EN    EN EN 
EN    EN  EUROPEAN COMMISSION 
Brussels, 31.1.2011 
SEC(2011) 97 final 
  
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 
IMPACT ASSESSMENT  
 
 
Accompanying document to the 
  
Proposal for a  
 
COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION 
 
on policies to reduce early school leaving 
  
 
SEC(2011) 98 final 
SEC(2011) 96 final 
COM(2011) 19 final 
EN 2   EN TABLE OF CONTENTS 
1. Section 1: Procedural issues and c onsultation of interested parties............................. 4 
1.1. Organisation and timing............................................................................................... 4 1.2. Consultation and expertise ........................................................................................... 5 1.3. Political background .................................................................................................... 8 2. Section 2: Problem definition ...................................................................................... 9 2.1. Underlying drivers ..................................................................................................... 14 2.2. EU right to act ........................................................................................................... . 16 
2.3. Baseline scenario........................................................................................................ 1 7 
2.4. Policy requirements.................................................................................................... 18 3. Section 3: Objectives ................................................................................................. 20 3.1. Consistency of objectives with other EU policies ..................................................... 22 4. Section 4: Policy options............................................................................................ 22 4.1. Option A (baseline scenario)...................................................................................... 24 4.2. Option B (Policy Framework).................................................................................... 24 4.3. Sub-option B.1 (Commission Comm unication or Recommendation) ....................... 25 
4.4. Sub-option B.2 (Council Recommendation).............................................................. 25 4.5. Option C (Funding programme) ................................................................................ 25 5. Section 5: Analysis of impacts................................................................................... 26 5.1. Discarded option ........................................................................................................ 26  
5.2. Option A: Baseline scenario ...................................................................................... 27 5.3. Option B: Implementing a policy framework against ESL........................................ 28 5.4. Sub-Option B.1: Commission Comm unication or Recommendation........................ 29 
5.5. Sub-option B.2: Council Recommendation ............................................................... 30 6. Section 6: Comparing the options.............................................................................. 32 7. Section 7: Monitoring and evaluation........................................................................ 36 7.1. Information and data on evaluating th e success of the policy framework................. 38 
8. Annexes..................................................................................................................... . 39 
8.1. Annex 1 – Description of a policy framework against ESL ...................................... 40 8.2. Annex 2 – Summary of the results of public consultations ....................................... 44 
EN 3   EN 8.3. Annex 3 - Minutes of the Cluster Meeti ng 'Access and Social Inclusion', 17 May 
2010........................................................................................................................... . 47 
8.4. Annex 4 – Minutes of the Stakeholder Pl atform Meeting, 14 June 2010 and list of 
participants ................................................................................................................. 51  
EN 4   EN Leading Service : DG Education and Culture (EAC) 
Other involved services : DGs Employment, Social Affair s and Equal Opportunities (EMPL), 
Home Affairs (HOME), Research  (RTD), Eurostat (ESTAT) a nd Secretariat-General (SG). 
WP reference : 2010/EAC/028 of the CLWP 
Roadmap:  published on 1 July 2010 
(http://ec.europa.eu/governance/impact/pla nned_ia/docs/411_eac_recomm_early_school_leav
ing_en.pdf) 
1. SECTION 1: PROCEDURAL ISSUES AND CONSULTATION OF INTERESTED PARTIES  
1.1. Organisation and timing 
The Recommendation on combating early school leaving (ESL) is included in the 
Commission's work programme under the reference 2010/EAC/028. It is foreseen to launch 
the inter-service consultation in October 2010 a nd to adopt the recommendation by end of 
2010.  
The detailed work on the impact assessment started in April 2010. A group of Commission 
Directorates General and Services was set up to monitor the work on the impact assessment (IA) and comment on the draft IA report. A fi rst meeting of this Steering Committee was 
convened on the 22 April 2010. The following DGs participated in the group: EMPL, JLS, 
RTD, ESTAT and SG. DGs Economic and Financ ial Affairs (ECFIN), Regional Policy 
(REGIO) and Health and Consumers (SANCO) we re also invited and received the meeting 
documents for comments. 
Two further meetings were held on the 9 June  2010 and the 14 July 20 10. The final draft of 
this report was discussed on 14 July 2010. Th e minutes of the meetings are annexed. 
The first version of the IA Report was di scussed by the IA Board on 22 September 2010. 
Following the recommendations of the IA Board,  the report has been revised and includes the 
following additional information: 
• Data on and reasons for different performances  in reducing ESL rates in Member States 
and key factors for success are included in section 2 (Problem definition). 
• The shortcomings in policy development in the current baseline arrangements (OMC and 
NRP under Europe 2020) are described in more detail in section 2.3 (Baseline scenario). 
• The objectives have been  revised (section 3). 
• The options in section 4 have b een re-defined in order to focus more on the policy content. 
• Information on the availability of data and in formation and the possibilities to acquire the 
necessary information for more evidence based policy making are described at several 
points throughout the report: lack of data and information (Secti on 2), possibilities to 
acquire better data and information (section 6). 
EN 5   EN • The costs related to data and information gathering as well as the costs and benefits of 
introducing evidence-based, comprehensive an d consistent policies against early school 
leaving are discussed in section 6. 
• Annex 1 provides a description of the policy framework which would form the content of 
the draft Recommendation. 
Following the comments of the IA Board of 22 October 2010, the presentation of the policy 
options has been clarified, in order to better guide the read er. Section 7 underlines more 
strongly that the initiative will base its repo rting and monitoring on the information gathered 
through the Europe 2020 reporting and monitoring process. A number of smaller comments 
have also been taken into  account in revised drafting. 
1.2. Consultation and expertise 
DG EAC started its work on early school le aving in 2006. Under the Open Method of 
Coordination, a “Cluster” of experts from Memb er States specialising in "Access and Social 
Inclusion in Education" was set up within the work programme Education and Training 2010 , 
adopted by the Council in 2003.1 This Cluster conducted peer-l earning activities in Belgium 
(2006), Ireland (2007) and France (2007) focussing in particular on ESL and allowing for in-
depth reflections on efficient and effective policies against ESL. Other peer learning activities 
contributed also to the knowledge  base on ESL, placing it in a wider perspective of measures 
to support disadvantaged youth. Specific inform ation on policies agains t ESL was collected 
from 11 countries (AT, CZ, FR, HU, IE, IT, LT,  LU, ES, SE, TR). This information formed 
part of the empirical basis of the following analytical work. 
Special Report No 1/2006 of the Court of Aud itors on the contribution of European Social 
Funds to combating early school leaving gave a dditional insight into the current situation and 
the policies of six Member Stat es (ES, FR, IE, NL, PT, UK).  Reducing early school leaving 
has been a priority supported through the European Social Fund (ESF) and the experiences 
form an important basis for policy recommenda tions. One of the main conclusions of the 
report was that activities within Member States  were not sufficiently based on an adequate 
analysis of the existing situati on and were not sufficiently targ eted. The report also noticed a 
lack of quantitative evaluation information on the results or the impact of the different 
measures. These findings correlate strongl y with the findings of the Cluster. 
Three studies on ESL launched by the DG EAC in 2005 and 2009 completed the overall 
picture: 
• Study on access to education and training, basic skills and early school leaving  (2005), lot 
3 on early school leaving submitted by the consulting company GHK (UK). The report 
collected and compared information from 25 EU Member States and four non-European 
countries.2 
                                                 
1 Sixteen countries participated in  the cluster 'Access and Social Inclusion in LLL': AT, BE, CZ, ES, FR, 
DE, GR, HU, IE, IT, LT, LU, LV, SE, RO, and TR. Th e cluster focussed its activities on the topic of 
educational disadvantage in scho ol education, early school leav ing and access to early childhood 
education and care. Between 2006 and 2010 it conduc ted 10 peer-learning activities and 11 meetings in 
Brussels. 
2 http://ec.europa.eu/edu cation/pdf/doc284_en.pdf 
EN 6   EN • Early School Leaving. Lessons fr om research for policy makers  (2009), a report submitted 
by the Network of Experts in So cial Sciences of Education (N ESSE). The report provided 
an overview of current research on ESL.3 
• Inclusion and education in European countries  (2009), INTEMEAS consortium, 
coordinated by DOCA Bureaus (NL) The re port provided information on 10 European 
countries (FR, DE, HU, IT, NL , PL, SI, SE, ES, UK), and included a specific chapter on 
ESL.4 
Research evidence from different European coun tries, other comparative studies, and results 
of projects funded under European programme s (mainly the Lifelong Learning Programme 
and the EU Framework Programmes for resear ch) have also been taken into account.5  
The topic of ESL was also addressed in the public consultations  on 'Schools for the 21st 
century'6 (2007) and on 'Migration and Education'7 (2008). 
• The consultation on 'schools for the 21st century' asked how school systems could best 
respond to the need to promote equity, to respond to  cultural diversity and to reduce early 
school leaving. With regard to ESL, respondi ng authorities in particular stressed the 
importance of a 'remediation' system to reduc e school drop-out, capabl e of intervening at 
an individual and family level as early as possible.  Respondents indicated that schools and 
teachers valued personalised learning highly to ensure intrinsic motivation and reduce 
drop-out. Both organisational and didactic re forms were mentioned with an emphasis on 
early years' education and ear ly intervention for pupils with  special needs – to reduce 
inequity and provide the best grounding for learning. 
• The consultation on migration and education  asked for views on important policy 
challenges related to the provision of high quality education to children from a migrant 
background. ESL is regarded as one of the e ffects of overall educational disadvantage of 
migrant children. The consulta tion confirmed the view of the Green Paper on Migration 
and Mobility that socio-economic disadvant age does not account for the full extent of 
disadvantage among migrant pupils nor for the high rate of early school leavers among 
migrant youth. Issues frequently mentioned were school segregation, insufficient 
competences of teachers to work in multicultural classrooms, and a lack of equal opportunities in education. 
A summary of main outcomes of both consultations with regard to ESL is annexed. 
In December 2009 a draft version of a policy framework was presented to a meeting of 
Directors General for school education  of Member States' education ministries. The policy 
framework underlines the need of evidence-based appro aches in fighting ESL.  It distinguishes 
between prevention, intervention and compensati on and argues for consistent and coordinated 
policies involving all stakeholders. The partic ipants expressed their support for the policy 
framework and its basic structure. Many underlined  that reducing ESL is one of the priorities 
                                                
 
3 http://www.nesse.fr/nesse/activities/ reports/early-school-leaving.pdf 
4 http://ec.europa.eu/education/more-information/doc/inclusion/sum_en.pdf 
5 E.g. IRIS (2005) Policy measures concerni ng disadvantaged youth, launched by DG EMPL, 
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/social_inclusion/docs/youth_study_en.pdf 
6 SEC(2007)1009. 
7 COM(2008) 423. 
EN 7   EN in school education policy. Some countries remark ed that there were di fficulties in measuring 
ESL and that the problems might even be greater than many stakeholders believe. In addition to measures at school level such as peda gogical improvements, be tter coopera tion with 
families was highlighted as crucial. Interviews  with early school leavers in some countries 
indicated that family instability and lack of fa mily support contributed to drop-out. It was also 
underlined that the consequential costs of ES L exceed by far the costs for measures against 
ESL. In the follow-up of this meeting, Member States contributed to the further development 
of the paper by submitting additi onal examples of good practice. 
In May 2010 the Cluster 'Access and Social Inclusion in Education'  met to finalise its 
work. Cluster members were asked to comme nt on a draft version of a Staff Working 
Document on ESL and the policy framework. The overall reaction was supportive, while 
underlining that more attention s hould be paid to the diversity of the issue and the fact that 
European countries face different  situations with re gard to ESL. Cluster members discussed 
the various needs and their co rresponding measures at system -level, school-level and with 
regard to supporting individual pupils. They em phasised the need to 'mainstream' policies 
against ESL in all policies related to children and families. The minutes of the meeting are annexed to this IA report. 
When preparing the proposed new initiative on ESL, the Commission decided to build on the 
results of the existing public consultations out lined above, and that a specialised consultation 
of relevant stakeholder organisations would be  an appropriate follow-up given the specialised 
nature of the issue. It  was therefore decided not
 to conduct an additional public consultation 
on ESL in preparation of this impact assessment. 
The meeting of European stakeholders in School and Vocational Education  took place on 
14 June 2010 in Brussels. It was attended by 14 stakeholde r organisations, representing 
stakeholders in general and vo cational education and training as well as  organisations for 
children’s rights and well-being, for migrants and for Roma. The selection of participants was 
based on those European organisations and netw orks which participated in “round table” 
meetings with the European Commission in th e area of education, supplemented by further 
relevant European-level organisations in the fi eld identified by differe nt units in DG EAC as 
well as the members of the Inter-Service Im pact Assessment Steering Committee. All 
participants in the st akeholder meeting supported the approa ch taken in the policy framework. 
Participants requested that as pects such as the ro le of education and schools for personal 
development, the individual perspective of th e young person, the potentials, competences and 
creativity of children, and their right to education need to be  strengthened in the documents. 
Also the limited participation of people with lower educational levels in democratic processes was emphasized, which is a risk factor for social cohesion and would be improved by a 
reduction in ESL. It was underlined that the economic and financial crisis increases the 
urgency of the problem. Under conditions of austerity, education sh ould be seen as an 
investment, not a cost factor for states and societ ies. The minutes of the meeting and the list of 
participants are annexed to this IA report. 
A Ministerial Seminar organised under th e Belgian Presidency on 9 July 2010  discussed 
current policies on early  school leaving. The discussion was introduced by presentations from 
the Netherlands and Hungary. The contributi ons from Member States underlined the 
complexity of the problem and its multifaceted causes. They focused on (1) absenteeism as a 
warning signal, and the importance to monitor and react to it rapidly and decisively; (2) 
extension of compulsory schooling to age 18, which had recently been implemented in the 
Netherlands, Hungary and Poland; (3) improve d guidance and family support, including 
EN 8   EN financial support for pupils from disadvantag ed backgrounds; (4) reinforcing vocational 
education and training pathways; and (5) the n eed to provide compensatory / second chance 
mechanisms to re-engage early leavers from e ducation and training. Part icipants supported the 
initiative of the Commission to propose a Recommendation and underlined the added value of 
European exchange in this area. The French  delegation proposed th e establishment of a 
working group on ESL which should facilitate th e exchange of good prac tice, develop a tool 
kit for policy development and provide recommendations on ways to improve the efficiency of policy and measures in the area of early school leaving. This initiative was welcomed by 
the other delegations. 
During the process of consultati on, all relevant parties have b een involved. Discussion papers 
have been made available well in advance. Bo th written and oral comments have been taken 
into account. 
Chart 1: List of consultations 
 Type of consultation 
Education Ministries • DG Schools Meeting in Stockholm in 2008 
• Cluster on Access and Social Inclusion in Lifelong Learning 
(2006 – 2010; 15 countries participating) 
• Ministerial Seminar in 2010 
Stakeholders in education and 
training • Stakeholder meeting in July 2010 
• Public consultation on schools in 2007 
Migrant organisations, Roma 
organisations • Stakeholder meeting in July 2010 
• Public consultation on migration and education in 2008 
Broader public • Public consultation on schools in 2007 
• Public consultation on migration and education in 2008 
Given the strong involvement of experts in previous consultations and working groups, no 
further external expertise was needed for this impact assessment. The compilation and analysis of the consultation results and e xpertise has been done by Commission services. 
1.3. Political background 
The Education Council set itself in 2003 a benchm ark to reduce the EU average rate of early 
school leavers to not more than 10% by 2010. ESL rates are defined as the percentage of 18-
24 year olds with only lower secondary educa tion or less and no longer in education or 
training.
8 Although the situation in most Member St ates has improved, th is target has not 
been reached. 
                                                 
8 Council Conclusions of 5-6 May on reference levels  of European average pe rformance in ed ucation and 
training (benchmarks) (doc. 8981/03). From 20 November 2009, this indicator is based on annual 
averages of quarterly data instead of one unique reference quarter in spring. Early school leavers refers 
to persons aged 18 to 24 fulfilling the following two conditions: first, the highest level of education or 
training attained is ISCED 0, 1, 2 or 3c short, second, respondents declared not having received any 
education or training in the four weeks preceding the survey (numerator). The denominator consists of the total population of the same age group, excluding no answers to the questions "highest level of 
education or training attained" and "participation to education and training". Both the numerators and 
the denominators come from the EU Labour Force Survey 
EN 9   EN In establishing the next phase of work under the Open Method of Coordination, the 
‘Education and Training 2020’ (ET2020) pr ogramme in 2009, the Council renewed the 
target.9 The need to reduce ESL was given still greater political urgency under the Europe 
2020 strategy, adopted by the European Council in  June 2010. It takes as one of five headline 
targets in all fields of EU activity the re duction of ESL to less than 10% by 2020. The new 
strategy highlights three mutually reinforcing priorities: 'smart growth' based on knowledge 
and innovation, 'sustainable growth' promoti ng a greener economy and 'inclusive growth' 
fostering high employment and so cial cohesion. High rates of ESL are a bottleneck for smart 
and inclusive growth. ESL effects negative ly on youth employment and increases the 
individual risk of poverty and social exclusion. To reduce ESL is therefore a gateway to 
reaching the other targets in Europe 2020.10 In addition to the Europ ean target, Member States 
agreed to set national targets, taking into account their starting position and national circumstances. They will also draw up Nationa l Reform Programmes describing the strategies 
and actions they will undertake to meet their national targets. National targets on the reduction 
of ESL rates will foster policy development in th is area and increase the pressure for efficient 
and effective policies against ESL. The new emphasis on ESL will also put more weight on 
the monitoring of policies against ESL,  their successes and shortcomings. 
The Europe 2020 flagship initiative 'Youth on the Move' 
11 puts ESL in a wider perspective 
by emphasizing the need to improve quality and equity in education a nd training, to provide 
more young people with the necessary competences  to become lifelong learners, and to give 
more young people the chance to experience learning mobility. The Communication on 
'Youth on the Move' announced that the Com mission would prepare a Recommendation on 
ESL in 2010. 
In April 2010 a resolutio n of the Council and of the repres entatives of the governments of the 
Member States, meeting within the Council,  on the active inclusion of young people: 
combating unemployment and poverty12 stressed the need to prom ote education, training and 
non-formal learning in order to enhance employability, to  improve young people's knowledge, 
skills and competences, and to combat the pr oblem of early leaving from education and 
training. 
In May 2010 the Council adopted conclusions on the 'Social Dimension of Education and 
Training', addressing also the problem of early school leaving and inviting Member States to 
intensify efforts to prevent ESL in particular by implementing " (…) Comprehensive, cross-
sectoral strategies should be implemente d, which provide a range of school-wide and 
systemic policies targeting the different  factors leading to early school-leaving."13 
2. SECTION 2: PROBLEM DEFINITION  
In 2009 14.4% of all 18 – 24 year olds left education and training prematurely.14 In 2000 the 
average rate of ESL in the EU stood at 17.6%, 3.2 percentage points above its current level. 
                                                 
9 OJ, C119, 28.5.2009. 
10 Commission Communication "Europe 2020 - A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth" 
COM(2010)2020; Conclusions of the European Council 17 June 2010 
11 Commission Communication "Youth on the Move. An initiative to unleash the potential of young 
people to achieve smart, sustainable and inclusiv e growth in the European Union" COM(2010) 477 
12 http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/10/st09/st09018.en10.pdf 
13 OJ C 135, 26.5.2010 
14 Eurostat, Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2010; more information on 
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/europe_2020_indicators/headline_indicators  
EN 10   EN Since 2000 the situation has improved in nearly all Member States, al though the success rates 
show considerable differences. The progress achieved has been insufficient. With eight 
countries having reached the benchmark and some close to the target, a further reduction of 
ESL rates is realistic. But to achieve this especially in times of economic and financial crisis needs stronger and better coordinated efforts. 
Chart 2: Percentage of the population ag ed 18-24 with at most lower secondary 
education and not further in education or training (2009)
15 
2009 rates  Evolution 2000-2009  
(% relative change) 
Slovakia
Slovenia
Poland
Czech Republic
Luxembourg
Austria
Lithuania
Finland
Denmark
Sweden
Netherlands
Belgium
Germany
Hungary
Ireland
Cyprus
France
Estonia
Latvia
UE-27
Greece
Bulgaria
United Kingdom
Romania
Italia
Spain
Portugal
Malta-18.2-7.9-36.8-19.4-19.6-29.2-9.4-47.3-14.7-5.3
-20.3
-27.5-7.5-22.646.610.0-26.9
-13.7-17.8-24.0-54.2-28.4-17.2
-28.3
-32.1-28.47.2-23.5
-60 -40 -20 0 20 40 6019.216.615.714.714.514.413.913.912.311.711.311.211.111.110.910.710.69.98.78.77.75.45.34.9
36.831.231.25.3
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40Benchmark 2010 + 2020 
 
The EU average ESL rate masks large differences in the performance of Member States and 
also within regions: for instance in Germa ny in 2006 the rate of young people leaving schools 
without lower secondary qualifications va ried from 3% to 26% on NUTS3 level.16 
Several factors influence ESL rates and affect regions or municipalitie s in different ways: 
• Socio-economic conditions:  ESL is more frequent in areas with concentrated socio-
economic disadvantage. Pupils often lack suffi cient support from their families and peers, 
and have also only limited access to high quality education or additional educational support within the community. In some underd eveloped rural areas the possibilities to 
attend upper secondary education are limite d by long distances between home and 
education or training institution or  a generally insufficient offer. 
                                                
 
15 Eurostat. LFS. Data for Slovenia and Croatia l ack reliability due to a small sample size. Cyprus: 
Students studying abroad are not covered by the survey; this indicator could therefore be overestimated. 
Bulgaria, Poland and Slovenia: evolution refers to  the period 2001 -2009. Czech Republic, Ireland, 
Latvia, Slovakia and Croatia: evolution refers to the period 2002-2009. 
16 Stefan Kühne: Datenfriedhof oder Goldgrube? Zu m Potenzial schulstatistischer Individualdaten für 
Abschlussindikatoren, in: Indikatorenentwicklung für den nationalen Bildungsbericht, Bd 33 (2010), 
p.85 
EN 11   EN • Situation on the labour market : Pull-effects from the labour market play an important role 
in areas which, due to their economic struct ure, offer many unqualified jobs. Prominent 
examples are regions with tourism industries:  young people often give up further education 
and training in order to join the family busine ss or to work in local hotels and restaurants. 
In some countries employment rates of early  leavers from educati on and training are far 
above average and indicate  well this pull-effect. 
• Migration:  Children with migrant background are mo re affected by ESL than their native 
peers. In regions with large mi grant populations and especially  those with a recent increase 
of immigration, the number of early l eavers tends to be above average.  
• Structure of education and traini ng systems / educational offer : The organisation of 
education and training, the structure of the system  or the quality of its offer influences the 
incidence of ESL. High ESL rates in VET can for example indicate an inappropriate 
organisation of VET, low quality or a lack of career perspectives after finishing VET. 
• Different approaches in addressing ESL : Only few Member States have introduced 
comprehensive policies to combat ESL. Ga thering data and information on ESL and 
analysing the main factors leading to school  drop-out helped them  to launch targeted 
measures and mobilise the right support for pupils at risk of dropping-out. The results 
appear to be sustainable and to  have led to long-term change. This is often not the case if 
measures are implemented on a time-limited basi s (e.g. pilot projects),  are not coordinated 
with other policies, or are focussed only on one aspect of ESL (e.g. guidance or academic 
support). 
There is no single reason for ESL. ESL is a complex phenomenon and the reasons for its 
occurrence need detailed analysis. Even in countries with below-average rates of ESL 
individual groups such as Roma can be highly  affected. Targeted measures are needed to 
address this problem and support the educational attainment of such groups. Also changes in 
ESL rates can be the result of non-educational factors such as the current economic crisis. 
Based on the experience in Member States, some key factors for a successful reduction  of 
ESL have been identified: (1) a sound eviden ce base on the complex problem of ESL in a 
country, region or municipality which allows for precise targeting of policy measures, (2) 
flexibility and creativity in developing target  measures and (3) increased incentives and 
accountability for regions or school s to lower their ESL rates. 
ESL creates high individual, social and economic  costs. The consequences of ESL affect 
people throughout their lives, and reduce their chance to participate in the so cial, cultural and 
economic life of society. ESL in creases their individual risk of  poverty and social exclusion. 
The high rate of ESL in European societies ha s long-term effects on labour markets, on the 
availability of skilled employ ees and thus on economic growt h. Such effects are likely to 
increase in many EU Member States due to th e economic and financial crisis. In more detail: 
• Skill mismatches and high ESL rates can have severe consequences for the recovering 
economy and hamper economic development. Over  70% of early school leavers in the EU 
complete only lower secondary education. A ve ry worrying fact is that 17.4% of early 
leavers in the EU have completed only primary education.17 Forecasts state that by 2020 
                                                 
17 Eurostat, LFS 2010. 
EN 12   EN 85% of all jobs will require high or medium qualifications. 35% of all jobs will require 
high qualification levels in 2020, compared to 29% today. The share of jobs available for 
low skilled people will decrease  from 20% to less than 15%.18 
• The crisis, together with the rapid pace of social, technological a nd demographic change, 
underlines the urgency to improve skill levels and the future employability of young 
people. Youth unemployment increased sharply in 2010 to 20.3% and exceeds by far the total unemployment rate.
19 52% of early school leavers in 2009 were unemployed. 
• ESL creates and perpetuates so cial and economic disadvantag e. On average early school 
leavers have lower wages and are more often dependent on social assistance. Their living 
situation has negative impacts on their heath, physical and psychological well-being. Due 
to low wages and unemployment they are likely to receive also low pensions after 
retirement and to remain dependent on social assistance.20 
• Early leavers participate less in lifelong learning and thus re-training. Their educational 
disadvantage can create a growing handicap fo r them. In addition budget cuts in times of 
economic crisis risk limiting opportunities fo r re-entering education and training. Already 
now some of the projects s upporting the reintegration of early school leavers are being 
withdrawn or reduced in size. 
• Early leavers also tend to participate less in democratic processes and are less active 
citizens. They often feel unable to influe nce on political decisions and politically 
excluded.21 
• For societies, high rates of ESL create massive costs due to increased expenditure on social 
assistance and health and lower economic grow th and lower tax revenues. Children of 
early school leavers are more likely to become  early school leavers themselves, to have 
poorer health and to have lower levels of education.22 
• Some groups in society are especially affect ed by ESL. The EU average rate of ESL is 
double for migrant youth than for native yout h (26.4% vs. 13.1% in 2009) and is even 
higher for Roma populations.23 
The following table presents the different cost categories affected by ES L. It distinguishes 
between private or individual costs, costs for th e society and fiscal costs. This compilation of 
costs makes it clear that high ESL rates turn an individual disadvantage into social and 
economic disadvantage for a country as a whole. 
                                                 
18 CEDEFOP, 2010: Skills supply and demand in Europe: medium-term forecast up to 2020, p.13 
19 Eurostat, Unemployment statistics, unemployment rate of young people under 25 for the 3rd quarter 
2010. 
20 See Joint report on Social Protec tion and Social Inclusion 2009, p.120 
21 NESSE (2009), p.31. See also Shell Jugendstudie 2010 (2010).  
22 Early School Leaving. Lessons from research for policy makers (2009), report submitted by the 
Network of Experts in Social Sciences of Education (NESSE), p.31 
23 Eurostat, LFS 2010 
EN 13   EN  
Chart 4: Categorizing the cost  elements of school failure24 
Cost category Cost element 
Private 
 Higher unemployment incidence 
Higher unemployment duration 
Lower initial and lifetime earnings 
Lower own health status Higher own discount rate Less risk aversion Less lifelong learning participation 
Lower health status of children 
Lower education levels of children Lower lifetime satisfaction 
Social 
 Increased criminality 
Lower positive spill over effects on co-workers Lower rate of economic growth Lower intergenerational effects on children and parents Lower public health status 
Higher unemployment 
Lower social cohesion 
Fiscal 
 Lower tax revenues 
Higher unemployment and welfare payments Higher public health expenditures Higher police expenditure Higher criminal justice expenditure 
Several studies and econometric  simulations have sought to quantify the economic costs of 
ESL, school failure and/or low cognitive skills . Although there are strong indications that skill 
variations are related to economic growth it is difficult to evaluate  the monetary amounts 
precisely.25 Whereas average direct costs of ESL such as social benefit payments and 
additional training measures can be estimated rela tively robustly, the indirect costs are more 
difficult to define but tend to be significantly  higher. One example for the calculation of 
indirect costs is the recent OECD publica tion on "The High Costs of Low Educational 
Performance", which estimates that a 25 point  average increase of PISA (Programme for 
International Student Assessment) scores  would lead to massive economic gain.26 A study 
focussing on Germany only, but taking a sim ilar approach, comes to comparable 
conclusions.27 There are only few reliable studies which calculate the indirect costs of early 
school leaving. They often have a limited geogr aphical scope and do not provide figures for 
the whole EU. Their estimates give a rough indica tion of costs; projecte d on the lifetime of an 
                                                 
24 EENEE (2007) The costs of school failure. A feasibility study, p.7.  Note: “Higher” or “lower” in this 
table is defined relative to a control group situation of non-school failure, however the latter is defined. 
25 Eric A Hanushek, Ludger Woessmann (2010) The economics of international differences in educational 
achievement, p.53. 
26 OECD (2010) The high cost of low educational perfor mance. It is assumed that an increase of average 
Pisa scores by 25 points by 2030 would imply an aggregated gain of OECD GDP of USD 115 trillion over the lifetime of the generation born in 2010. 
27 Ludger Woessmann, Marc Piopiunik: Was unzurei chende Bildung kostet, Muenchen 2009. The study 
concludes that insufficient education creates a loss of 2.8 trillion EUR GDP by 2090. 
EN 14   EN early leaver these costs sum up to several hundred thousand, or even over a million, EUR per 
early leaver.28 
• The National Audit Office of Finland has cal culated the costs of ESL based on 2006/2007 
data. They conclude that the costs per year per person are 27,500 EUR. Over the course of 
his/her adulthood (40years) this amounts to 1.1 million EUR.29 A Dutch study estimates 
that the costs of ESL amount to 1.8 million EU R per person over the course of his/her the 
lifetime.30 
• A German study calculated in 2006 that the direct  costs of inadequate  learning, including 
ESL, alone amounted to 7.1 billion Euro annually. The study estimated that each year 220,000 students leave school without adequa te skills, 80,000 to 90,000 without any 
qualification. The estimate of direct costs was composed of inefficient spending in the 
school system (3.7 billion EUR) and additio nal funding spend on post-school 'repair' 
measures of school deficits (3.4 billion EUR) . It did not include co sts incurred due to 
unemployment and dependency on social benefits.
31 
• A UK estimation states that reducing the nu mber of individuals  with no education 
qualification by one percentage point would le ad to a net crime reduction of between 
88,000 and 44,000 offences. The corresponding figure in terms of social benefits from 
prevented crimes ranges from £109 to £54 million.32 
These estimations have to be treated with ca ution and provide only fragmented information, 
but they show that ESL creates long-term costs for societies and high rates of ESL have major 
economic impacts. 
2.1. Underlying drivers 
ESL is a complex phenomenon and the processes that lead to ESL are driven by different 
factors. The reasons why young people leave e ducation and training prematurely are highly 
individual. Nevertheless it is possible to indicate some recu rrent characteristics of ESL 
processes. 
• Social drivers of ESL : As a social phenomenon ESL is strongly linked to social 
disadvantage and low educatio n backgrounds. Children from pa rents with low levels of 
education, from socially disadvantaged bac kgrounds and pupils with migration or Roma 
background are more likely to leave edu cation and training before completing upper 
secondary education levels than other young pe ople. They tend to lack sufficient support 
from their families, face discrimination wi thin the education system (such as low 
expectations from teachers and peers, incr eased likelihood of be ing assigned to lower-
status school tracks, etc) and have limite d access to non-formal and in-formal learning 
opportunities outside co mpulsory schooling. 
                                                 
28 See for example Canadian Council of Learning, No "drop" in the bucket, the high costs of dropping out, 
p.4. See also Dropout Strategie. Grundlagen zur Prävention und Reintegration von Dropouts in 
Ausbildung und Beschäftigung. Projektbericht des IHS Wien November 2007 
29 Nuoret miehet työelämään. Mitä paveluja ja toimenpiteitä tarvitaan TE-toimistoissa. Työja 
elinkeinoministerion julkaisuja. Työ ja yrittäjyys 34/2009 
30 CEDEFOP (2010) Guiding at-risk youth through learning to work, p.29 
31 Helmut E. Klein: Direkte Kosten mangelder Ausbildungsreife in Deutschland, IW-trends, 4/2005. 
32 Stephen Machin et.al. The Crime Reducing Effect of Education, June 2010 
EN 15   EN • Educational drivers of ESL : ESL is rather a process than a one-off event. ESL processes 
often start already in primar y education with first experi ences of school failure and 
growing alienation from school. Transiti on between schools and between different 
education levels are particularly difficult fo r pupils at risk of dropping out. Mismatches 
between education and training cu rricula and labour market n eeds can increase the risk of 
educational failure as pupils lack prospect s within their educational pathway. Education 
and training systems often do not provide su fficient targeted suppor t for pupils to cope 
with emotional, social or educational difficu lties and to remain in education and training. 
• Combination of educational and other factors : ESL processes are infl uenced by educational 
factors (e.g. the structure, access and quality of educational provisi on), by individual and 
by socio-economic conditions (e .g. living conditions and fa mily background, pull factors 
from local labour markets). All such conditions must be taken into account when 
supporting pupils at risk of dropping out. 
• Policy shortcomings : As described above, the success rate s of Member States in reducing 
ESL are different due to the speci fic situation(s) within the c ountry, but also due to the way 
policies against ESL are conceptualized. Only few Member States follow a consistent and 
comprehensive strategy to reduce ESL. Many in itiatives against ESL are not sufficiently 
linked to other policies addres sing young people. There is al so often a lack of sound 
analysis of the specific probl ems within a region or target group. With regard to ESF co-
financed measures in six Member States, th e above cited Special Re port of the Court of 
Auditors from 2006 concluded that "ESF co-fin anced activities for ESL were initiated 
without adequate analysis  of the existing situa tion and the expected or  targeted result." The 
report also states that "ac tivities did not form part of a strategic plan (…)."33 
                                                 
33 OJ 2006/C99/3 and 7. 
EN 16   EN Chart 5: Structure of the problem in its economic, social and educational dimension  Economic Dimension Social Dimension Educational Dimension Problem expression Skill mismatches and lack of 
qualified employees Bottlenecks to economic growth 
due to lack of skilled labour 
Persistent rates of structural unemployment 
High rates of youth 
unemployment Low income and household 
consumption of low skilled 
employees and unemployed people 
Low tax revenues Social disadvantage as one of 
the roots of ESL Reproduction of social 
disadvantage due to ESL 
High social costs in case of long-term unemployment 
Lack of social cohesion 
High risk of poverty and social exclusion for persons/ families 
affected 
Poverty related problems such as health problems, alcohol and 
drugs abuse, crime 
Reduced participation in democratic processes and in 
civil society Lack of equity in education 
Insufficient basic skills of early school leavers 
Experience of failure in learning 
and growing alienation from formal education and learning 
Lower participation in lifelong 
leaning Lack of comprehensive and 
cross sectoral policies/ measures 
on all educational levels to reduce ESL 
Lack of data on ESL and 
evidence-based policy approaches Policy shortcomings Low efficiency of programmes aimed at reducing early school leaving, due to fragmentation 
and/or inadequate coverage 
Risk that existing measures 
against ESL are affected by 
budget cuts and are discontinued before proper evaluation of 
impact 
Difficult to introduce new programmes or forms of support 
to reduce ESL, given current 
fiscal position in most MS Insufficient focus on groups at 
risk (migrants, Roma, etc) Lack of adequate programmes 
tackling multiple factors for 
ESL 
Need for stronger articulation 
between education and social support programmes 
Inadequate targeting of existing 
support programmes, given insufficient knowledge base on 
who are the early school leavers 
Limited scope for partnerships and involvement of the groups 
at risk in programme/policy 
definition Fragmentation of initiatives 
tackling ESL Inadequate definition of target 
groups/ incomplete coverage 
Lack of alignment of incentives 
provided by different 
programmes Current efforts to reduce ESL 
seem to level out, a new set of 
initiatives is needed. No policy change Continuous slow reduction of ESL in most MS 
Risk that measures against ESL 
are affected by budget cuts Persistence of economic costs/ 
losses due to ESL 
High unemployment rates especially among early school 
leavers  Slow reduction of social costs 
due to ESL 
Risk to jeopardise fragmented 
initiatives against ESL due to austerity measures 
Persistence and perpetuation of 
educational achievement gap between minorities and natives  No strong support for 
comprehensive policies against 
ESL 
Risk that measures against ESL have limited scope and fail to 
cover all target groups 
concerned Persistence and perpetuation of 
educational achievement gap  Who is affected Early school leavers, young 
people with insufficient skills 
Companies/ economy 
Tax authorities Early school leavers and their 
families 
Social support and health 
services Civic society, NGOs and 
initiatives Education authorities 
Schools, teachers 
Education and training 
providers Pupils 
Companies 
Civil society 
2.2. EU right to act 
Education and training policy is an area where, as a result of the subsidiarity principle, the EU 
has supporting competence as defined by the Treaty on the Functioning of the European 
Union (Lisbon Treaty). The Treaty (Article 165) provides that "the  Union shall contribute to 
the development of quality education by encour aging cooperation between Member States 
and, if necessary, by supporting and supplemen ting their action". In  addition Article 9 
EN 17   EN requires EU to "take into account requirements linked to the promotion of a high level of 
employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight agai nst social exclusion, 
and a high level of education, training  and protection of human health." 
An initiative on ESL addresses the quality improvement of education and training and its 
outcomes, helps to reduce skill mismatches, a nd supports employability and social cohesion. 
It focuses on facilitating and encouraging cooperation between Member States and aims to support their initiatives.  Given the complexity of the prob lem, the exchange of experiences 
and good practice can play a decisive role in  reaching the 10% benchmark by 2020. It allows 
Member States not only to profit from experien ces made in other countries. A comparative 
analysis of main factors leadi ng to ESL or influencing its in cidence can cont ribute to the 
knowledge base on ESL and draw attention especia lly to the relevant systemic factors. The 
above mentioned Ministerial Seminar on 9 July  2010 showed that Member States appreciate 
the work within the Open Method of Coor dination and would welcome an extension of 
activities in the area of  early school leaving. 
The initiative respects the subsidiarity principle by providing support and facilitating 
exchange among Member States, but respecting th e responsibility of the Member States for 
the content of teaching and the organi sation of their education systems. 
2.3. Baseline scenario  
Currently the reduction of ESL fo rms part of priority 3 in th e new strategic framework for 
cooperation in education and training under the open method of coordination (“ET2020”) 
addressing the promotion of equity, social co hesion and active citize nship in education. 
ET2020 builds on the results of existing OMC work under the predecessor programme ET 
2010. 
Although the results produced in ET2010 were of good qua lity, one major weakness 
concerned the difficulties to exploit results effectively. Member States participated on a 
voluntary basis in ET 2010 and seve ral with high rates of ESL chos e not to do so, or were not 
able. So not all Member States were able to ta ke full advantage of the lessons learnt within 
peer learning. New and successful approaches highlighted in the OMC could not easily be 
integrated in existing national policies; th ere was no common agenda which could have 
helped targeting the work of the cluster and supporting the learning pr ocess within Member 
States. 
The new strategy Europe 2020  emphasises the need to take more measures against ESL. 
Member States have undertaken to set national targets. National Reform Programmes form an 
important tool to strengthen the work in th is area; the setting and monitoring of national 
targets are likely to impact positively on the commi tment of Member States and so should 
lead to a reduction of ESL rates. However, the 10% target for the reduction of ESL is purely output oriented, and does not incl ude any help how to reach this  target effectively. Though it 
would certainly go beyond the remit of the EU to define more process-or iented targets, the 
EU is in a unique position to offer additiona l support to policy development in Member 
States. This is complementary to the Eu rope 2020 reporting and monitoring process. 
Existing funding opportunities, mainly European  Social Funds (ESF), the Lifelong Learning 
Programme (LLP) or the Framework Programme s for Research (RTD) programme, allow for 
the launch of targeted acti on, comparative studies, resear ch and development of new 
approaches. The LLP plays an important role in developing innovative approaches against 
EN 18   EN ESL. It enhances cooperation between Member St ates on all levels, from  an individual school 
to educational authorities. It also involves non- education actors and might contribute to the 
development of holistic solutions also in this very aspect. ESF funds have the potential to 
support the implementation of new policies agai nst ESL on a much wider scale and can have 
a much more substantial impact in Member States. Nevertheless project based funding is 
unlikely to change the current situation however good the individual projects  are. Investments 
need to be based on a strong evidence base and need to be integrated in a comprehensive and consistent policy against ESL. The opinion of  the Court of Auditors is that such a 
comprehensive and consistent approach to supporting ESL policies under the ESF needs significant reinforcement. 
The economic crisis increases th e urgency of taking more eff ective measures against ESL. 
Lack of jobs for the low-skilled might reduce pull-effects from the labour market, but at the 
same time it increases the negative effects of ESL. Funding cuts may reduce the range of 
options and support available to those at risk of dropping out or having already dropped out of 
school. Young people with low leve ls of education, and early school  leavers risk being finally 
neither in employment nor in education or training.
34 The crisis will also further diminish the 
need for low skilled labour in Europe. The costs of ESL for the individual, for societies and 
for the economy will increase. A slow reduction of ESL rates is therefore insufficient to cope with the effects of the economic crisis. 
Based on this status quo and without  strengthened or more target ed efforts, it can be assumed 
that the progress in reducing ESL will remain s ub-optimal. Reasons for this assumption are a) 
the slow progress in the past, b) the lack of evidence-base d, comprehensive and consistent 
policies in many Member States and c) the potential effects of  the economic crisis and of 
austerity measures taken in many Member States. 
2.4. Policy requirements 
Research evidence and existing experiences from countries which reduced ESL rates 
successfully suggest that effici ent and effective policies agains t ESL need to be evidence-
based, comprehensive and consistent. 
Data and information gaps concern for example: 
• The socio-economic, cultural or ethn ical background of early leavers
: Existing data does 
often not allow for detailed analyses whic h groups are concerned, why and how additional 
support could help them to maintain education and training. 
• The number of early leavers from  vocational education and training:  Several countries 
report that ESL rates in VET ar e especially high. Due to a lack of syst ematic analytical 
information, it is not clear if this is due to  the specific social composition of VET students 
or low quality of VET provision. 
• Only few countries survey the reasons  why young people discontinue education  and 
training. Existing studies show that their reasons provide clear indicators of existing 
problems in education and trai ning and should be taken into account when designing 
policies against ESL. 
                                                 
34 Youth unemployment rose by 3.7 percentage points between the first quarter 2008 and the first quarter 
2009. Eurostat, STAT/09/109, 23 July 2009; Unemployment statistics, data from 30 April 2010. 
EN 19   EN Although individual pupil data and information on absenteeism and educational attainment 
exist at school level, the reporting and aggrega tion of data follows different procedures in 
Member States. The UK introduced in 1997 the 'unique pupil number' (UPN) which provides 
a rich source for analysis and helps target schoo l policy more effectively also in fields other 
than ESL. Other countries introduced 'individual  education numbers', da ta collections based 
on individual pupil data, or national student registers (e.g. the Netherlands, Germany, and 
Italy). For the Netherlands th e introduction of the 'individual education number' and the on-
line monitoring of ESL are regarded as main  success factors in th e reduction of ESL. 
Detailed data on individual educational attain ment and their aggregation and analysis offer 
better insight into the characte ristics of pupils at risks of dropping-out, the barriers some 
pupils face in their education careers and potential  difficulties within a region, municipality or 
school. Depending on the structure a nd quality of data, studies and surveys might need to fill 
existing gaps.35 Experiences in some Member States also show that more accurate 
quantifications give a more realistic view on the issue, and can indeed lead to an apparent increase in the ESL figures.
36  
Effective policies against ESL need to address all levels of education, to be cross-sectoral and 
to involve stakeholders from the areas such as  youth policy, social and employment policies 
and the health sector. The involvement of all le vels within the educat ion and training system 
or increased accountability of re gions or municipalities in redu cing ESL have been mentioned 
by stakeholders and representatives from Ministri es as an important success factor. The best 
way to address this is highly dependent on th e organization of the education and training 
system. 
Policies against ESL should focus on pr evention, intervention and compensation. 
• Prevention  seeks to avoid the conditions from ar ising where processes leading to early 
school leaving can start: Increasing particip ation in good quality ear ly childhood education 
as care has been identified as one of the mo st effective measures to give children a good 
start in education and to build their resi lience. Other preventative measures address 
questions such as systematic language suppor t for children with migrant background, an 
active desegregation policy which improves the social, ethnical and cultural 'mixity' in schools, allows for better peer learning and he lps integration, or the targeted support of 
disadvantaged schools. Additional potential obst acles to successful school careers can be 
removed by increasing the permeability of  educational pathways and strengthening 
vocational education pathways. 
• Intervention  addresses emerging difficulties at an ear ly stage and seeks to prevent them 
from leading to school drop-out. Intervention measures can focus on the whole school or 
training institution or can addres s individual pupils who are at risk of discontinuing their 
education or training. Whole school measures ai m at improving the school climate and the 
creation of supportive le arning environments. The provision of  efficient help for pupils at 
risk such as early warning systems and bette r cooperation with parents. Also networking 
with actors outside the school and access to local support networks tends to be highly 
efficient in providing relevant  support. Student-focused meas ures focus on mentoring and 
                                                
 
35 Kühne (2010), p. 79 ff. 
36 In the Netherlands ESL figures were revised in 2004 and increased from 16000 to 70000 pupils 
affected. Court of Auditors, Special Report No 1/2006, OJ 2006/C99/9. 
EN 20   EN tutoring, personalized learning  approaches, improved guidan ce and financial support such 
as education allowances. 
• Compensation measures  offer opportunities for educat ion and training for those who 
dropped out. They aim to support young people to re-enter mainstream education or 
provide a so-called “second chance”. Successful approaches in second chance institutions 
differ therefore considerably from mainstream  schools by addressing the difficulties pupils 
had in mainstream schooling. Nevertheless ther e is evidence that prevention of ESL shows 
better results than compensating the negative e ffects of ESL. The experience of failure, a 
lack of self-confidence in learning and increased social, emotional and educational 
problems after dropping-out increase the constr aints to achieve a qua lification and finish 
education successfully.37 
In most Member States numerous projects and in itiatives exist in parallel, but often with no 
links with the initiatives of other communities or organisations.38 Despite their reported 
success, their impacts too often remain at the local or regional level. Given the urgency of 
reducing ESL, the main requirement is to shift from implementing individual measures to introducing a comprehensive policy against ESL. The elements of such policies have to be 
adapted to the concrete situation within the Member States. 
Chart 6: Summary of the main elements  of evidence-based, comprehensive and 
consistent policies against ESL 
 
3. SECTION 3: OBJECTIVES  
The general objective is, based on the Lisbon Treaty, to support Memb er States in their efforts 
to improve education and training. The specifi c objective of the initiative is very closely 
linked to this overall aim: to reduce ESL in Eu rope means to improve the educational offer to 
                                                 
37 NESSE (2009), p. 45. 
38 See Frank Braun: Einleitung, in 'Schulabbrüche und Ausbildungslosigkeit", München 2007  
EN 21   EN many young people. It would help to provide  more young people with qualifications, increase 
their employability and reduce th eir risk of social exclusion. 
The operational objectives are to help Member States in developing effective and efficient 
policies against ESL. The initiative shall supp ort them in introducing an evidence-based 
approach to address ESL, defining the main elements of a national policy framework, and 
taking comprehensive and consistent measures against ESL in all policies targeting children 
and young people. It shall help Member States to address the existing policy shortcomings 
and reinforce their commitment. It can support th em in developing the relevant parts of their 
National Reform Programmes within the Europe 2020 strategy. 
This will be supported by a broadened coopera tion and exchange of experiences and good 
practice among Member States. The huge variety of  projects, practices a nd experiences within 
Member States calls for a better system of  exchange and peer learning between them. 
Cooperation should include also representatives a nd stakeholders from other relevant policies 
areas such as social and employment policie s and youth policy. In this  way it addresses the 
social drivers of ESL processes as  well as the educational drivers. A holistic approach toward 
ESL should foster cross-sectoral  cooperation on all levels, take  the combination of factors 
leading to ESL in consideration and reinfor ce the commitment of all actors to pro-actively 
reduce ESL. 
A more targeted use of EU funding such as the ESF and the LLP should support the 
development of evidence-based policy within Member States. The LLP in particular can 
support innovation and experime ntation in new approaches to addressing ESL and the 
conditions for their transfer between Member St ates. The ESF has the pot ential to lead to a 
significant expansion of effective policy measures, by acting as a driver for large-scale change 
within Member States.  
Chart 7: Objectives of the initiative against ESL 
General 
objectives • To contribute to the development of  quality education by encouraging 
cooperation between Member States  and by supporting and supplementing 
their action 
Specific 
objectives • Reduction of the average ESL rate in the EU to less than 10% 
• Increase of skill levels and employability of young people 
• Decrease of the risk of pove rty and social exclusion 
Operational 
objectives • Increased effectiveness of polic ies against early school leaving 
• Member States improve data and information gathering, laying a 
foundation for evidence-based policy development 
• Member States revise and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of 
their initiatives and develop a consistent strategy against ESL (such 
as national policy frameworks against ESL) 
• Member States extend their coopera tion and exchange of good practice, 
supported by thematic working groups , peer-learning activities, seminars 
EN 22   EN and conferences 
• Majority of Member States increased  cross-sectoral cooperation, through 
extended membership of thematic expert group  
• Reinforced commitment of Member States to launch policies against early 
school leaving 
• Better targeted use of ESF and LLP funding, supported by launching 
comparative studies at EU level an d by supporting data and information 
gathering, analysis and policy development. 
3.1. Consistency of objectives with other EU policies 
The objectives of the initiative are in line with the Europe 2020 strategy.39 Reducing ESL 
contributes to the EU target s on reducing poverty and youth une mployment. Member States 
agreed on reducing poverty by aiming to lift at least 20 million people out of the risk of poverty. They also aim to bring to 75% the em ployment rate for women and men aged 20 to 
64, including also through the gr eater participation of youth. 
40In order to reach this target, it 
is important to help especia lly young people to gain sufficien t qualification and to increase 
their employability. Reducing ESL contributes to  increasing skill levels in Europe and thus 
supports social and po litical inclusion.  
The Europe 2020 flagship initiative 'An agenda for new skills and jobs '41 stresses the need to 
empower people by developing their skills throughout life and to increase labour market 
participation.  This is also crucial for equity and in clusive growth. The ed ucation, training and 
employment policies of the Member States mu st focus on increasing and adapting skills and 
providing better learning opportunities at all levels, to develop a workforce that is high skilled and responsive to the needs of the economy. Improving the equity and efficiency of EU 
education and training systems is essential to avoid the wast e of its human and financial 
resources, increase employabi lity and reduce inequalities
42. 
The Europe 2020 flagship initiative 'Youth on the Move' announces a Commission proposal 
for a Council Recommendation and emphasises the need to improve quali ty and equity in 
education and training, to provide more young people with the necessary competences to 
become lifelong learners and to give more youn g people the chance to experience learning 
mobility. 
4. SECTION 4: POLICY OPTIONS  
Section 2.4 outlines the main policy requirements to address ESL effectively. They are 
reflected in the operational objectives and also  underlie the definition of policy options. 
A key argument of section 2.4 is that the implem entation of individual in itiatives and projects, 
though often successful in their specific area, fails to addr ess the complexity of ESL 
                                                 
39 Commission Communication "Europe 2020 - A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth" 
COM(2010) 2020; Conclusions of the European Council 17 June 2010 
40 Conclusions of the European Council, 25/26 March 2010. 
41 COM(2010) 2020. 
42 Commission Communication “Efficiency and Equity in Education and Training Systems” - COM(2006) 
481, 8.9.2006. 
EN 23   EN processes. Single initiatives or projects need  to be embedded in a broader policy context. 
Continuing with the support of single and often isolated initiatives risks failing to tackle 
adequately the combination of socio-economic , family, community and education related 
factors in ESL processes. This calls for a broa der, coordinated and comprehensive approach to 
reducing ESL. The differences between countri es and regions call at the same time for 
flexibility in developing and applying policies against ESL. Measures should be targeted and 
adapted to the concrete situa tion, built on existing successful initiatives or integrate them 
effectively. 
Policy approaches can range from identifyi ng and promoting some specific and well 
evaluated measures which can reasonably be expected to be beneficial whatever the 
combination of causes of ESL (e.g. improved guidan ce or targeted support for pupils at risk of 
dropping-out), to the promotion of a more ambitious policy framework which covers the main aspects of successful policies ag ainst ESL, extends beyond measur es likely to be universally 
applicable, and allows for a flexible adaptation.  
The identification of individual measures whic h all Member States should implement requires 
clear evidence that these measur es improve the situation in a ll Member States and under all 
conditions. Existing research underlines that ther e is no effective univers al answer to ESL. 
Improving guidance and career counselling is a m easure which can be very effective in the 
context of developed VET systems,
43 but does not provide an idea l solution to countries with 
an underdeveloped VET system and a lack of credible training offers for young people in 
disadvantaged areas. Practically all measures against ESL will be more or less effective 
depending on their setting. 
The design of a policy framework can take different  forms. It would not be useful to seek to 
discuss all theoretical options here. The overvie w and the structure presented in section 2.4 is 
based on an in-depth literature review, the results of the cluster 'Access and Social Inclusion in Education and Training', and feedback on dr aft versions of the framework from a wide 
range of stakeholders and experts. It defines four groups of measures: 
• Measures to increase the evidence base, improve monitoring of policies against 
ESL and ensure its consistency with other relevant policies 
• Measures to prevent ESL processes from occurring 
• Measures to intervene in ESL proces ses early, effectively and efficiently 
• Measures to provide learning opport unities and support fo r those who left 
education and training prematurely 
Following the discussions with stakeholders and experts, it has been decided to recommend a 
policy framework. Given the strong subsidiarity in the area of education and the diversity of 
education systems, it would be neither possi ble nor desirable to impose a single solution 
common to all Member States. Neither our re view of research no r the consultation of 
                                                
 
43 Germany introduced in 2010 at federal level a programme to support guidance ('Bildungsketten', 
www.bmbf.de/de/14737.php), an Austrian survey on drop-outs concluded that pupils left education and 
training because they were unsure as to what profession they wish to pursue. Jugendliche 
Schulabbrecher in Österreich, Vienna 2004.  
EN 24   EN stakeholders have revealed any substantive op tion other than a policy framework for tackling 
the diverse phenomenon of ESL effectively and efficiently. 
• A policy framework against ESL is therefor e presented as the sole content based 
alternative to the baseline scenario. It is de fined as option B. The sub-options B1 and B2 
reflect the possible legislative instruments, wh ich are available to th e EU under the Treaty 
and could support the implementation of the po licy framework. Given that this is a field 
where the EU cannot act directly, all options  (including the baseline scenario) have in 
common that they depend on the commitment of Member States to ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of their policy approaches and measures. 
4.1. Option A (baseline scenario) 
This scenario is described in its main charac teristics in section 2 above. This option requires 
no further legislative action. Within  this baseline scenario it is possible to continue the work 
within the OMC by establishing a new them atic working group on ESL and conduct peer 
learning activities, to reinforce the process of po licy learning and so increase the effectiveness 
of measures taken. The agenda for this con tinued cooperation would need to be agreed 
between the participating Member States a nd the Commission. Given that the current OMC 
structure is limited to educati on and training, and in the absen ce of a formal commitment of 
Member States to a wider cross-sectoral appr oach to ESL, the possibilities to broaden the 
OMC and involve sectors other than education and training remain limited. The elements of 
evidence-based, comprehensive and consistent  policies can be pres ented by the Commission 
and discussed by Member States, but there woul d be no formal commitment on their part to 
such an approach as a basis for future polic y development. Funding within the LLP, the ESF 
and the RTD framework programme could prioriti se effective policies and measures against 
ESL; elements of evidence-based, comprehensiv e and consistent policies against ESL could 
be used to give more guidance to benefi ciaries and to improve their initiatives. 
4.2. Option B (Policy Framework) 
The policy framework provides Member States with a tool which helps them to develop 
national policies against ESL following a holistic a pproach. It stresses the need to improve the 
availability and analysis of da ta underlying ESL wit hout stipulating a specific method or form 
of data collection. It argues for a better monitoring of polici es against ESL as well as for 
comprehensive policies against ESL and a be tter cooperation betw een all policy areas 
affecting directly or indirec tly young people and especially t hose at risk of dropping out. 
Proposed measures on prevention, intervention a nd compensation of ESL are based on tested 
and evaluated policy measures in Member States and can be adap ted to the concrete situation 
within other Member States. The framework can also serve as an agenda for future 
cooperation between Member States, steer futu re policy development on EU level and guide 
the effective and efficient use of EU funding. 
Its added value is to lay a foundation for furt her work within the Member States and at 
European level, to guide effectively the coope ration between Member States and to provide a 
good starting point for developing effective and efficient policies against ESL. A draft of the 
policy framework is annexed to this report (annex 1). 
It should be noted that option B is not a self-contained option; it needs an instrument for its 
implementation. Options B.1 and B.2 describe  different approaches to promote and 
implement the policy framework using different legal instruments. While the content of the 
EN 25   EN policy framework remains unchanged, the use of  different instruments to implement it will 
lead to different results and impacts. 
4.3. Sub-option B.1 (Commission Comm unication or Recommendation) 
The Commission adopts a Commu nication or Recommendation which describes the policy 
framework for effective and efficient policies ag ainst ESL. It can be used by Member States 
for their policy development a nd provides a relevant overview  of research results and 
European experiences. As a reference documen t it can give additional thematic input in 
further cooperation within ET 2020 and help to agree on a comm on agenda within a thematic 
working group. However, cross-se ctoral cooperation will still remain relatively limited. The 
policy framework helps in the development a nd evaluation of policies to address the ESL 
target in Europe 2020. It can be accompanied by an information campaign in Member States to draw attention to the need for comprehensive and evidence-based approaches in combating ESL and to contribute to ongoing debates in Memb er States. However, as in option A, there 
would be no formal commitment of  Member States to such an approach as a basis for future 
policy development. Comparative research and the use of already ex isting possibilities to 
support initiatives within ESF, the Lifel ong Learning Programme and other EU funding 
programmes can also support the development of  comprehensive and evidence-based policies 
against ESL.  
4.4. Sub-option B.2 (Council Recommendation) 
The Council adopts a Recommendation which de scribes the policy framework for effective 
and efficient policies against ESL. The Council Recommendation provides a basis for further 
cooperation among Member States and should al so form the basis for the development of 
more effective policies and measures agains t ESL in Member States. It helps in the 
development and evaluation of policies to address the ESL ta rget in Europe 2020. Member 
States, who do not yet have a policy against ESL, can use it to develop a national policy 
framework. Other Member States may use the policy framework to assess and revise their 
existing policies. 
A broadened and cross-sectoral process under the OMC will focus mainly on the development 
of evidence-based, consistent and comprehensive policy approaches against ESL. It will help to define the agenda of a newly establishe d thematic working group and to guide peer 
learning. It goes beyond the curr ent state of art which is limited to providing good practice 
examples addressing a specific aspect of ESL or specific groups. The main aim within the 
OMC is to exchange experiences in cross-sect oral policy development and mainstreaming of 
measures against ESL. Including e.g. social  policy and youth policy systematically in 
strategies against ESL extends also the scope  of cooperation between Member States. It 
addresses experts and Member State representati ves from policy areas others than education 
and training. Comparative resear ch and the use of existing possi bilities to support initiatives 
within ESF, the Lifelong Learning Progr amme and other EU funding programmes 
complement the approach. Their use can be  improved by targeting funding opportunities 
better and by measuring them against their c ontribution to comprehensive policies against 
ESL in Member States. 
4.5. Option C (Funding programme) 
In order to launch targeted initiatives EU funding could be made av ailable for specific 
measures against ESL at EU level, especially for comparative research and for pilot projects 
EN 26   EN which involve several Member States and provid e European added value. It could especially 
target funding for initiatives which involve cr oss-sectoral cooperation, are based on evidence 
and support the development of new and innovative forms of cooperation. In times of crisis it 
could offer funding for initiative s which would otherwise not be feasible due to budget cuts. 
A targeted funding programme wo uld need a very specific definition in order to avoid 
overlaps with existing funding programmes; it c ould raise awareness in  Member States and 
trigger the development of new initiatives. 
5. SECTION 5: ANALYSIS OF IMPACTS  
To reduce ESL rates will have significant econo mic and social impacts. These impacts are 
comparable for all policy options, and it can be a ssumed that to a certain extent all approaches 
will achieve success in reducing ESL rates at Eu ropean and at national level. They can be 
summarised as follows: 
• Increase of skill levels a nd employability of young people,  improved well-being, health 
status, and living conditions of young people. 
• Reduced risk of poverty and social exclusion and limited dependency on social assistance; 
better social cohesion in  European societies. 
• Decrease of skill mismatches, provision of bett er qualified employees and thus support of 
economic growth. 
These impacts are in line with the general objec tives of the initiative. The different policy 
options are likely to contribute differently to  their achievement depe nding on the expected 
speed  and success  in reducing ESL in Europe. 
There are only limited environmental impacts  such as a possible impact of education on 
environmentally aware behaviour. They are not significantly different between the different 
options. Therefore it has been decided not to  explore the environmental impacts in more 
detail. 
There is no impact on administrative burdens  due to new information requirements. The 
monitoring and evaluation of policies against ESL can be organised within the existing 
reporting framework. There are no additional co mpliance costs. Costs related to attending 
meetings within the OMC will not increase comp ared to the baseline scenario described in 
section 2. In section 6 the report will discuss the possible costs linked to implementation of 
measures against ESL in Member States. Th ey do not constitute administrative burdens 
directly linked to one of the policy options und er consideration. Also direct impacts on third 
countries are not expected ; better competitiveness of European economies due to reduced 
ESL rates might have an impact on third countr ies, but that cannot be  assessed. Reducing ESL 
will improve the implementation of children's right  to education; there is no other impact on 
human rights . 
5.1. Discarded option 
A specific funding programme as proposed in Op tion C above could increase the number of 
initiatives against ESL. But it risks overla pping with existing funding schemes such as 
European Social Fund and the Lifelong Lear ning Programme. In addition a new funding 
scheme would not respond well to the operational  objectives identified a bove, particularly as 
regards securing commitment and comprehensive act ion at Member State level. It tends to 
EN 27   EN support policy approaches focussing on individual  measures which have been identified as 
less beneficial (see section 4). Therefore it is considered that  an additional funding scheme 
cannot be justified and should be ex cluded from further consideration.  
The impact assessment will focus solely on comp aring the baseline scenario (option A) with 
the added value of a policy framework (option B) which is either s upported by a Commission 
Communication or Recommendation (option B1) or a Council R ecommendation (option B2). 
All selected options are feasible. It should be underlined that the impact of each option 
depends largely on the relevant initiatives take n in Member States. Each option can promote 
the implementation of evidence-based, comprehe nsive and consistent policies against ESL. 
The decision for one or the other would probab ly not change materia lly the content of the 
preferred policy option, but the options differ c onsiderably in their capacity to deliver the 
expected results. 
5.2. Option A: Baseline scenario 
Social and economic impacts: Recent developments show that  in most Member States ESL 
rates have decreased rather slowly and not sufficiently in comparison with the European 
benchmark. In some countries the ESL rate even increased after the launch of the OMC. It is 
very likely that in this scenario the positive social and economic impacts of reducing ESL rates will accrue too slowly and be too sma ll to counteract the difficult economic, fiscal and 
social circumstances in Member States  resulting from the economic crisis. 
Increased effectiveness of policie s against early school leaving: 
In the framework of the 
existing OMC, support for policy development is based on the exchange of experiences and 
good practice. The results of the Cluster on "Access and Social Inclusion in Lifelong 
Learning" provide additional input, but do not propose a po licy framework or provide 
guidelines for policies against ESL. The publication of the results as well as current research 
findings in the format of a policy handbook woul d have some positive impact in different 
Member States, but the format  (a Staff Working Document of the Commission) would not 
guarantee policy attention within the Member States. 
The up-take of future results is therefore di fficult to predict, but would probably remain 
limited and patchy from country to country, depending on each country’s  participation and 
interest in the OMC. The limitations of the curr ent OMC, mainly evident in the difficulties to 
disseminate the results of working groups more e ffectively, will also hamper up-take. There is 
a risk that the baseline scenario woul d not sufficiently promote evidence-based, 
comprehensive and consistent policy evidence , and so would not su fficiently increase the 
effectiveness and efficiency of measures agains t ESL. Even big increases in investment in 
policies against ESL can turn out to be insufficient if made within the context of patchy or poorly targeted approaches. 
Cooperation and the exchange  of good practice among MS: 
The current OMC provides an 
opportunity for Member States to discuss the ne gative effects of the eco nomic crisis on ESL, 
their current policies and future strategies. It  offers the chance to compare the different 
approaches taken and learn from existing e xperiences. Looking at th e experiences in ET2010, 
there is a need to improve the dissemination of results. Nevertheless a agenda for this cooperation agreed at the level of  the Council is currently missing and there is a risk that the 
exchange of good practice would not be suffi ciently focused to support Member States 
effectively in their policy development. 
EN 28   EN Cross-sectoral cooperation: The implementation arrangeme nts for the ET2020 strategic 
framework currently remain limited to educat ion and training. This can be seen as a key 
shortcoming of option A. Limiting the exchange  of experience and good practice to education 
and training policies risks to narrow subse quent policy developments. The perspective of 
other policy areas such as empl oyment policy, social and yout h policy cannot be integrated 
systematically. On national, regional a nd local level option A depends on the policy 
developments within Member States and so would not provide a stro ng tool for fostering 
comprehensive and consistent policies. 
Reinforced commitment of Member States to  launch policies against early school leaving: 
With the adoption of national ta rgets on reducing ESL, it can be assumed that Member States 
are committed to taking targeted action to reach their targets. But the continuation of the current OMC would not offer a ny additional support commensura te with its greater policy 
priority.  
Better targeted use of ESF and LLP: 
Additional comparative research launched by the 
Commission would contribute to the evidence ba se for effective policies against ESL. EU 
funds can be used to support more initiatives against ESL, but project funding does not in 
itself lead to the development of evidence-b ased, consistent and comprehensive policies 
against ESL. There is a risk that it would pe rpetuate the current situation, in which many 
initiatives against ESL work in parallel and are only insufficiently coordinated. Currently 
there is no agreed policy a pproach to ESL which could help to focus funding more 
effectively. 
5.3. Option B: Implementing a policy framework against ESL 
The impact generated by the proposed policy fr amework against ESL depends strongly on the 
way it is implemented. Before analysing its imp acts with regard to the operational objectives 
in sub-options B1 and B2, we focus on the expe cted impacts of the policy framework as such. 
The framework would address the identified po licy shortcomings in Member States and 
answer to the policy requirements as defined in section 2. Its impact  is highly dependent on 
the concrete setting in whic h measures are implemented. No t every measure is equally 
effective and efficient in all settings; the fra mework would respond to that by providing a set 
of measures to prevent ESL, intervene in ESL processes and compensate for missed learning. 
The policy framework would stress the need to base any initiative to reduce ESL on evidence. 
Evidence-based strategies also ensure the use of  those measures which have the potential to 
achieve the best success. Monitoring also helps to adapt policies in case the situation has changed or measures failed to deliver the expected  results. Countries using this approach have 
already shown significant reduction in their ESL rates (e.g. The Netherlands). 
The impact of a consistent and comprehensive a pproach in addressing ESL is likely to go 
beyond the impact of individual measures. Meas ures can mutually support each other and 
create synergies. It also avoids imbalances between the different measures taken or even 
contradictory measures in  different policy areas. 
• Measures to prevent ESL processes from occu rring are most efficient as they avoid the 
experience of school failure a nd alienation. They improve co mpulsory education for all 
children and show positive impacts in  other areas of school education. 
EN 29   EN • Measures to intervene early, effectively and ef ficiently in processes that risk leading to 
ESL show strong impacts on motivation of pup ils to stay in education and training. 
• Compensatory measures provide learning opport unities and support for those who have left 
education and training prematur ely. They raise skill levels a nd provide new perspective for 
those who have 'failed' in the mainstream sy stem and are at risk of social exclusion. 
The framework would give an overview of po ssible policy measures to address all these 
elements. It could be used by Member States as a tool to revise and improve their policies. In 
this way it would support more efficient and effective ways to reduce ESL; this is of utmost 
importance in times of crisis and austerity. It w ould invite Member States also to examine and 
to learn better from one anothe r how to intensify their initia tives with limited budgets, where 
to set priorities, and where to expect the highe st return for investments in measures against 
ESL. This is highly relevant for all Member St ates, whether they have  reached the benchmark 
or not. 
Assuming that all Member States develop a nd apply the framework, it would promote the 
development of evidence-based, comprehensiv e and consistent policies throughout the EU. 
This has a high potential to re duce ESL rates faster and more efficiently. As mentioned above, 
its added value is to lay a foundation for furt her work within the Member States and at 
European level; it provides the content related input to both sub-options mentioned below. 
5.4. Sub-Option B.1: Commission Communication or Recommendation 
Social and economic impacts:  A Commission Communicati on or Recommendation can 
support Member States in reducin g ESL, but it risks receiving more limited policy attention in 
the Member States because it is  not adopted by the Council. It is very likely that in this 
scenario the positive social and economic impacts of reducing ESL rates will accrue too slowly and be too small to counteract the diffi cult economic, fiscal and social circumstances 
in Member States resulting from the economic crisis. 
Increased effectiveness of polic ies against early  school leaving:
 A Commission 
Communication or Recommendation promoti ng the policy framework would provide 
additional input to the development of evidence -based, comprehensive and consistent policies 
at European and national level. But it can be assumed that a Communication or 
Recommendation might have more inconsiste nt impacts in different Member States, 
depending on the level of attention it received. 
Cooperation and the exchange  of good practice among MS:  The current OMC provides an 
opportunity for Member States to exch ange good practice and experiences; the 
Communication/ Recommendation could provide a ba sis for future cooperation by setting an 
agenda for thematic working groups, p eer-learning and comparative research. 
Cross-sectoral cooperation : A Commission Communication/  Recommendation would not 
directly influence the scope of  the OMC nor extend cross-sector al cooperation at European 
level, because it commits the Commission, but  not the Member States. Further development 
of policies against ESL would therefore probably continue to focus largely on education 
policy, but in comparison to the baseline s cenario, there would be  more emphasis on the 
importance of cross-sectoral approaches, even if th ere is in this scenario no new instrument to 
address this need. On national, regional or lo cal level it would depend  on decisions within 
Member States on the role of  cross-sectoral cooperation. 
EN 30   EN Reinforced commitment of Member States to  launch policies agains t early school leaving : A 
Commission Communication or Re commendation reflects the comm itment and opinion solely 
of the Commission. Although its content would be based on the work of the Member States in 
the Cluster "Access and Social Inclusion", the in strument would not offer Member States the 
opportunity to take ownership of the result ing policy framework. Th is risks reducing the 
influence of the proposal on policy development in Member States. Given the importance of 
the ESL target within Europe  2020, it is judged that a Co mmunication or Recommendation 
offers rather a weak instrument to su pport policy development in Member States. 
Better targeted use of ESF and LLP:  Additional comparative research launched by the 
Commission can contribute to the evidence base  and the further development of effective 
policies against ESL. The LLP as well as E SF funds can be used to support individual 
initiatives against ESL, but possibilities to focus funding more effectively remain limited. 
5.5. Sub-option B.2: Council Recommendation 
Social and economic impacts:  It is assumed that a Council Recommendation would enhance 
the development of evidence-based, comprehens ive and consistent policies against ESL in 
Member States. This should lead to a faster re duction of ESL rates and a faster achievement 
of the desired economic and social impacts. 
Increased effectiveness of polic ies against early school leaving : By defining the policy 
framework with the formal backing of th e Council, the Recomme ndation would support 
Member States in their policy development and should help to speed up the implementation of evidence-based and well targeted measures agai nst ESL. The approach addresses all relevant 
actors at all levels of educa tion and training and provides a complete set of measures in 
analysing, preventing and compensating ESL. 
Cooperation and the exchange of good practice among MS
: A broadened and cross-sectoral 
process of cooperation under the OMC could be launched on the back of a Council Recommendation addressed to Member States as a whole, not just to in respect of education. 
This would foster policy developm ent at EU level and would give feedback to Member States 
to help make policy design against ESL more  effective. It would include different 
perspectives and policy sectors and would allow for a broader scope in addressing ESL. The 
range of good practice to be examined and ex changed would be wider. The Recommendation 
would set out a clear age nda and define a new focus for future cooperation. 
Cross-sectoral cooperation
: Cross-sectoral cooperation unde r the OMC would be a strong 
feature of this scenario on at  European, national, regional a nd local levels. The broadened 
process would address a major weakness in curre nt policy development.  Comparative studies 
can also contribute to the knowledge base, analys e effective and efficient approaches in cross-
sectoral cooperation and measure its effects. 
Reinforced commitment of Member States to  launch policies against early school leaving : 
The process of discussing and adoption of the Recommendation within the Council would 
offer Member States an instrument to take pos ition concerning the future policy needs in this 
area. 
Option B2 offers the strongest commitment of Member States in the development of the 
policy framework. Discussions within the Education Committee and the Council would 
provide relevant input in creating a policy fram ework which is applicable for Member States. 
The Council Recommendation s hould therefore lead to a gr eater engagement, understanding 
EN 31   EN and political commitment than any of the other scenarios, which commit only the 
Commission. 
Better targeted use of ESF and LLP : Additional comparative research launched by the 
Commission can contribute to the evidence base  and the further development of effective 
policies against ESL. Based on the Council Recommendation, LLP as well as ESF funds can 
be used in a much more focused manner and in  this way better support the development of 
evidence-based, comprehensive and consistent policies against ESL. 
Chart 7: Policy-option matrix comparing options A, B and C  
Option B   Option A  
Option B1 Option B2 
Speed in 
reducing ESL  Slow, at the same speed as before. Slow Faster due to more efficient 
policies. 
Social impacts  Slowly developing positive social 
impacts. To fail in reducing ESL perpetuates social costs, social disadvantage and the 
intergenerational transmission of 
social and educational disadvantage. Slowly developing 
positive social impacts. Earlier realisation of social 
improvements Reduced transmission of disadvantage 
Economic 
impacts  Limited economic gains, also due 
to effects of economic crisis. To fail in reducing ESL increases economic costs, sharpens negative 
effects of the crisis on early 
leavers. Persisting skill mismatches may hamper economic recovery. Limited economic 
gains, also due to effects of economic crisis. Earlier realisation of 
economic gains. Faster increase in skills and qualifications reduces skill 
mismatches and prevents 
more young people of long-term unemployment. 
Increased 
effectiveness  Development at EU level, limited 
development at national level.  Development at EU level. Provision of input in policy development; 
limited up-take at 
national level. Development at EU level, 
support of national policy development and better up-take of recommendations
 
Cooperation 
and the 
exchange of 
good practice  Continuation of existing OMC  Continuation of 
existing OMC and new thematic input Broadened and cross-sectoral 
process under OMC, clear agenda setting for cooperation
 
Cross-sectoral 
cooperation  Only within MS and on the basis of 
their policy development  Only within MS and on the basis of their policy development; 
Supporting message 
from the EC Systematic support of cross-
sectoral cooperation. Exchange of best practice on 
national/ regional/ local level; 
Reinforced 
commitment of 
Member States  New impetus for policies against 
ESL due to Europe 2020, NRPs and the headline target on ESL. 
 See Option A Clear agenda setting by MS 
and EC; increased commitment of MS to further develop policy
 
Better targeted 
use ESF/ LLP  Lack of thematic basis for better 
targeted use See Option A Streamlining of funding in 
LLP and ESF 
EN 32   EN 6. SECTION 6: COMPARING THE OPTIONS  
Based on the analysis of the di fferent possible policy options, this section compares their 
impacts on the objectives of the initiative. None of the options is expected to have a negative 
impact on the objectives. Even with the baselin e scenario, it can be expected that the 
continuation of the current work w ill lead to a slow positive impact. 
Chart 8: Ranking criteria 
+ + + 0 - - - 
Positive impact Small positive impact Neutral impact Small negative impact Negative impact
The objectives and assessment criteria are str ongly interlinked. It is therefore difficult to 
identify different weightings for each crite rion. Giving equal weight to all objectives 
corresponds best to this situa tion. The comparison below also i ndicates that even with this 
approach the pictur e is unambiguous. 
Chart 9: Ranking of options A and B (B1 and B2) 
 Option 
A Option 
B1 Option 
B2 
General objectives    
• To contribute to the development of quality education by 
encouraging cooperation between Member States and by 
supporting and supplementing their action 0 + ++ 
Specific objective    
• Reduction of the average ESL rate in the EU to less than 
10% 0 + ++ 
• Increase of skill levels and employability of young people 0 + ++ 
• Decrease of the risk of pove rty and social exclusion 0 + + 
Operational objectives    
• Increased effectiveness of policies against early school 
leaving 0 + ++ 
• Member States improve data and information 
gathering, laying a foundation for evidence-based 
policy development 0 + ++ 
• Member States revise and improve the 
effectiveness and efficiency of their initiatives and 
developed a consistent strategy against ESL 0 + ++ 
• Cooperation and exchange of good practice among Member 
States is supported by thematic working groups, peer-0 + + 
EN 33   EN learning activities, seminars and conferences 
• Increase of cross-sectoral  cooperation by extending 
membership of thematic expert groups beyond E+T sector, 
by cooperating with other Co mmissions services and 
stakeholders 0 + ++ 
• Reinforced Commitment of Member States to launch 
policies against early  school leaving 0 0 ++ 
• Member States actions are complemented by targeted use of 
ESF and LLP funding, by launchi ng comparative studies on 
EU level and by supporting data and information gathering, 
analysis and policy development. 0 0 ++ 
Option B2, a Council Recommendation, answers best  to the objectives of  the initiative as it 
supports best the use and the implementation of the policy framework. It respects the different 
situations within Member States, builds on ex isting experiences and is adaptable to their 
specific circumstances. It provides additional th ematic input, gives new impetus to the OMC 
and involves Member States st rongly in the development of th e policy framework. In this way 
it can also be assumed that this option implie s the highest level of commitment of Member 
States, has the potential to influence policy development in Member States most positively and so must help reducing ESL rates in Europe.  
The Recommendation will add value to Member  States’ efforts by supporting them in 
developing policies that identify the causes of and address early school leaving in a lifelong 
learning perspective, tackle it as a phenomenon th at cuts across several related policy areas, 
involve all stakeholders, and make policy inte rventions more systematic and consistent. 
The potential of the approach is demonstrated  by the few countries in Europe which have 
developed comprehensive strategies against ESL. Their experiences will be very important within the future cooperation process between Member States. 
Compared to the other options the Council Re commendation represents the strongest legal 
instrument possible under the Treaty. This seems to  be justified with re gard to the importance 
of the target and the urgency to reduce ESL. 
None of the options provides a guarantee for success and the degree of success depends 
strongly on policy development within Member St ates and on future economic developments. 
The choice between the options is therefore ba sed on the estimated potential of each option. 
An important aspect is the speed with which th e target to reduce ESL ca n be achieved. It has 
major social and economic impacts. 
• Option A provides only little addi tional input and it ca nnot be expected th at it will lead to 
an accelerated reduction in ESL. 
• The most distinctive difference between option B1 and B2 is the involvement of Member 
States in developing and adopting the policy framework. The greater level of involvement 
in option B2 should make it more likely that  Member States will apply it. From the 
analysis in section 6 it can be concluded th at Option B2 might achieve considerable and 
sustainable reductions in ESL rate s faster than option A and B1. 
EN 34   EN Cost – effectiveness of policies against ESL 
Introducing evidence-based and comprehensiv e policies to combat ESL will require 
investment in structures as well as concrete initiatives or measures. This need for additional investment is already implicit in the establishment of national targets as part of the Europe 2020 strategy. Member States ar e taking and will take action to  reduce ESL. Their current 
spending on measures against ESL has to be ta ken into account when assessing the costs of 
implementing a national strategy foll owing the proposed policy framework. 
To estimate the costs of introducing evidence based, comprehensive a nd consistent policies 
against ESL in Europe is - based on the existing data and information - practically impossible. 
The necessary investment of Member States depends on  
• Current ESL rates
: countries with low ESL rates mi ght target only groups especially 
affected and limit investments. Others may have to increase efforts across the board to 
lower their ESL rates. 
• Ambitions in reducing ESL : Depending on the national target s more or less investment 
might be needed. In case of high ESL rates an d the ambition to achieve a major reduction 
by 2020, major investments might be needed. 
• Existing policy : Some countries developed in recent y ears targeted policies to reduce ESL. 
Implementing the Recommendation might be a t ool for them to revise their policy and 
search for further improvements. It might not  therefore require additional investments. 
Others might reorganize their current appr oaches or complement them by introducing 
additional measures. The additional amount sp ent will depend on current expenditure in 
this area, and may be offset by efficiency gains compared with funding a more scattered 
and atomized approach. 
• The characteristics of ESL and the type of measures needed : Depending on the concrete 
situation different types of investments are needed. Invest ments can also serve more 
purposes than only the reduction of early scho ol leaving. For inst ance, early childhood 
education and care reduces not only drop-out but improves educational attainment in 
general and has positive social and personal benefits that impart on indirect costs. 
• Comparable measures may create diffe rent costs in different settings:  For instance, 
strengthening VET education as one alternative to dr op-out can start from different levels 
and comprise different measures and investme nts. The same holds for all other measures 
proposed in the policy framework. 
ESL is too complex a phenomenon to allow fo r valid but simple calculations. A sound 
analysis of the needs within a country is the only possible starting poin t for cost estimations. 
The costs for data gathering and monitoring of developments, a pr e-condition for the 
development of evidence based policies, can also differ greatly. Nevertheless there are 
indications that these costs may not necessar ily be high. Often it requires a change in the 
reporting mechanisms and the management of data , rather than entirely new systems for data 
collection. In many countries schools already po ssess all the information needed in electronic 
format. Electronic submission of a broader data set to their authorities might amount to only a 
EN 35   EN very limited burden.44 In addition, different ways to gather data and information are 
conceivable. They can be more or less labour- and cost intensive. Th e Recommendation will 
not propose a specific form of data collection. 
There is only limited information available on the costs incurred by existing measures 
launched in Member States. A request in some Member States to provide basic data on costs 
of measures against ESL remained largely unans wered due to the difficulties to define these 
costs. Many measures are part of a wider se t of investments in sc hool education or are 
financed from different budget lines. 45 For the reasons outlined a bove, the indication of costs 
of a certain measure in one Member State does not necessarily provide reliable estimations for the costs of a comparable measure in another Member State.
46 
It is therefore more helpful to look at existing cost-effectiveness analyses  for measures against 
ESL or school failure. In section 2, several esti mations of direct and indirect costs of ESL 
have been set out. Although the es timation of indirect costs shoul d be treated with caution, the 
comparison of costs of ESL and the costs of m easures against ESL provi des valuable insights. 
• Cost- effectiveness analyses exist mainly for the USA,47 and to a much lesser extent for 
European countries. A Californian study evaluate d the success of different interventions to 
reduce ESL and calculated the costs per additional high school graduate. Comparing the 
costs per additional high school graduate with the projected economic gain, the study concluded that for all
 interventions that demonstrated cl early increased rates of high school 
graduation costs are substantially lower than benefits.48 The cost-benefit ratios ranged from 
1:1.5 to 1:5. 
• A Dutch study compared the costs of measures against ESL with the costs created by ESL, 
looking at the different educational pathways, the incidence of ESL, and specific economic 
effects of dropping out at a certain level of  education. The total costs created by ESL, 
including social costs, costs related to cr iminality and loss of productivity, exceed by far 
the costs for most of the measures aiming to reduce ESL. Measures such as the alternation 
between work experiences and general educat ion, improvements in the transition between 
                                                 
44 See: Kuehne, 2010, p.89. 
45 E. g. for France "Le ministère n'a communiqué aucune donnée d'ensemble, précisant a la Cour que 'le 
cout de la lutte contre l'échec scolaire est indéfinissable ' et que ' le fait de ne pas isoler le traitement de 
la politique de lutte contre l'échec scolaire dans les programme de la mission enseignement scolaire du 
budget de l'Etat procède d'un choix délibère dans la mesure ou la politique éducative dans une ensemble 
vise a prévenir l'échec scolaire t out au long de la scolarité." Cour de comptes France, L'éducation 
nationale face a l'objectif de la réuss ite des tous les élèves, Mai 2010, p.65 
46 The new initiative 'Bildungsketten' in Germany intends to invest 362 Mio Euro for improving guidance, 
creating 1000 new posts at schools in disadvantaged areas and reaching 30.000 pupils at risk. (http://www.bmbf.de/press/2931.php). The budget forese en reflects the specific cost factors within the 
German setting. It allows not for calculating the average costs of improved guidance. 
47 See George Psacharopoulos: The costs of School failure. A Feasibility Study. Analytical Report for the 
European Commission, June 2007. 
48 The measures included tutoring  programmes, pre-school educatio n, reduced class size, increased 
teacher salaries and high schools with small lear ning communities. Costs per student ranged between 
$3,190 and $14,400. Clive R. Belfield, Henry M. Levin: The Return on Investment for Improving 
California's High School Graduation rate, Santa Barbara 2007. 
EN 36   EN school levels, improved psychological and social support for pupils, and improved 
guidance were clearly cost effective.49  
• A study commissioned by the Austrian Ministry  of Education, Art and Culture in 2007 
concluded also that in view of the high costs created by early  school leaving practically all 
interventions which reduce its incidence are cost-efficient.50 
• A literature review on education and child  poverty, published by the Rowntree Foundation 
in 2007, concluded that school based policies can effectivel y raise the performance of 
disadvantaged students and that  this can be done cost-effici ently. The precondition is that 
spending needs to be appropria tely targeted. The report me ntions especially learning 
mentors and the provision of learning  support to pupils in difficulties.51 
Evidence on the cost-effectiveness of well ta rgeted measures against ESL come to two 
common results: measures need to be well targ eted and they need to address all problems 
which hinder young people to achiev e upper secondary qualifications. 
Moreover, it should be noted that a Recommendation would lead to no new obligatory  costs 
for Member States, and should indeed lead to greater efficiency and better cost-benefit, by 
improving the quality and effec tiveness of policy design and implementation, through helping 
Member States learn from each other's experience 
7. SECTION 7: MONITORING AND EVALUATION  
As one of the headline targets in the EU’s Europe 2020 strategy, ESL w ill be subject to the 
reporting process adopted for that strategy. Euro pean targets in Europe 2020 are backed up by 
national targets; policies to reach these ta rgets are the subject of National Reform 
Programmes (NRP). The reports from Member States on the implementation of their NRPs 
should provide detailed information on the pr ogress towards reducing ESL and describe key 
measures taken by the Member States. It provi des the basic source for measuring the impact 
of the Recommendation on policies against ESL in Member States. Togeth er with reporting in 
the framework of the strategic framework for cooperation in educati on and training (ET 2020) 
and the annual ET 2020 Progress Repor ts by the Commission, as well  as other sources such as 
Eurostat, sufficient data and information should  be available to monitor developments in 
Member States and on European level, w ithout requiring any new reporting process for 
Member States  relating to the Recommendation. Theref ore the Recommendatio n will not lead 
to any additional reporting bur den. It provides thematic support in developing National 
Reform Programmes and the formulation of national policies against ESL.  
With regard to the proposed Recommendation, th e legal text would foresee an implementation 
report by the Commission; the timing of the repor t would be in line with the reporting on 
Europe 2020. The report would be due approximat ely three years after adoption. This report 
would analyse the developments in Member States, the development and use of national 
policy frameworks against ESL and the range of measures taken. It woul d in addition analyse 
                                                 
49 Costs per pupil ranged between 120 EUR for improved transition between school types and 13,900 
EUR for the extension of compulsory schooling. Roel in t'Veld et.al. Kosten en Baten van Voortijdig 
Schoolverlaten, May 2006, p.18 
50 Mario Steiner, Elfriede Wagner: Dropoutstrategie. Grundlagen zur Prävention und Reintegration von 
Dropouts in Ausbildung und Beschäftigung, Projektbericht 2007. 
51 Stephen Machin, Sandra McNally: Education and c ild poverty. A literature review, Joseph Rowntree 
Foundation, 2006. 
EN 37   EN the effectiveness and efficiency of the policy fr amework and would lead to revision of that 
framework if needed. The report  would cover the degr ee to which Member States have used 
the framework to develop national policies ag ainst ESL, whether the recommended measures 
proved to be successful, and what nature of ed ucational, social and economic impacts they 
had had. 
In terms of ongoing monitoring, identifica tion and exchange of good practice on ESL 
reduction, it is intended that the adoption of  the Recommendation would be followed by 
establishment of a new Member State e xpert group, coordinate d by the Commission, 
involving specialists  in education, social, health and em ployment policies. This would also 
respond to the proposal by the French delegati on at the July 2010 Ministerial meeting (see 
section 1 above). This group woul d be more tightly targeted on ESL issues than the former 
Cluster ‘Access and Social Inclusion’. It woul d be the forum for accelerating the process of 
learning from good practice within the EU, for assessing the effectiveness of the policy 
framework set out in the Recommendati on, and formulating proposals for further 
developments of that framework. 
Chart 10: Indicators to monito r and evaluate the initiative 
Title Type of 
indicator Indicator Definition 
• To reduce the 
average ESL rate in 
the EU to less than 
10%  Impact 
indicator Decrease of ESL rates European Labour Force 
Survey (LFS) 
• To increase skill 
levels in Europe and employability Impact 
indicator Increased upper secondary 
completion Decrease of youth unemployment rates European Labour Force 
Survey (LFS) 
• To decrease the risk 
of poverty and social exclusion Impact 
indicator Decrease of young people not 
in employment, education or training NEET indicator, based 
on LFS 
• Increased 
effectiveness of policies against ESL Result indicator Number of MS developing 
evidence based, comprehensive and consistent 
policies against ESL National Reform 
Programmes; Survey on policy development in 
MS 
• Cooperation and the 
exchange of good 
practice among MS Indicator on 
cooperation 
process Number of MS participating 
actively in OMC Progress Report 
• Increase of cross-
sectoral cooperation Indicator on 
cooperation 
process Number of MS developing 
structures of cross-sectoral cooperation National Reform 
Programmes 
• Reinforced 
commitment  Indicator on 
cooperation 
process Number of MS taking 
concrete measures against ESL and revising their policies if needed National Reform 
Programmes 
• More targeted use of 
EU funding Indicator on 
cooperation 
process Targeted and evidence-based 
measures financed Reporting from ESF, 
LLP, RTD 
EN 38   EN 7.1. Information and data on evaluating the success of the policy framework 
• Reporting within Europe 2020, reports on Na tional Reform Programmes and their 
implementation 
• Progress Report and reporting in ET 2020 
• Evaluation of Member States' policies agains t ESL / Survey four years after adoption 
• Peer-learning within cross-sectoral OMC invo lving representatives from different policy 
fields 
• Regular meetings with experts and re presentatives from Member States 
• Stakeholder platform meeting f our years after adoption to review development in policies 
against ESL 
• Analysis of data on ESL, either collected on EU level or on national level; comparative 
research 
• Analysis of activities co-funded by ESF, their design and their effects on ESL 
EN 39   EN 8. ANNEXES  
Annex 1 – Description of a policy fr amework against early school leaving 
Annex 2 – Summary of the results of public consultations Annex 3 – Minutes of the Cluster Meeting 'A ccess and Social Inclusion', 17 May 2010  
Annex 4 – Minutes of the Stakeholder Platform Meeting, 14 June 2010 and list of participants 
EN 40   EN 8.1. Annex 1 – Description of a policy framework against ESL 
A framework for comprehensive polic ies against early school leaving 
Strategies to combat early school  leaving should be based on an analysis at national, regional 
and local level of the co nditions leading to the phenomenon, as average rates often mask large 
differences between different regions or countr ies. Early school leavers are a heterogeneous 
group and individual motivations to leave e ducation prematurely differ widely. Family 
background and wider socio-economic conditions such as pull from the labour market are 
important factors. Their impact is conditioned by the structure of the education and training system, by available learning opportunities, an d by the learning environment. Coordinating 
policies addressing the well-b eing of children and young pe ople, social security, youth 
employment and future career perspectives play an important role in ensuring upper 
secondary completion among young people.  
Identification of main factors and monitoring  
The development of evidence-based policies to combat early school leaving requires 
gathering and maintaining data on the pheno menon. This should allow analysis at local, 
regional and national levels. It may contain in formation on early school  leaving rates, on 
transitions between educational levels, as we ll as on school absenteeis m and school avoiding 
behaviour.  
• Data collection should allow for the iden tification of groups of pupils, schools, 
municipalities or regions which are esp ecially prone to ea rly school leaving.  
• The combination of data on early school leavin g and socio-economic data can help in the 
targeting of measures and policies. Gatheri ng and analysing information on the motivation 
of early school leavers, their employment a nd career perspectives can also help in the 
targeting of measures and policies.  
• Longitudinal research into the effectiveness a nd efficiency of policy reforms from the point 
of reducing ESL allows for improving strategi es and programmes for increasing pupils' 
chances of school success. 
Policy framework 
Comprehensive strategies comprise a mix of policies, coordination across different policy 
sectors and the integration of measures supporting the reduction of  early school leaving in all 
relevant policies aimed at children and young peopl e. This concerns mainly social policy and 
support services, employment, youth and integr ation policies. Horizontal coordination 
between different actors and vertical coordina tion across level of governments is equally 
important. Strategies against early school l eaving should compose prevention, intervention 
and compensation elements. Member States shoul d select the detailed  components of their 
strategies according to their own circumstances and context.  
• Prevention addresses the risk of early school leavi ng before problems start. They optimise 
the provision of education and training in or der to support better lear ning outcomes and to 
remove obstacles to educational success. 
EN 41   EN • They aim to strengthen the individual resili ence of children, allowing them to cope better 
with difficulties, develop their learning pot ential and to integrate well in schools.  
• Providing high quality early childhood educat ion and care is beneficial for all 
children and especially relevant for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, 
including migrants and Roma. It enha nces physical well -being, social and 
emotional development, language and basic cognitive skills. Provision should be high quality, affordable, adequately staffed and accessible to families with a disadvantaged background.  
• They address at system level the organisation of educatio n and training systems, the 
student intake and the resources available to  schools, the availabi lity, permeability and 
flexibility of individual learning pathways. 
• Developing schools and training instit utions into learning communities and 
improving the quality of teaching and learning can enhance the motivation of 
pupils to maintain education and training 
• Increasing the educational offer by pr olonging compulsory education or by 
providing education and training guara ntees beyond the age of compulsory 
education can influence the behaviour of young people and their families and 
support them better achievi ng a qualification or school  leaving certificate. 
• Implementing active desegregation polic ies and providing additional support for 
schools in disadvantaged areas or with  high numbers of pupils from socio-
economic disadvantaged backgrounds he lps them to improve their social 
composition and their educational offer. It  lifts the educational achievements of 
pupils from socio-economic disadvantaged backgrounds and reduces  their risk of 
early school leaving. 
• Supporting children with a different mother tongue to improve th eir proficiency in 
the teaching language and supporting teachers to teach children with different 
levels of linguistic competence supports es pecially the educatio nal achievement of 
children with migrant background an d reduces their risk of ESL. 
• Increasing the flexibility and permeability of educational pathways, e.g. by 
modularisation of courses or  alternation of school a nd work, supports especially 
pupils with lower academic performance, can  offer them credible  alternatives to 
ESL and motivates them to continue educ ation and training which is adapted to 
their needs and abilities. 
• Strengthening vocational pathways and increasing their attractiveness and 
flexibility provides pupils at risk with cred ible alternatives to early school leaving. 
VET systems which are well integrated in to the overall education and training 
systems allow for alternative pathways to secondary and tertiary education.  
• Intervention aims to avoid early school leaving by improving the quality of education and 
training at the level of the e ducational institutions  and by providing ta rgeted support to 
pupils or groups of pupils at risk of droppi ng out. They address all educational levels, 
starting from early childhood education a nd care to upper secondary education. 
EN 42   EN • At the  level of the school or  training institution  strategies against early school leaving 
are embedded in an overall school development policy. They aiming at creating a positive 
learning environment, reinforce pedagogica l quality and innovati on, enhancing teaching 
staff competences to deal with social and cu ltural diversity, and to develop anti-violence 
and anti-bullying strategies 
• Developing early-warning systems for pupils at risk can help to take effective 
measures before problems become manifest , pupils start to alienate from school, 
play truant or drop-out. 
• Enhancing the involvement of parents, reinforcing their cooperation with the 
school and creating partnerships between schools and parents encourage family 
support for successful education and traini ng. It can be facilitated by mediators 
from the local community who are able to support communication and to reduce 
distrust. 
• Networking with out-side school  actors such as local co mmunity services, migrant 
or minority community organisations, spor ts and culture asso ciations, employers 
and civil society organisations  allows for holistic solutions to help pupils at risk 
and eases the access to external support such as psychologists, social and youth 
workers, cultural and community services. 
• Supporting and empowering teachers in their work with pupils at risk is a pre-
requisite to successful meas ures at school level. Targ eted teacher training helps 
them to deal with diversity in the cl assroom, to support pupils from socially 
disadvantaged backgrounds and to so lve difficult teaching situations. 
• Supporting extra-curricular ac tivities after and out-side sc hool can raise the self-
esteem of pupils at risk and increases their resilience against possible drawbacks and difficulties in their learning process. 
• Intervention  at individual level aim to provide a set of support mechanisms for 
individual students at risk of dropping out  which can be tailored to their needs.  They focus 
both on personal developments in order to buil d resilience for stude nts at risk and on 
redressing concrete difficulties, which can be of social, cognitive or emotional nature.  
• Mentoring and tutoring supports individu al pupils to overcome their specific 
academic, social or mental difficulties. Either in one-to-one approaches 
(mentoring) or in small groups (tutoring), pupils receive targeted assistance, often 
provided by education staff or by community members 
• Strengthening personalised learning appr oaches and providing learning support 
for pupils at risk helps them to adapt to  the demands of formal education and to 
overcome barriers created by the education and training system. 
• Strengthening guidance and counselling supports st udents’ career choices, 
transitions within education or from  education to employment; it avoids 
discontinuation of education or training pa thways due to false expectations or 
insufficient information. It helps young pe ople to make choices which meet their 
ambitions, personal interests and talents. 
EN 43   EN • Financial support measures such as st udy allowances answ er to financial 
difficulties of pupils and financially motiv ated early school leaving. Such support 
might be conditional to ensure regular at tendance or might be linked to families' 
social benefits. 
• Compensation  aims to help those who left edu cation and training prematurely, offering 
routes to re-enter educat ion and training and gain th e qualifications they missed. 
• Successful second chance programmes provi de learning environments which 
respond to the specific needs of their learners, looking at their academic 
performance, recognise their prior le arning and support their well-being and 
psychological recovery. They distinguish from schools in both organisational and 
pedagogical approaches and are often ch aracterised by small learning groups, 
personalised and innovative teaching and fl exible learning pathways. They need 
to be easily accessible and free of charge. 
• Offering a combined set of measures to help and prepare early leavers re-enter 
mainstream education and training. A ppropriate programmes can be transition 
classes bridging the gap between previous school failure and a more successful 
new start in mainstream e ducation and training. In sm all learning groups outside 
the school buildings pup ils can regain confidence and catch up on missed 
learning. 
• Recognising and validating prior learni ng including competences achieved in non-
formal and informal learning improves pupils' confidence and self-esteem. It can 
motivate them to continue education and training or to return to it.  
• Targeted individual support integrates social, fina ncial, educational and 
psychological support for young people in difficu lties. It is especially important 
for young people in situations of serious social, academic and emotional distress 
which hinders them from con tinuing education or training. 
EN 44   EN 8.2. Annex 2 – Summary of the resul ts of public consultations 
The consultation on 'Schools for the 21st century' asked, how school systems could best 
respond to the need to promote equity, to re spond to cultural diversity and to reduce early 
school leaving.  
Special support for disadvantaged students was most often menti oned (117 respondents), 
followed by introducing more out-of school stages  (64 respondents), pr oviding early learning 
opportunities (52 respondents), adopting a comprehensive anti -discrimination policy (50 
respondents), and providing mentors to encourage students at risk of leaving education and 
training early (47 respondents).  
0 2 04 06 08 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 4 04.g Free choice of schools4.f Mix of different backgrounds4.e  Representative of the population 4.d Support for disadvantaged 4.c Out-of-school stages4.b Provide mentors 4.a Anti-discrimination policy
EU Assoc Authorities Nat Orgs Schools etc Students Individuals
 
0 1 02 03 04 05 06 04.m Stream or set students 4.l Repetition of  years4.k Selection of students 4.j Early learning opportunities4.i Specific second chance prov ision4.h Whole day schooling
EU Assoc Authorities Nat Orgs Schools etc Students Individuals
 
Answers differed according to type of respondent. With regard to ESL, national, regional and 
local authorities stress ed the importance of a 'remediation'  system to reduce school drop-out, 
capable of intervening at an individual  and family level as early as possible.  Efforts should be 
focused on providing personalise d learning paths for the most  vulnerable throughout their 
school career and transition to work, involving, for example, a multi-agency approach; upper 
secondary school reform and compulsory nationa l progress checks. A better conjunction of 
EN 45   EN policy with school, family and young people is n ecessary, a policy that takes account of socio-
cultural diversity, valuing mother  tongue but at the same time im posing the learning of one or 
two foreign languages. 
The setting up of individual lear ning routes is seen by school s and teachers as being more 
likely to ensure intrinsic motivation and prod uce less drop-outs. Both organisational and 
didactic reforms are seen as necessary to addres s the problems of ESL. There needs to be an 
emphasis on early years' education and early in tervention for pupils with special needs – to 
reduce inequity and provide the best grounding for learning. 
The consultation on migration and education  asked for the important policy challenges 
related to the provision of good education to children from a migrant background.  
There was a strong consensus ac ross all types of contributors  that the crucial challenge 
consists of breaking the link between so cio-economic disadvantage and educational 
disadvantage. Many contributors follow the analys is of the Green Paper in indicating that the 
lower socio-economic status of migrant families is the main, but not only reason for their educational disadvantage. ESL was also men tioned by respondents, but less often compared 
to questions such as segregation, teachers' skills  to teach in multicultural classrooms and equal 
opportunities. ESL in the context of  migration can be seen as one  of the effects of the overall 
educational disadvantage of migrant children.  
Challenges identified
051015202530
Policy integration
Segregation
Teachers' skills
Socio-economic status
Equal opportunities 
School adaptation
Parents and communities
Heterogeneity
 Host language
Resources
Early school leaving
 
The Council Conclusions on the same subject , adopted in November 2009, contained the 
following points 
EN 46   EN  

EN 47   EN 8.3. Annex 3 - Minutes of the Cluster Meeting 'Access and So cial Inclusion', 17 May 
2010  
Brussels, 
D(2010) 
11th Cluster Meeting "Access and Social Inclusion" 
Brussels, 17 May 2010 
 
Minutes 
PARTICIPANTS  
Petra Drahonovska (CZ), Josefa Salvador Hern andez (ES), Judit Szir a (HU), Szilvia Pallaghy 
(HU), Donagh Kelly (IE), Diana Macri (IT), Cla udio Frederico (IT), Ursula Armbruster (SE), 
Demet Goren Niron (TR), Keith Home s (ETF), Anne-Mari Nevala (GHK) 
DG EAC: Adam Pokorny, Gelu Calacean, Susanne Conze, Nora Milotay  
UP-DATE ON LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN SCHOOL EDUCATION POLICIES AND THE 
NEW STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK (ET2020) 
(…) 
PRESENTATION PLA  REPORT TURKEY  
(…) 
PRESENTATION OF PLANNED RECOMMENDATION ON EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING   
Adam Pokorny reported on current developments concerning the education targets in the new 
strategy Europe 2020. The strategy proposes that th e share of early school leavers should be 
under 10% and at least 40% of the younger generation should have a tertiary degree. The European Council agreed on most of the targ ets in EU 2020, but postponed the decision on 
the target on poverty reduction and the educat ion targets. Educatio n ministers recommended 
to the Council to adopt the education targets.
52 
To support the target on early school leavi ng, the European Commission is preparing a 
proposal for a Council Recommendation on polic ies against ESL. The Recommendation will 
outline a policy framework; it will be acco mpanied by a Commission Staff Working Paper 
(SWP) which describes the different  policies into more detail and provides a set of examples 
of implementing measures in different Member  States. The cluster members had received a 
draft version of the SWP prior to the meetin g. They were asked to comment on the paper; 
their comments would contribute to the imp act assessment of the recommendation which was 
currently under preparation. 
                                                 
52 Education targets have been agreed by the Council on 17 June 2010. See 
http://ec.europa.eu/eu2020/index_en.htm.  
EN 48   EN Susanne Conze presented briefly the propos ed policy framework, underlining the main 
aspects of evidence-based and comprehensive policies against ESL. She outlined the measures proposed within the draft recommenda tion, subdivided into pre-emptive, preventive 
and compensatory measures. 
The following points were raised by participan ts during the discussi on. They addressed both 
the draft Recommendation and the Staff Worki ng Document. The following list of comments 
is organised in a thematic order: 
Societal factors leading to ESL
 
• The situation on local labour mark ets plays an important role at system level, so labour 
market policies have to contribu te to the reduction of ESL. 
• More attention should be paid to the diversity  of the issue; a stronger focus should be on 
the social problems, poverty and housing probl ems which contribute to ESL. Schools will 
not be able to address these problems on their own (or in some cases not at all) and solutions based on educational measures onl y will not be sufficient to tackle ESL 
effectively. Social aspects, family situati ons and school systems are among the causes of 
the problem of early school leaving and there is a need for holistic measures for tackling 
often unprecedented social problems in the context of the economic crisis.  
• There is a huge diversity in Europe and coun tries face different situation with regard to 
ESL, have different problems and their policie s create also different outcomes. This should 
be underlined within the paper. 
System level factors 
• Monitoring and analysis of the situation is impor tant, but there is not only a need to learn 
more about the early school leav ers, but also about the systems,  their structures and inbuilt 
obstacles. More dedicated research shoul d address the effects of the systems. 
• Transition points in school education are par ticularly difficult periods for children; this 
should be highlighted. As an example, Swed en introduced pre-school classes to ease 
transition from pre-primary to primary school. 
• Besides ECEC, another pre-emptive measure coul d be the reduction or elimination of early 
class repetition, as research shows that it is a f actor increasing significantly the risk of early 
school leaving. The age of school start and the availability of preparatory classes, making 
the transition from ECEC to school, should al so be more emphasised, as there is often 
conflict between more indi vidualised ECEC pedagogy and the more uniform school 
pedagogy. 
• Measures against ESL need to be implemented in all schools; parallel systems in treatment 
of pupils need to be avoided. 
• Early childhood education and care (ECEC) is an important tool to reduce school failure 
and early school leaving, but does not cove r e.g. newly arriving school-age migrant 
children.  
EN 49   EN • PISA showed that children from disadvantag ed backgrounds are more likely to attend 
lower status (and often lower quality) schools; th is contributes to the higher risk of drop-
out and early school leaving. 
• Financial support to families is very im portant and should be emphasised more, 
particularly financial aid fo r buying textbooks, as well as scholarships for poor children. 
• The rising numbers of immigrant pupils, incl uding unaccompanied minors, were singled 
out as factors for the increase in  early school leaving. In this regard, there is a need for a 
culture shift in curricula, integrating the respect of diversity as a major objective of education. Increasing the diversity of the teaching workforce could also have positive 
effects for students from a migrant background. 
• Children with migrant background are not automa tically disadvantaged in school systems; 
the wording needs to be revised with regard to this aspect.  
School level factors 
• At school level, the initial and continuous educ ation of teachers plays an important role. 
This could improve teachers' awareness of meas ures against ESL, their ability to recognise 
pupils at risk and to help them.  
• Evaluation and inspection systems are equa lly important. There is good experience 
developed in Sweden where teacher evalua tion, tutoring and monitoring are combined. 
School evaluations should be generalised to all schools and should also include leadership 
and teacher evaluations. They can be recogni sed as chances to receive feed-back and 
improve own work, but they should be enfo rced through financial sanctions against 
schools which do not implement recommended measures.  
• In addition to the role of teachers in reduci ng early school leaving, school leadership plays 
an important role and should be explicitly mentioned. Not only school leaders, but also 
leaders of pre-school should receive training for pedagogical and not only administrative 
leadership.  
• Early warning systems in schools play a crucial role in schools; asse ssments for identifying 
early pupils lagging behind and for assessing individual progress can  support such work. 
Often evaluations of students' performances start too late. 
• The effects of decentralisation should be taken more into account, as it explains many 
differences in quality encountered during th e cluster's work. Inspection regimes should 
provide evaluations not only of  teachers and schools, but al so of the responsible school 
authorities (usually local authorities).  
• Formal and non-formal learning takes place insi de and outside school. To mark better the 
difference between the different forms of l earning, the term non-academic learning could 
be used to describe learning out side classrooms. There is also  a need for close cooperation 
between the work of school and learning provisions outside school hours and more 
emphasis should be put on their integration at school level. Coope ration between after-
school and out-of-school pedagogues and class teach ers is very important in this respect. 
EN 50   EN Participants also made detailed comment s on the Staff Working Paper accompanying the 
Recommendation: 
• They emphasised the need to emphasise more  issues related to di versity and systemic 
issues in the analysis of the fact ors leading to early school leaving.  
• References to research on de-segregation programmes in  HU, BG, and TK should be 
included, as well as cost-benefit analyses fr om programmes in FI, NL, UK. There are more 
examples of countries with monitoring systems (e.g. HU).  
• Participants argued that the section on EC EC should be more developed, by making 
references to provision in unita ry settings, to preparatory cl asses for making the transition 
to school and to strengtheni ng the curriculu m of ECEC.  
• Differences among schools within the same nati onal system, as shown in the various PISA 
surveys should be particularly emphasised. 
• The section on non-academic learning should be  renamed – "integrati on of extracurricular 
activities" and should be furt her developed, showing examples  of mainstreaming of such 
activities 
• The section on guidance should also be more  developed. The independence of guidance 
and other support staff from school  leadership should be emphasi sed, as a main factor for 
establishing relationships based on trust with childr en and youth at risk. 
• The section on financial support, grants and scholarships should be also developed.  
• The section on compensatory measures should em phasise that there is a need to find the 
right length of transition measures, such as bridging classes; tim e limitation (bridging 
classes should not become perm anent) and evaluations should be stressed in this context. 
• Several cluster members undertook to provide additional good practice examples for the 
Staff Working Paper on Early School Leaving. 
EN 51   EN 8.4. Annex 4 – Minutes of the Stakeholder Platform Meeting, 14 June 2010 and list 
of participants 
Brussels, 
EAC/B.2/SCO/mro Ares (2010) 476130 
SCHOOL_LEG_DOC.008 
Meeting School Education Stakeholder – Platform 
Brussels, 14 June 2010 
 
 Minutes 
Participating organisations: European Netw ork of Education Councils (EUNEC), Stad 
Antwerpen, Fondation des Régions européennes pour la recherché end éducation et Formation 
(FREREF), Network of Education Policy Cent res (NEPC), European Vocational Training 
Association (EVTA), EUROCHILD, Internationa l Organisation for Migr ation (IOM), Open 
Society Institute, Platform for Interna tional Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants 
(PICUM), Alliance for Childhood, EUROCITIES , Roma Education Fund, European Trade 
Union Committee for Education (ETUCE), Eurochambres, European Youth Forum. 
Excused: European Parents Association (EPA),  European School Head s Association (ESHA), 
Assembly of European Regions (AER), Sta nding International Conference of Inspectors 
(SICI), European Training Foundation (ETF), European Agency for Fundamental Rights 
(FRA), Eurofound. 
European Commission: Adam Pokorny (B2), Gelu Calacean (B2), Susanne Conze (B2), 
Margarida Gameiro (A2), Angelos Agalianos (A2) 
WELCOME AND UP -DATE ON RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN SCHOOL EDUCATION POLICY  
Adam Pokorny welcomed the participants and underl ined the three aims of the meeting: to re-
animate the stakeholder forum in school edu cation, to up-date participants on recent 
developments in school education policy on Eu ropean level and to consult them on the 
planned recommendation on policie s against early school leaving. 
He then informed participants of the reor ganisation of DG EAC which took effect on the 1 
June 2010. One of the results of this reorgani sation was the creation of a new unit, dealing 
with equal opportunities and equi ty in education. The profile of the new unit was briefly 
presented by Margarida Gameiro, Head of this new unit. 
In his presentation on recent developments in school education policy, Adam Pokorny 
underlined that the new EU2020 strategy leads to a change of perspective by highlighting 
inclusive growth. Linked to that  education and training receive more attention; the reduction 
of early school leaving rates to less then 10% has become a headline target. 
He mentioned major activities during the last years including 
• Joint Progress Report 2009 focussing on key competences and competence based teaching 
(http://ec.europa.eu/ed ucation/lifelong-learni ng-policy/doc1532_en.htm ) 
EN 52   EN • Study on 'Key competences in Europe' by the Centre for Social and Economic Research 
CASE (http://ec.europa.eu/education /more-information/doc/keyreport_en.pdf ) 
• Thematic Forum on School Business Co operation in March 2010 in Brussels 
(http://ec.europa.e u/education/school-education/doc2279_en.htm ) 
• Policy Handbook on the induction of new teach ers (http://ec.europa.eu/education/school-
education/doc2254_en.htm ) and new initiatives in th e area of school leadership 
• Two new actions within the Comenius Prog ramme: Comenius Regio Partnerships and 
Comenius Individual Pupil Mobility (htt p://ec.europa.eu/educ ation/lifelong-learning-
programme/doc84_en.htm ) 
• eTwinning, since 2007 part of the Comenius Pr ogramme, becoming more and more also a 
social network for teachers in Europe  (http://www.etwinning.net/en/pub/index.htm ) 
For the next months the followi ng initiatives are planned:  
• Publication on of a Policy Handbook th e assessment of key competences 
• A Proposal for a Council Recommendation on policies against Earl y School Leaving 
• A Commission Communicat ion on Early Childhood Education and Care 
• New Experts Groups within the Open Met hod of Coordination on Key Competences, on 
Maths, Science and Technology and on Teacher Education 
• The establishment of three policy networks: Tw o of them will be launched via a call for 
proposals in summer 2010 (on key competences in school education and on policies 
concerning school leadership),  and a third one on Migration and education will be 
launched in 2011. 
• Several studies are in preparation or al ready launched, cove ring following topics: 
competence requirements of staff in early childhood education and ca re, ensuring early 
acquisition of literacy: study on parental suppo rt, educational support for newly arrived 
migrants, and policy measures to increase th e attractiveness of the teaching profession. 
Susanne Conze briefly presented the recentl y adopted Council Conclusions on the social 
dimension of education, covering all areas of ed ucation and training. The social dimension of 
education was also discussed on a conferen ce organised by the European Economic and 
Social Committee in Florence in May 2010. It will be also subject of a conference organised 
under the Belgian presidency in Ghent on the 28/29 September 2010. 
Jana Hainsworth (Eurochild) drew the atten tion of the audience to another conference 
organised under Belgian Presidency beginning of September addressing th e fight against child 
poverty. 
RECOMMENDATION AND POLICY FRAMEWORK ON COMBATING EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING  
Susanne Conze presented the Policy Framewor k on combating Early School Leaving (ESL). 
Based on a short summary of the main reason s for ESL and its effects on individual and 
society, she outlined the components of an evidence-based and comprehensive policy 
EN 53   EN approach against ESL. The policy framework ha s been described in detail in the document 
send to participants prior to the meeting. 
There was general agreement on the policy fr amework as such, but the lively debate 
underlined the following points which s hould be taken into consideration: 
Perspective of the individual child 
Participants underlined that it is important to strengthen the individual perspective and to 
focus more explicitly on th e situation of children and young people within the school 
education system. Children have rich potentials , competences and creativity, they have the 
right to education and they have the right to be  treated respectfully a nd corresponding to their 
needs. The role of education and schools for personal development of children and young 
people needs to be underlined; it is a failure of th e school education system not to support 
them sufficiently, but to "push them out". Measur es against ESL also need to be embedded in 
a broader vision for schools. 
There is an overall tendency to stigmatise early leavers from education and training. It can be 
expected that some young people will always l eave formal education and training system 
prematurely. Their behaviour can be seen as an  indicator for the quality of the education and 
training system and the currently high levels of  ESL indicates a rather insufficient quality. 
Looking at those who dropped out can provide useful information on what has to be improved to prevent ESL. It is probably not realistic to eliminate ESL completely, but there is a need to 
learn from it and to improve education and training. 
Economic aspects of ea rly school leaving  
While several participants criticised the strong economic argumentation in the document, 
other supported the notion th at economic arguments underlin e well the urgency of the 
problem especially in ti mes of economic and financial crisis. It was stated that the crisis forms 
a new dimension in European societies and is lead ing in practically all countries to severe cuts 
in social budgets. Under these conditions, it ha s to be made clear th at education is an 
investment, not a cost factor fo r states and societies, and th e conditions for maximising this 
investment have to be invest igated further on the basis of good practice. Economic and 
financial crisis are usually follo wed by a social crisis and the cu rrent measures have to take 
this into account. The EU has an interested in being interesting for skilled workers and it 
needs a holistic and welcoming approach in attracting them. 
Policies against ESL need further investments and effective measures against ESL are not 
self-financing. But it is important to analyse in which way the available resources could be used best.  
The Commission underlined that the documen t has to find the right balance between 
economic arguments and the vision of the child, their rights and perspective on education, but 
agreed that the focus on the individual needs to be strengthened 
Lack of data and information 
Participants agreed to the statement within th e document that there is  a lack of data and 
knowledge on ESL. The identification and analys is of the problems leading to ESL is a 
crucial first step. It is necessary to get a clear overview of data and to have clear definitions 
when talking about ESL. Monitoring of the phenomenon is key. 
EN 54   EN It was also mentioned that low ESL rates ar e not necessarily a si gn of good practices in 
education. The low national rates can hide the f act that specific groups in society are much 
more affected by ESL. As an example the si tuation of Roma children in Eastern Europe 
countries was mentioned.  
Doubts were also raised concerning the quality of data on ESL. Bigger cities noticed a gap of 
several percent of data on their pupil population. Th is might question the reliability of the data 
used on European level.  
Interviews with teachers and pupils can cont ribute enormously to our knowledge base on 
ESL. 
Early childhood education and care (ECEC) 
Looking at the experience of teache rs, but also with regard to re search evidence, it should be 
underlined that policies to reduce ESL have to star t as early as possible. There needs to be an 
even stronger focus on early ch ildhood education and care. Often parents or families are not 
able to support their children sufficiently and these children face severe difficulties later on. 
Early support is therefore of utmost importanc e and a more detailed description of quality 
criteria for effective services in ECEC, measures to prepare children for school and parental 
support programmes would enrich the document. 
EC agreed to extend the ECEC section in the paper. 
School-based measures 
Several statements raised the question of the role and responsibility of schools in reducing 
ESL. They form an important link between meas ure taken with regard to the whole education 
and training system and the way in which in dividual pupils can bene fit from them. This 
concerns pedagogical aspects, c ooperation with parents as well as concrete support measures. 
One point in this context is the role of the school climate and the problem of violence and 
bullying at schools. It would be also interesting to look at school  councils and their role in 
involving all relevant parties in school develo pment. Here also the own perspective of 
children on their well being should also be take n into account. There is a strong link between 
well-being at school and drop- out. Desegregation policy shoul d also be mentioned as a 
school-wide measure. 
Personalised learning shoul d be for all pupils, not only for thos e at risk of dropping out. There 
is a need to strengthen participatory pedagogy in  order to build social competences and social 
capital. 
Schools lack financial resources. But there are measures which do not necessarily need 
additional financial support such as peer-suppo rt-systems and peer-monitoring. In general it 
was also underlined that there is a lack of cooperation between schools and families and with 
the local community. 
And schools should inform pupils on their possibili ty to continue learning and second chance 
options should be known to pupils.  
Although not directly related to school-based m easures it could be interesting to look more 
closely at private tutoring. It can be assumed that private tutoring in creases the problem of 
EN 55   EN ESL and school failure as 'standard' school education risks not to  guarantee anymore 
sufficient education levels. 
Mainstreaming and link to other policies 
One participant raised the concern that policy- makers could try to solve the problem of ESL 
with a 'quick fix'. Instead a system change is needed. ESL is a complex problem; it is also a 
social problem and measures against ESL need to  be mainstreamed in all social policies.  
One example raised during the discussion was that a school optimis ation process in one 
Member State led to the closing of local school s. This measure was not linked with measures 
to prevent drop-out and in fact it increased drop-out. 
Local level involvement 
Several participants underlined that the local level plays an important  role in reducing ESL 
and should be underlined in a comprehensive stra tegy against ESL. Especially large cities or 
more densely populated areas ar e facing considerable social problems and need a holistic 
approach in addressing ESL. But they can also  implement this appro ach by bringing different 
sources of funding together. In times of budget cuts, the local le vel also plays an important 
role in mobilising additional forces against ESL.  
At the same time it should be taken into account th at not all stakeholders (the city, pupils and 
parents) have necessarily the same interests. Th ere is also some tension concerning the role of 
schools. 
From the local perspective, the proposed po licy framework addresses the right points and 
provides useful practi cal recommendations.  
Citizenship and education failure 
In addition to the negative social and economic  effects of ESL it should be mentioned that 
high rates of ESL constitute a risk for our de mocracies as a lack educational and social 
'capital' leads also to political disadvantage and reduced participation in democratic processes. 
Transition from school to vocational training and work 
Transition points within school education careers and from sc hool to vocational training or 
work are critical periods and ESL occurs more often at these points. Mo re permeability within 
the education and training system is needed to ease transition and allow also for non-typical 
pathways.  
It was mentioned that vocational training can function as a compensatory measure against 
ESL and the role of work as a general tool for learning should be underlined. There are good 
practice examples on transition. At the sa me time it is necessary to look at youth 
unemployment. VET is not always a soluti on for early leavers and though it is often 
mentioned, it cannot solve th e problem completely.  
Involvement of parents and families 
There is a tendency that teachers contact parents too late. But more engagement of families is 
needed to support the education of their offs pring and schools should motivate families to 
EN 56   EN fulfil this supportive role. What also has to be taken into account is that nowadays the 
influence of peers on a child's development is of ten stronger than the in fluence of the family 
or the school. 
Migration and Roma 
Children of irregular and undocumented migrants  often do not have the chance to attend 
school. Although it might not be possible to address this point in the paper, it should be kept 
in mind. Roma children are still faced with obstacl es to continue educat ion; changes in this 
have not yet been sufficient.  
Conditional cash transfer 
Several participants mentioned the possibility of  conditional cash transfer to reduce ESL. E.g. 
in Brazil the state provides financial incentives  for families to send their children to school. 
There are positive experiences with conditional cash transfers also in Hungary and the examples on this approach shoul d be extended. But, one partic ipant also remarked that the 
impact of conditional cash transfer should be care fully evaluated as it can also have negative 
and stigmatising effects. 
Recognition of learning outcomes and flexibility of pathways 
Participants supported largely th e recognition of learning outcomes  and the call for flexibility 
of learning pathways. Non-formal learning plays an important role in increasing the 
attractiveness of learning and motivating young people. Also the relevance of the curriculum 
is an important issue. 
Good practice examples 
It was recommended to add more good practice ex amples in the document. But an imbalance 
was noticed by pointing out that there are only few examples from countries with low ESL 
rates. This could be du e to a lack of knowledge of their policies or to  a lack of targeted 
measures against ESL. It was remarked that one example from the Netherlands, 'The care advisory team', is not men tioned in the right place. 
M
IGRATION AND EDUCATION  
Gelu Calacean presented recent developments  in the thematic area of migration and 
education. He drew participan ts’ attention to th e Council Conclusions on education and 
migration, adopted in November 2009. Two majo r issues are under examination: the question 
of language support and the questi on how to prevent segregation. 
He announced the future plans in this area. The EC will launch a study on measures to support 
newly arriving migrant children and a policy network on migrati on and education in order to 
facilitate the exchange among Member St ates. The Progress Report 2010 will include 
information on the future system to monitor the performance gap betw een migrant and native 
youth. 
Adam Pokorny informed on the current disc ussion about the directive 77/486/EEC on the 
education of migrant workers a nd indicated that the Commissi on would decide on any future 
action in this respect in due course. 
EN 57   EN During the discussion the follo wing points were mentioned: 
It was highlighted that the re ason why children with migrant background are strongly affected 
by early school leaving perform is rather due to their socio-economic family background than 
to their status as migrants.  
The distinction between migrants  from EU countries and from non EU countries is not helpful 
for the effective development of policies for mi grants. A distinction should be rather made 
between newly arriving migrants and second gene ration migrants and thei r specific situation. 
Migrant children should be seen as a wealth of creativity and competences. The way we view 
and address migrant children has to be changed. 
A lack of data in this area was identified. It wa s also asked if there ar e indicators available 
concerning migration and active citizenship. Th ere is a lack of political involvement of 
migrants and they are politically not suffici ently empowered. The Commission replied that 
the monitoring of the situation of migrant child ren in education has to be based on existing 
data and that limits its scope. MS would not agree to additional data  collection burdens. The 
Commission will check which data could be used in this area. 
The legal status of migrants is relevant and ir regular migrants are often deprived of education. 
This has negative long-term effects, especially once their presence in th e country is legalised 
and a lack of previous educa tion provision becomes an urge nt problem for the education 
system. A study in 9 EU Member States showed  that children of undocumented migrants 
often cannot access school education. This is not necessarily due to a legal problem or barrier, 
but result of discriminatory practices and practical barriers. School s are asked in some 
countries to report the legal stat us of their pupils and therefore parents are afraid to send their 
children to school and to risk detection. Other schools fear not to receive fundi ng for children 
from undocumented migrants and refuse registrati on. It is often also a wrong interpretation of 
the law. ECEC is especially difficult for them to attend. 
One participant identified three types of gaps: in  achievement (linked to  the educational level 
of parents), in participation of  parents in school education (l inked to the phenomenon of the 
'Mother Mafia', white mothers discriminating ag ainst migrant mothers) and the expectation 
gap (leading to wrong advice on  school careers and underachieve ment of migrant children). 
Schools need to be open to an increasingly diverse society.  
Tracking (early selectio n between school types) was seen as one of the main causes for 
segregation. Other participan ts confirmed that anti-discr iminatory education, diversity 
management, parental education, measures of positive discrimination, teacher training and the responsibility of the whole soci ety is needed to improve the situation. Peer  support from 
native children for undocumented mi grants is important and there have been very successful 
examples in Europe, giving migrants moral s upport. The network 'Education without borders' 
is one other good example of this work. 
It was concluded that another Stakeholder Platform meeting s hould be organised next spring. 
EN 58   EN Participants list  
Title Surname Name Institution Acronym
Mr Simone BARTHEL European Networ k of Education Councils EUNEC 
Ms Koen BASTIAENS Stad Antwerpen/Actieve City/General 
Education Policy   
Mr Joël BONAMY Fondation des Régions européennes pour la 
recherche en Education et Formation FREFEF 
Mr Clive BYRNE National Association of Principals and Deputy 
Principals ESHA 
Ms  Mia DOUTERLUNGNE European Netw ork of Education Councils EUNEC 
Mr Ton DUIF AVS AVS 
Ms Goele GEERAERT Stad Antwer pen/Werk en Economie   
Mr Maria GOLUBEVA Network of E ducation Policy Centers NEPC 
Ms  Tommaso GRIMALDI European Vocational Training Association EVTA 
Ms Jana HAINSWORTH  Eurochild   
Ms Bern HEMINGWAY International Organisation for Migration IOM 
Mr  Roos HERPELINK European Netw ork of Education Councils EUNEC 
Ms Jana HUTTOVA Open Society Institute OSI 
Ms Michèle LEVOY Platform for International Cooperation on 
Undocumented Migrants PICUM 
Ms Michiel  MATTHES Alliance for Childhood - European Network   
Mr Paulo MOEKOTTE Eurocities   
Ms Beata OLAHOVA Roma Education Fund   
Mr Martin ROMER European Trade Union Committee for 
Education ETUCE 
Mr Margarete RUDZKI Eurochambres   
Ms Luca SCARPIELLO European Youth Forum   
Ms Viviana  Galli Organising Bureau of European School Student 
Unions OBESSU 
Ms Milica  BOJIC Organising Bureau of European School Student 
Unions OBESSU 
Ms Henriette JUR Organising Bureau of European School Student 
Unions OBESSU 
EN 59   EN