustrates the main differences and convergences in policy formulation and implementation strategies among the EU Member States. It also identifies key obstacles that must be overcome for an effective implementation before suggesting some policy recommendations.     

学校领导在欧洲

作为一名校长或者一名从事开发校长培训课程的理论工作者,是否了解本国以及世界各国关于校长工作条件、角色以及校长影响力的情况,至关重要。本文主要论述:欧洲在这个领域的最新发展;欧盟目标,即在拥有49个成员国和更多语种的欧盟,发展一个欧洲学校系统和一个欧洲学校领导模式;国家层面上的校长协会和欧洲层面上的欧洲中小学校长联合会的创建;欧洲中小学校长联合会在把学校领导的利益植入欧洲一体化进程中的地位及其项目;以及教育领导的道德维度。     

欧盟超国家层面的成人教育政策及其法律基础

欧盟制定超国家层面教育政策是从成人教育政策的制定开始的。欧盟超国家层面成人教育政策经历了一个渐进式的发展过程,不同时期,重心有所不同,并受到欧盟政治经济形势的强烈影响。欧盟具有特定的超国家性质,其成人教育政策必须建立在一定的法律基础之上。     

The duration of compulsory education and the transition to secondary education: Panel data evidence from low-income countries

A straightforward way of keeping children in school is increasing the duration of compulsory education. Evidence of the impact of this type of policy in Western countries is abundant. However, its effectiveness has been rarely tested in low-income countries. Using panel data of low-income and lower-middle-income countries covering the period 1996–2017, this paper analyzes the impact of lengthening the duration of compulsory education on the progression of children from primary to secondary education. The empirical results show that in those countries where this policy is implemented, there is a significant increase in the share of children progressing from primary to secondary education but only in those countries where after the reform the duration of compulsory education becomes longer than the duration of primary education.     

欧盟教育权限问题简论

依据共同体条约第149条的规定,欧盟在教育领域的权限十分有限。根据统一劳动力市场的需要,该条约中的一些条文为欧盟在教育领域突破第149条的限制提供了法律依据。1999年开始的布罗尼亚进程表面上限制了欧盟的教育权限,但为欧盟在教育领域的发展创造了空间,欧盟在高等教育领域的权限将会逐渐增加,但是到目前为止因权限不足,欧盟的教育政策体系并没有形成。     

Tackling early school leaving and the governing of educational transitions in Italy

ABSTRACT

This article presents a critical policy historiography of how Early School Leaving has been understood as a social problem and what policy responses have been enacted to tackle it in the Italian context, devoting a specific attention to the analysis of the translation of EU policy ideas, tools and recipes to reduce ESL. It shows how the formulation of a global and integrated national strategy to tackle ESL in Italy in 2018 can be interpreted as the result of a troubled process of re-culturing. Such a reculturing is the effect of the complex interplay between the legacies of the Italian welfare regime in education and the co-option of the ESL issue within a EU political frame that struggles to combine economic rationalism and social justice. Such a struggle is interpreted as contributing to a profound rethinking of education and its mission.     

论超国家教育政策的功能——以欧盟的教育政策为例

伴随着欧洲一体化建设的不断深入,欧盟逐渐建立起一套超国家层面的教育政策体系.超国家层面的欧盟教育政策具有导向、协调和整合三种功能.与民族国家教育政策相比,超国家教育政策具有特殊性和复杂性.同时,其三种功能所发挥的影响各有不同.     

Framing attrition in higher education: a complex problem

This study situates student attrition within the strategic framework of Australian public universities. It draws on organisational theory to describe higher education within a bureaucratic framework. The study uses a quantitative approach to undertake a content analysis of attrition and retention policy statements from all Australian universities. This reveals that Australian universities, and the higher education sector as a whole, are attempting to address attrition within their existing bureaucracies. Attrition however is a wicked problem that includes many variables outside the influence of universities, which limits the potential of strategic approaches to problem solving. The practical implications of these findings are that current approaches to attrition are likely to fail. The wicked nature of the attrition problem needs to be taken into account when developing strategies or policies within higher education.     

Developing policy instruments for education in the EU: the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning

The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) for lifelong learning has been characterized as a policy instrument with a number of contested ideas, raising questions about the process through which such instruments are developed at European level. The introduction of the EQF is in this article examined through variations of neo-institutional theory: historical contingency perspective, rational perspective, normative perspective and a process of chance. The EQF is examined as a case, using documents and expert interviews as empirical sources. The article highlights the complex interplay between various historical processes that enabled the introduction of the EQF and how problems and solutions can drive the process forward in a dialectic manner. Furthermore, while the impact of the EQF on national level remains to be seen at this point, the analysis uncovers increased space for introducing new instruments on EU level.     

High-stakes examination policies and transformation of the Turkish education system

This article discusses the rapid changes that have taken place in high-stakes examination policy in Turkey by situating the policy change in the larger debate around the transformation of the education system. A large body of literature has discussed ways in which policy changes in national examinations have interacted with the neoliberal and raced structures in education, thus contributing to the creation and reproduction of educational inequalities. This article contributes to this body of literature by discussing how changes in high-stakes examination systems have interacted with the neoliberal Islamization of education in Turkey and have contributed to the creation of new forms of inequalities. The article also demonstrates how the characteristics of policy change to high-stakes examinations can differ depending on the hegemonic power relations at play.     

Turning difficulties into possibilities: engaging Roma families and students in school through dialogic learning

Schools and communities may have a key role in reversing the cycle of inequality that the Roma suffer in Europe. Aiming at reducing existing inequalities, dialogic learning aims to ensure high levels of academic learning for all children, by involving the whole community through egalitarian dialogue. Less well known are the implications of this approach for the Roma in highly marginalised areas. This article presents the results of a longitudinal case study in a Spanish primary school, undertaken as part of the European Union-funded INCLUD-ED Integrated Project. It reports on educational actions grounded in dialogic learning, which have succeeded in engaging families and communities in the school, the classroom and other learning spaces. Based on a dialogic school-based transformation, Roma families participated in children’s learning activities and decision-making spaces. We explore how these actions involving Roma families are developed and the effect they may have in improving learning and engagement.     

超国家层面的欧盟教育政策：影响及其限度

经过几十年的努力,欧盟逐渐建立起了较为完整的、超国家层面的教育政策体系。在欧洲一体化建设不断向前推进的背景下,欧盟的教育政策已经对成员国产生了潜移默化的影响,甚至一定程度上引发了教育政策的趋同。但同时存在不能超出欧盟现有制度框架的限度问题。     

推进欧盟职业教育一体化的“达芬奇计划”探析

面对经济全球化和教育国际化的挑战,欧盟各成员国对于职业教育与培训重要性的认识达到了前所未有的高度。自20世纪90年代中期开始,欧盟启动了著名的里奥那多·达芬奇计划(Leonardo da Vinci Programme)(简称达芬奇计划),其目的在于推动成员国范围内的职业教育一体化进程,通过区域合作增强实力,提升欧盟国家职业教育在国际上的整体竞争力。达芬奇计划的实施取得了一些成效,但也存在不少有待解决的问题。     

The idealism of education policies and the realities in schools: the implementation of inclusive education in South Africa

Inclusive education as a global movement emerged over the past 30 years to ensure quality mainstream education for all learners. Since 1994 the newly democratic South Africa also had expectations as well as the political will to change education by adjusting legislation and policies. However, the vision of a truly inclusive education system in South Africa has been difficult to achieve and results regarding the implementation of inclusive education remain questionable. There has been a growing realisation that the advent of democracy was not in itself a sufficient condition for the elimination of historical and structural inequalities in education with as recurring theme the dissonance between the government's socio-political imperative for change and economic realities. This article focuses on the development of policy and guidelines on inclusive education in dynamic interaction with the complexity of realities in South African schools with a special focus on the policy recommendations regarding the development of full-service schools. The constant comparative analysis of the two phased case study of a full-service school in a rural town revealed interesting results illustrating the complexities regarding the implementation of inclusive education and the challenges and opportunities in bridging the gap between the idealism of policies and the realities in schools.