Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Improving competences for the 21st Century: an Agenda for European Cooperation on Schools {SEC(2008) 2177}
Date: 2008-07-03
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: continuing vocational training, education policy, educational system, teacher training, teaching quality, vocational training

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 3.7.2008 
COM(2008) 425 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Improving competences for the 21st Century:  
An Agenda for European Cooperation on Schools 

{SEC(2008) 2177} 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 

Preparing young people for the 21st century .............................................................................. 3 

Purpose of this Communication ................................................................................................. 4 

2. 

Focus on competences.................................................................................................. 5 

Implementing key competences ................................................................................................. 5 

Literacy and Numeracy .............................................................................................................. 6 

Personalised approaches to learning .......................................................................................... 6 

Assessing learning outcomes ..................................................................................................... 6 

3 

High quality learning for every student ....................................................................... 7 

Better early learning opportunities ............................................................................................. 8 

Promoting system equity............................................................................................................ 8 

Early School Leaving ................................................................................................................. 9 

Special Educational Needs ....................................................................................................... 10 

School development ................................................................................................................. 10 

4 

Teachers and school staff ........................................................................................... 11 

Teacher Competences and Qualifications ................................................................................ 11 

School Leadership .................................................................................................................... 11 

5 

Conclusion.................................................................................................................. 12 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Improving competences for the 21st Century:  
An Agenda for European Cooperation on Schools 

1 

INTRODUCTION 

Preparing young people for the 21st century 

1.1 
Economic  and  social  changes  in  the  European  Union  bring  new  opportunities  and 
challenges. Young people need a wider range of competences than ever before to flourish, in a 
globalised economy and in increasingly diverse societies. Many will work in jobs that do not 
yet  exist.  Many  will  need  advanced  linguistic,  intercultural  and  entrepreneurial  capacities. 
Technology will continue to change the world in ways we cannot imagine. Challenges such as 
climate change will require radical adaptation. In this increasingly complex world, creativity 
and the ability to continue to learn and to innovate will count as much as, if not more than, 
specific areas of knowledge liable to become obsolete. Lifelong learning should be the norm.  

The European Council has repeatedly stressed the key role of education and training 
1.2 
for the future growth, long-term competitiveness and social cohesion of the Union. To achieve 
this  it  is  crucial  fully  to  develop  the  potential  for  innovation  and  creativity  of  European 
citizens.  The  education  element  of  the  knowledge  triangle  "research-innovation-education" 
should  be  strengthened,  starting  early  –  in  schools.  The  competences  and  learning  habits 
acquired at school are essential for developing new skills for new jobs later in life.  

The Commission has stated1 that to advance well-being in the face of the challenges of 
1.3 
the  21st  century  requires  a  new  approach  centred  on  providing  citizens  with  adequate 
opportunities  for  self-fulfilment,  access  to  education,  employment,  healthcare  and  social 
protection,  in  a  context  of  solidarity,  social  cohesion  and  sustainability.  In  this  context,  the 
Commission has identified investing in youth as a key priority.  

The Council has concluded2 that Europe's growth and prosperity depend on an active 
1.4 
participation by all young people. Children’s attainment in compulsory education has a strong 
direct  impact  on  their  later  social  participation,  further  education  or  training,  and  wages. 
However,  access  to  high  quality  school  education  is  uneven,  so  education  systems  often 
compound socio-economic inequalities.  

1.5 
Education  Ministers  have  pledged  to  improve  the  quality  and  equity  of  education 
systems3.  The  Council  has  adopted  three  benchmarks  for  2010  that  relate  directly  to  school 
education  (on  early  school  leavers,  reading  literacy  and  completion  of  upper  secondary 
education).  But  progress  is  insufficient.  Accordingly,  the  European  Council  has  urged 

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3 

COM(2007)726 final 
OJ 2007/C 282/12 of 24.11.2007 
OJ 2006/C 298/03 of 8.12.2006 

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Member States to reduce substantially the number of young people who cannot read properly 
and  the  number  of  early  school  leavers,  and  to  improve  the  achievement  of  learners  from  a 
migrant or other disadvantaged background4.  

In annual reviews of Lisbon National Reform Programmes, the Commission has made 
1.6 
recommendations  to  several  Member  States  to  improve  specific  aspects  of  their  school 
education systems. 

Purpose of this Communication 

1.7 
The  challenge  facing  the  EU,  then,  is  to  strengthen  the  reform  of  school  systems  so 
that  every  young  person  can  develop  his  or  her  full  potential,  through  improved  access  and 
opportunities,  to  become  an  active  participant  in  the  emerging  knowledge  economy,  and  to 
reinforce social solidarity.  

1.8  Member  States  are  responsible  for  the  organisation  and  content  of  education  and 
training.  Europe’s  diverse  school  systems,  founded  upon  shared  values,  contain  a  host  of 
innovative and excellent practices. We should make better use of this diversity. 

1.9  Most Member States now have lifelong learning strategies in which school education 
is central5. They are working together more intensively on school policy issues. The role of 
the Union is  to support them by  facilitating the exchange of information and good practice. 
This cooperation also builds on 20 years’ experience under the Lifelong Learning Programme 
and  predecessors.  In  the  context  of  this  ongoing  joint  work,  the  Commission  in  2007 
undertook a public consultation on ‘Schools for the 21st Century’6. 

1.10  Member  States  increasingly  acknowledge  the  benefits  of  cooperation  to  address 
common  challenges  as  evidenced  by  Recommendations  on  Quality  Evaluation  in  School 
Education7 and Key Competences8, and Council Conclusions on Efficiency and Equity9 and 
Improving the Quality of Teacher Education10. 

1.11  The  Commission  believes  that,  given  the  common  nature  of  many  of  the  challenges 
facing  school  systems  and  the  importance  of  these  issues  for  the  Union’s  socio-economic 
future, school education should be a key priority for the next cycle of the Lisbon process.  

1.12  Accordingly, this Communication draws on the responses to the Commission’s 2007 
public consultation, recent work by peer learning ‘clusters’ of Member State experts11, and the 
latest  international  statistics  and  research,  to  propose  an  agenda  for  strengthening  European 

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responses  have  been  analysed 

European Council Conclusions March 2008 para. 15 
COM(2007) 703 final, para. 2.1 
SEC(2007)1009.  The 
report  available  at 
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/consult/index_en.html  and  are  summarised  in  the  Staff 
Working Paper 
2001/166/EC; OJ L 60 of 1.3.2001 
2006/962/EC; OJ L 394/10 of 30.12.2006 
OJ C 298/03 of 8.12.2006 
OJ C 300/07 of 12.12.2007 
On  Key  competences  and  curriculum  reform;  Teachers  and  Trainers;  Access  and  social  inclusion; 
Maths, Science and Technology. 

in  a  separate 

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cooperation on schools12 by identifying the major challenges facing systems that can best be 
tackled by such cooperation. These are divided into three areas: 

– 

– 

– 

Focus on competences 

High quality learning for every student 

Teachers and school staff 

2. 

FOCUS ON COMPETENCES 

Implementing key competences 

2.1 
The Council has stressed the need to equip people with ‘new skills for new jobs’ and 
to  raise  overall  skills  levels,  by  providing  ‘initial  and  continuing  education  and  training  for 
skills  and  competences  of  the  highest  quality,  even  excellence,  in  order  to  maintain  and 
strengthen their capacity for innovation which is required for greater competitiveness, growth 
and employment’13.  

The trend in school curricula is to help learners acquire knowledge and the skills and 
2.2 
attitudes  necessary  to  apply  it  in  real  life  situations.  The  European  Framework  of  Key 
Competences14 describes the knowledge, skills and attitudes required for a successful life in a 
knowledge society. It is a basis for a coherent approach to competence development, in school 
and in vocational training. 

2.3 
To  acquire  competences,  learners  need,  from  an  early  age,  to  'learn  to  learn'  by 
reflecting  critically  on  their  learning  aims,  managing  their  learning  with  self-discipline, 
working autonomously and collaboratively, seeking information and support when necessary, 
and using all the opportunities of new technologies. 

The school consultation responses called for a more flexible learning environment that 
2.4 
helps students develop a range  of competencies, while retaining a grounding in basic skills. 
Proposed  approaches  included  new  pedagogies,  cross-curricular  approaches  to  supplement 
single-subject  teaching,  and  greater  involvement  of  students  in  the  design  of  their  own 
learning.  

2.5 
Curricular  reform  to  improve  competences  needs  a  holistic  approach,  organising 
learning within and across subjects, teaching competences explicitly, new teacher training and 
didactic approaches, and, vitally, involving teachers, learners and other actors fully. Similarly, 
schools  should  promote  the  health  and  wellbeing  of  pupils  and  staff,  and  active  citizenship 
(including  in  its  European  context).  The  acquisition  of  a  range  of  competences,  including 

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‘School’ in this text refers to pre-primary, primary, lower and upper secondary institutions and also to 
institutions of vocational training and to pre-school institutions. The issues outlined here apply also in 
large part to initial vocational education, and should be reflected in future work under the Copenhagen 
Process. 
OJ 2007/C 290/01 of 4.12.2007 
Recommendation 2006/962/EC 

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entrepreneurship education15 and languages, can be reinforced in a school environment where 
staff and students are encouraged to be innovative and creative. 

Literacy and Numeracy 

Literacy  and  numeracy  are  essential  components  of  key  competences.  They  are 
2.6 
fundamental  for  further  learning,  but  performance  in  the  EU  is  deteriorating.  The  EU 
benchmark  is  by  2010  to  decrease  the  proportion  of  15-year-olds  who  are  low-achievers  in 
reading literacy to 17%. However, the rate actually increased from 21.3% in 2000 to 24.1% in 
2006. Moreover, almost twice as many boys as girls have low reading skills: 17.6% of 15 year 
old  girls  and  30.4  %  of  15  year  old  boys.  The  decline  in  reading  literacy  must  urgently  be 
reversed. This represents one of the key challenges currently facing Europe’s schools. 

2.7 
Reading  literacy  depends  on  diverse  factors:  family  reading  culture,  home  language, 
choice  of  parental  and  school  pedagogies,  and  the  impact  of  an  image-based  multimedia 
culture.  Good  policy  practices  include  family  literacy  policies;  early  specialist  support  from 
pre-primary  onwards;  national  literacy  strategies  and  targets;  and  improvements  in  literacy 
infrastructure (libraries, classroom material). 

Numeracy, mathematical and digital competences and an understanding of science are 
2.8 
also  vital  for  full  participation  in  the  knowledge  society  and  for  the  competitiveness  of 
modern economies. Children’s first experiences are crucial, but students are too often anxious 
about maths and some distort their learning choices to avoid it. Different teaching approaches 
can improve attitudes, raise attainment levels, and open up new learning possibilities16.  

Personalised approaches to learning  

Every learner’s needs differ. Every classroom is a place of diversity: of gender, socio-
2.9 
economic  groups,  ability  or  disability,  mother  tongues  and  learning  styles.  Improving 
competences means teaching learners in a more personalised way.  

2.10  Better  tailoring  teaching  to  each  child’s  needs  can  increase  student  interest  and 
engagement  in  learning  activities  and  improve  their  results,  but  its  benefits  should  reach  all 
students equitably.  

2.11  Early identification of individual difficulties and comprehensive preventive strategies 
within  the  school  are  the  most  important  ways  to  reduce  numbers  leaving  early.  Teachers 
require  specific  training  to  work  effectively  in  diverse  classrooms.  More  flexible  education 
and training pathways can facilitate the completion of schooling and ensure that all students 
are prepared for lifelong learning.  

Assessing learning outcomes 

2.12  Research shows that explicitly designing assessment to promote learning is one of the 
most  powerful  tools  for  raising  standards,  particularly  among  low-achieving  pupils,  and  for 

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16 

See  Commission  Communication  Fostering  entrepreneurial  mindsets  through  education  and  learning 
COM(2006) 33 final  
Support  for  science  and  maths  education  is  an  objective  of  the  Seventh  EU  Research  Framework 
Programme;  the  emphasis  is  on  inquiry-  and  problem-based  teaching  techniques  in  schools  and  on 
promoting the exchange of good practice. 

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empowering lifelong learners. However, assessment is too often used merely to grade pupils, 
and not to help them improve; tests do not always assess what competences pupils can use, 
only what information they can remember.  

Improving  competences  implies  a  more  extensive  use  of  formative17  assessment  to 
2.13 
identify and address problems early, and the development of more sophisticated techniques of 
summative18  assessment  based  on  agreed  standards  for  learning  outcomes.  Teachers  have 
considerable autonomy in pupil assessment; their training needs to address these issues. 

To  support  the  Member  States  in  implementing  the  Recommendation  on  Key 
Competences  for  Lifelong  Learning,  the  Commission  proposes  to  focus  future 
cooperation on: 

•  developing action plans to increase levels of reading literacy and numeracy, including 

the use of target-setting;  

•  reinforcing  transversal  as  well  as  subject-based  competences,  particularly  learning-

to-learn; and 

•  adopting  a  comprehensive  approach  to  competence  development,  encompassing 
curricula, learning materials, teacher training, personalised learning, and assessment 
techniques. 

3 

HIGH QUALITY LEARNING FOR EVERY STUDENT 

3.1 
Providing  all  young  people  with  the  full  range  of  competences  for  life  is  an  equity 
challenge.  No  school  system  provides  exactly  the  same  educational  opportunities  for  all 
pupils.  The  quality  gap  between  schools  should  be  closed.  Recent  research  shows  that  low 
variation in student achievement scores can go together with high average achievement, and 
suggests that policy makers should reduce disparities and improve participation by targeting 
those with lower skill levels. The EU benchmark is that by 2010 at least 85% of young people 
should have completed upper secondary education. The 2007 average rate for 20-24 year-olds 
is 78.1%, an improvement of only 1.5 percentage points since 2000. 

3.2 
The  2006  Spring  European  Council  concluded  that  reforms  must  be  stepped  up  to 
ensure  high  quality  education  and  training  systems  that  are  both  efficient  and  equitable19. 
There  remains  a  need  to  understand  better,  and  reduce,  the  correlation  between  learners’ 
socio-economic background and educational outcomes.  

3.3 
The responses to the school consultation emphasised the importance of early learning 
opportunities  and  of  inclusive  school  systems  that  integrate  students  from  all  backgrounds 
into  mainstream  education,  while  giving  additional  support  for  disadvantaged  students  and 
those with special needs.  

17 

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19 

Assessment  providing  feedback  used  to  adapt  teaching  to  meet  the  learner's  needs  and  to  help  the 
learner reflect on his / her progress 
Summarises learning that has taken place at a particular time 
European Council Conclusions March 2006  

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Better early learning opportunities  

3.4 
Pre-school education can reduce the educational disadvantages of children from low-
income and minority backgrounds. It can reinforce learning of the language of instruction or 
of a second language. Early, intensive, multi-systemic approaches offer impressive long-term 
results  and  can  bring  the  highest  rates  of  return  over  the  whole  lifelong  learning  process, 
especially for the most disadvantaged. There is evidence that pre-primary education improves 
children's  average  attainment,  attention,  and  participation  in  class  in  primary  school.  Early 
childhood education should focus not only on academic performance but also  on  social  and 
emotional  care  and  should  be  articulated  with  wider  social  services.  Staff  need  specialist 
training and qualifications.  

3.5  Member States are tending to generalise pre-primary education and care. The Council 
in  2002  agreed  that  Member  States  should  provide  childcare  to  at  least  90%  of  children 
between 3 years old and the mandatory school age and at least 33% of children under 3 years 
of  age20.  Between  2000  and  2005,  participation  in  education  by  4-year-olds  increased  by 
about 3 percentage points to over 85%, but disparities remain great: from over 99% in some 
countries to under 50% in others21. Improving pre-school provision and widening access to it 
are potentially the most important contributions that school systems  can  make  to  improving 
opportunities for all and achieving Lisbon goals. 

Promoting system equity 

Research  indicates  that  the  most  successful  school  education  systems  build  high 
3.6 
expectations  for  all  pupils,  particularly  those  who  do  not  experience  high  expectations  at 
home. Systems should seek to ensure that no ‘failure’ is seen as definitive and no pupil leaves 
school believing that he or she is 'unable' to learn.  

3.7 
Policies that seek to secure flexible learning pathways according to each individual’s 
needs,  can  help  promote  system  equity.  This  implies  removing  “dead  ends”  in  learning 
pathways, strengthened guidance systems and better possibilities to transfer between different 
levels  of  education  and  between  different  strands  (e.g.  between  vocational  and  higher 
education).  

The  Council  noted  that  “there  is  research  evidence  to  suggest  that,  in  certain  cases, 
3.8 
differentiating pupils at too early an age into separate schools of different types on the basis of 
ability may have negative effects on the achievements of disadvantaged pupils”.22 The bulk of 
available  evidence  indicates  that  early  tracking  into  different  school  types  can  exacerbate 
differences  in  pupils'  educational  attainment  due  to  social  background.  This  is  a  complex 
phenomenon  and  there  is  scope  for  Member  State  cooperation  to  identify  the  right  mix  of 
policy measures to address it. 

In some school systems, up to 25% of students repeat a year at some point, while in 
3.9 
others it is rare. It is an expensive technique. While some repeaters catch up, the vast majority 
do  not.  Repetition  rates  are  significantly  higher  for  children  from  less  advantaged  socio-
economic  groups  and  repeaters’  long-term  achievements  are  often  lower  than  for  weak 
students who did not repeat. Some countries instead use formative assessment combined with 

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Presidency Conclusions, Barcelona Council March 2002 
COM(2007) 703 final 
OJ C 298/3 of 8.12.2006 

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short, intensive interventions or individual lessons with support staff. Teachers need training 
in such techniques. 

3.10  Disadvantage  due  to  personal,  social,  cultural  or  economic  circumstances  can  hinder 
children’s  education  and  is  a  central  challenge  for  EU  school  systems.  Poverty  impairs 
individuals’  cognitive  development  and,  ultimately, 
their  academic  achievement. 
Disadvantaged children are less likely to do well in school, to enjoy good health, to integrate 
into  the  labour  market  and  society,  and  to  stay  out  of  the  criminal  justice  system23.  The 
specific challenges faced by students from a migrant background are addressed in a separate 
Commission document24.  

3.11  School  alone  cannot  compensate  for  pupils’  social  disadvantage.  Solutions  require 
partnerships involving families, social services, municipalities, and health services, in order to 
break the transmission of poverty and exclusion to the next generation.  

3.12  Schools with high drop out rates tend to have a high turnover of teachers, exacerbating 
their  problems.  Ministers  have  agreed  that  the  provision  of  high  quality  teaching  in 
disadvantaged  areas  should  be  particularly  encouraged25.  Financial  support  to  schools 
attracting  disadvantaged  pupils  might  narrow  the  differences  in  the  social  composition  of 
schools. 

Early School Leaving  

3.13  Early  school  leaving  (ESL)  means  wasted  potential.  It  has  social  costs  (social 
breakdown, increased demand on the health system, and lower social cohesion) and economic 
costs (lower productivity, lower tax revenues and higher welfare payments). The costs to the 
individual  include  low  skills,  unemployment,  lower  lifetime  earnings,  lower  participation  in 
learning later in life, and less adaptability to change.  

3.14 
In  its  2007  Lisbon  report  on  Growth  and  Jobs,  the  Commission  made  specific 
recommendations  to  several  Member  States  to  improve  their  performance  in  reducing  ESL. 
While  Member  States’  ESL  rates  differ  considerably,  the  link  with  disadvantage  is  always 
clear.  Children  from  families  at  multiple  social  disadvantages  are  overrepresented  among 
school dropouts in all countries26, as are the most disadvantaged areas. 

3.15 
Increased  policy  effort  and  resources  through  the  European  Structural  Funds  is 
improving  the  situation,  but  progress  is  too  slow.  The  EU  benchmark  is  that  by  2010  on 
average  no  more  than  10%  of  young  people  should  leave  school  early.  In  2007  the  average 
EU  rate  for  18-24  year-olds  was  still  14.8%,  2.8  percentage  points  lower  than  in  2000. 
Ministers  in  2008  discussed  measures  to  combat  school  drop-out,  including:  reinforcing 
newcomers’ competences in the language of instruction and other skills in order to reach the 
level of their peers; identifying early those ‘at risk’ and fostering collaboration between their 
parents  and  teachers;  providing  after-school  learning  activities;  and  improving  continuity  of 
support during the transition from one school level to the next.  

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26 

European Council, Joint report on social protection and social inclusion 2007, p.5 
COM(2008)423 
OJ C 298/3 of 8.12.2006 
SEC(2007)1284, para 1.1.2 

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3.16  While  ‘second  chance’  schools  are  important,  there  needs  also  to  be  closer 
collaboration between the general and vocational education and training sectors, and action to 
make mainstream schools more attractive. 

Special Educational Needs 

3.17  Students with special education needs tend to favour inclusive education, and inclusive 
approaches can bring benefits to all students27. Despite strong political intentions, more than 
2%  of  EU  pupils  are  still  taught  in  segregated  settings  because  of  their  special  educational 
needs.  

3.18  Achieving  inclusion  whilst  supporting  those  with  specific  needs  implies  re-thinking 
policies for organising  learning support, improving collaboration between schools and  other 
services, and implementing personalised learning. Timely and flexible support can help those 
with temporary learning or adaptation difficulties to catch up, rather than transferring them to 
a segregated setting.  

School development 

3.19  Schools need to be able to adapt continuously to their changing environment, and to 
the changing needs of pupils, staff and parents, their key partners.  

3.20 
In  many  countries,  the  role  of  school  inspection  is  changing  from  one  of  control,  to 
supporting and inciting improvement. School networking (e.g. Comenius school partnerships, 
or eTwinning) can accelerate innovation. Systemic and cyclical self-evaluation is effective in 
helping schools identify directions for change. The Council has concluded that schools should 
develop  as  ‘learning  communities’28.  More  schools  are  opening  their  facilities  to  the  wider 
local community, and are developing closer links with local enterprise.  

3.21  A wide variety of reforms have recently been implemented in Europe to increase the 
autonomy  of  schools.  More  work  is  needed  on  the  quality  benefits  of  different  types  of 
autonomy,  their  links  with  student  performance,  external  examinations,  accountability  and 
choice and how increased autonomy can be made to serve system equity.  

To support Member States in implementing the Council Conclusions on efficiency and 
equity in education and training, the Commission proposes to focus future cooperation 
on: 

•  generalising access to high quality pre-school education;  

•  measuring  and  improving  the  equity  impact  of  school  education  systems,  and 

reducing quality differences between schools; 

•  ensuring that school systems facilitate successful transitions between different school 

types and levels, and into further education and training; 

•  reducing early school leaving; and 

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28 

Inclusive  education  and  classroom  practices  in  Secondary  Education,  European  Agency  for 
Developments in Special Needs Education, Summary Report, 2005 
OJ C 300/07 of 12.12.2007 

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•  providing  more  timely  support  and  personalised  learning  approaches  within 

mainstream schooling for students with special needs.  

4 

TEACHERS AND SCHOOL STAFF 

Teacher Competences and Qualifications  

Teacher  quality  is  the  most  important  within-school  factor  affecting  student 
4.1 
performance. As such, it is vital to the achievement of Lisbon goals. The profession has a high 
percentage of older workers; some 30% of teachers are over 50, and around two million will 
need to be replaced in the next 15 years to maintain the size of the teaching workforce. Staff 
need the skills to give every pupil adequate opportunities to acquire necessary competences in 
a  safe  and  attractive  school  environment  based  on  mutual  respect  and  cooperation,  which 
promotes  social,  physical  and  mental  well-being  and  where  bullying  and  violence  have  no 
place29. Yet most countries report shortfalls in teaching skills. Despite this, incentives for, and 
investment  in,  continuous  training  and  development  are  weak.  Generally,  time  spent  on  in-
service  training  is  minimal  and  many  Member  States  offer  no  systematic  support  for  new 
teachers.  

4.2  Ministers  agreed  in  2007  to  make  the  teaching  profession  a  more  attractive  career 
choice, and to improve the quality of teacher education and to provide initial education, early 
career support (induction) and further professional development that is coordinated, coherent, 
adequately  resourced  and  quality  assured.  Teachers  should  have  sufficient  incentives 
throughout their careers to review their learning needs and to acquire new knowledge, skills 
and competence, including in languages.  

The school consultation responses highlight the need to improve the balance between 
4.3 
theory and practice in initial teacher education, and to present teaching as a problem-solving 
or  research-in-action  activity  linked  more  to  children’s  learning  and  progress.  Staff  should 
have time for  training  and professional  development and this should be accredited. In some 
countries, teachers’ working conditions, including remuneration, were cited as key issues. 

4.4 
Recent  research  shows  that  the  best-performing  education  systems  attract  the  most 
able people into the teaching profession; use effective processes to select the right applicants 
to  become  teachers  and  to  tackle  poor  performance;  adopt  a  career-long  and  practical 
approach to teacher education; and create school environments in which teachers learn from 
each other. 

School Leadership 

Schools  are  increasingly  complex  and  autonomous  organisations.  Their  effective 
4.5 
leadership requires diverse skills. The trend is for more collaborative management styles and 
distributed  leadership,  linked  more  strongly  with  school  governance.  This  requires  more 
teachers  and  trainers  who  have  been  able  to  develop  their  leadership  qualities30.  Leadership 
posts are increasingly onerous; many Member States experience difficulties recruiting school 
principals.  

29 
30 

Ibid 
Cluster ‘Teachers and Trainers’: Main policy conclusions 2005 – 2007 

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4.6 
Recent evidence suggests that school leadership should re- focus on tasks that are most 
effective in improving student learning, that distributing school leadership tasks can improve 
school  effectiveness,  that  those  involved  in  leadership  require  adequate  training  and 
preparation throughout their careers, and that school leader recruitment and retention should 
be professionalised31.  

To support Member States in implementing the Council Conclusions on improving the 
quality of teacher education, the Commission proposes to focus future cooperation on: 

•  ensuring  that  teachers’  initial  education,  induction  and  ongoing  professional 
development  are  coordinated,  coherent,  adequately  resourced  and  quality  assured; 
and improving the supply, quality and take-up of in-service teacher education; 

•  reviewing  teacher  recruitment  to  attract  the  most  able  candidates,  select  the  best 

applicants, and place good teachers in challenging schools; and 

•  improving  the  recruitment  of  school  leaders  and  equipping  them  to  focus  on 

improving student learning and developing school staff. 

5 

CONCLUSION 

5.1 
This  Communication  has  identified  areas  where  change,  sometimes  radical,  will  be 
needed if Europe’s schools are to equip young people fully for life in this century. There is an 
impressive range of innovation and excellent policy practice in EU systems, but too often still 
locked behind national borders. Member States should cooperate to capitalise better on it.  

The Commission accordingly proposes an agenda for cooperation about the issues set 
5.2 
out  in  the  three  summary  boxes  above,  with  a  particular  focus  on  how  to  improve 
performance  on  issues  highlighted  by  the  European  Council,  such  as  improving  literacy, 
extending access to pre-school provision, and strengthening teacher education. Exchanges on 
this  cooperation  agenda  should  be  undertaken  through  the  Open  Method  of  Coordination  in 
education  and  training  and  supported  by  the  Lifelong  Learning  Programme,  while  key 
challenges should be highlighted in Member States’ Lisbon National Reform Programmes. 

31 

Improving School Leadership, OECD 2008 

EN 

12 

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