COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Tackling early school leaving: A key contribution to the Europe 2020 Agenda
Date: 2011-01-31
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU financing, dropout, education policy, report

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 31.1.2011 
COM(2011) 18 final 

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

Tackling early school leaving: A key contribution to the Europe 2020 Agenda 

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

Tackling early school leaving: A key contribution to the Europe 2020 Agenda 

Early  school  leaving1  is  a  complex  phenomenon  and  reducing  it  requires  strong  political 
commitment. This Communication analyzes the impact of early school leaving on individuals, 
society  and  economies,  outlines  its  causes,  and  gives  an  overview  on  the  existing  and 
forthcoming  EU-level  measures  to  tackle  it.  It  is  accompanied  by  a  proposal  for  a  Council 
Recommendation  and  by  a  Staff  Working  Document  that  present  a  framework  for 
comprehensive  policy  approaches  which  Member  States  can  use  for  effective  policies  in 
reducing early school leaving, and detailed examples of actual policy measures. 

1. 

EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING HINDERS SMART, SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE GROWTH  

Europe's future depends largely on its young people. Through its Europe 2020 strategy, the 
European Union aims to support young people better and to enable them to fully develop their 
talents  to  their  own  as  well  as  to  their  economy's  and  society's  benefit.  One  of  the  headline 
targets agreed by the European Council is to reduce the share of early school leavers to less 
than  10%  and  to  ensure  that  at  least  40%  of  the  younger  generation  have  a  tertiary 
qualification  or  equivalent2.  Improving  the  educational  achievement  of  young  people 
addresses  both  the  aims  for  'smart  growth'  by  improving  skills  levels  and  for  'inclusive 
growth' by tackling one of the major risk factors for unemployment and poverty. 

'Youth  on  the  Move'3,  one  of  the  Europe  2020  flagship  initiatives,  emphasises  the  need  to 
improve quality and equity in education and training, to provide more young people with the 
skills to become lifelong learners and the chance to experience learning mobility. Drastically 
reducing the numbers of young people leaving school early is a key investment not only in the 
prospects  of  each  and  every  one  of  its  young  people  but  also  in  the  future  prosperity  and 
social cohesion of the EU in general. 

Reducing  early  school  leaving  is  also  a  gateway  to  reaching  other  Europe  2020  targets.  By 
impacting  directly  on  the  employability  of  young  people,  it  contributes  to  increasing 
integration  into  the  labour  market  and  so  to  the  achievement  of  the  headline  target  of  75%  
employment  rate  for  women  and  men  aged  20  to  64.  At  the  same  time,  it  is  a  significant 
contribution  to  breaking  the  cycle  of  deprivation  which  leads  to  the  social  exclusion  of  so 
many young people. It is therefore a key measure in reaching the target of lifting at least 20 
million people out of the risk of poverty4. 

In 2009 more than six million young people, 14.4% of all 18 to 24 year olds, left education 
and  training  with  only  lower  secondary  education  or  less.  Even  more  worrying,  17.4%  of 

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3 
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The term 'Early School Leaving' includes all forms of leaving education and training before completing 
upper secondary education or equivalents in vocational education and training. 
COM(2010) 2020. 
COM(2010) 477. 
Conclusions of the European Council, 25/26 March 2010. 

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them  completed  only  primary  education5.  Early  school 
leaving  represents  missed 
opportunities for young people and a loss of social and economic potential for the European 
Union as a whole. 

At  individual  level  the  consequences  of  early  school  leaving  affect  people  throughout  their 
lives, and reduce their chance to participate in the social, cultural and economic dimensions of 
society.  It  increases  their  individual  risk  of  unemployment,  poverty  and  social  exclusion.  It 
affects their lifetime earnings, their wellbeing and their own health and that of their children. 
And it reduces their children’s chances of succeeding at school. 

Youth  unemployment  is  running  currently  at  20.0%6  and  early  school  leaving  contributes 
directly to it. Employability depends strongly on the level of qualification achieved. In 2009, 
52% of early school leavers in the EU were unemployed or outside the labour market7. Even 
when they are in work, they earn less, tend to be in more precarious jobs, and are more often 
dependent on social assistance. They participate less in lifelong learning and thus re-training. 
Their educational disadvantage can create a growing handicap for them.  

At the level of economy and society at large, high early school leaving rates have long-term 
effects  on  the  societal  developments  and  on  economic  growth.  Early  leavers  tend  to 
participate  less  in  democratic  processes  and  are  less  active  citizens8.  Innovation  and  growth 
rely  on  a  skilled  labour  force,  not  only  for  high-technology  sectors  but  throughout  the 
economy. The Europe 2020 flagship initiative 'An agenda for new skills and jobs' stresses the 
need  to  empower  people  by  developing  their  skills  throughout  life  and  to  increase  labour 
market  participation.  To  reduce  the  average  European  early  school  leaving  rate  by  just 
1 percentage  point  would  provide  the  European  economy  each  year  with  nearly  half  a 
million additional qualified potential young employees.  

Since  2000  the  average  European  early  school  leaving  rate  has  declined  by  3.2  percentage 
points, but progress has been insufficient to reach the 10% target by 2010 as initially agreed 
within the Council. In addition, the average masks large differences between Member States. 
Seven  Member  States  have  already  achieved  the  10%  benchmark,  while  three  have  rates 
higher than 30%. Looking at the relative performance of Member States, there are reasons for 
optimism. All but three have reduced their rates of early school leaving since 2000, some very 
significantly. 

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Eurostat, Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2010.  
Eurostat, Communiqué de Presse 162/2010, 29 October 2010. 
Eurostat, LFS 2010. 
NESSE (2009), p. 31. See also Shell "Jugendstudie 2010" (2010).  

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Chart  1:  Percentage  of  the  population  aged  18-24  with  at  most  lower  secondary 
education and not in education or training (2009) and evolution 2000-20099 

2009 rates 

Benchmark 2010 + 2020 

4.9

5.3

5.3

5.4

7.7

8.7

8.7

9.9

10.6

10.7

10.9

11.1

11.1

11.2

11.3

11.7

12.3

13.9

13.9

14.4

14.5

14.7

15.7

16.6

19.2

Evolution 2000-2009  
(% relative change) 

-54.2

-47.3

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

-26.9

-28.4

-17.2

-5.3

-14.7

-9.4

-29.2

-19.6

-24.0

-19.4

-22.6

-36.8

-7.5

-7.9

-17.8

-18.2

-20.3

-28.3

-27.5

-23.5

-13.7

-28.4

-32.1

10.0

46.6

7.2

31.2

31.2

36.8

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

-60

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

2. 

EARLY  SCHOOL  LEAVING  IS  CAUSED  BY  A  MIX  OF  INDIVIDUAL,  EDUCATIONAL  AND 
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS 

The  reasons  why  young  people  leave  education  and  training  prematurely  are  highly 
individual. Nevertheless it is possible to identify some recurring characteristics. Early school 
leaving is strongly linked to social disadvantage and low education backgrounds. Children of 
parents with low levels of education and from socially disadvantaged backgrounds are more 
likely  to  leave  education  and  training  before  completing  upper  secondary  education  levels 
than other young people.  

Some groups in society are especially affected by early school leaving, particularly those from 
poorer socio-economic backgrounds and vulnerable groups, such as youth from a public care 
background  and  persons  with  physical  and  mental  disabilities  or  other  special  educational 
needs (SEN)10. As young people with a migrant origin are often concentrated in lower socio-
economic  groups,  their  average  rate  of  early  school  leaving  is  double  that  of  native  youth 
(26.4%  vs.  13.1%  in  2009).  The  rate  is  even  higher  for  Roma  populations,  who  tend  to  be 
among  the  most  socially  excluded  members  of  society11.  Such  groups  tend  to  suffer  from 
weaker  family  support  from  their  families,  face  discrimination  within  the  education  system 
and  have  more  limited  access  to  non-formal  and  in-formal  learning  opportunities  outside 
compulsory schooling.  

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Eurostat. LFS 2010.  
"Active inclusion of young people with disabilities or health problems. Background paper", European 
Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 2010. 
Eurostat, LFS 2010. 

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Early school leaving is influenced by educational factors, by individual circumstances and by 
socio-economic conditions. It is a process rather than a one-off event. It often starts already in 
primary education with first experiences of school failure and growing alienation from school. 
Transitions between schools and between different educational levels are particularly difficult 
for pupils at risk of dropping out. Mismatches between education and training curricula and 
labour  market  needs  can  increase  the  risk  of  educational  failure  as  pupils  lack  prospects 
within their chosen educational pathway. Education and training systems often do not provide 
sufficient targeted support for pupils to cope with emotional, social or educational difficulties 
and to remain in education and training. Responding to the different learning styles of pupils 
and helping teachers to address the variable needs of mixed ability groups of students is still a 
challenge  for  schools.  Personalised  and  flexible  learning  arrangements  are  especially 
important  for  those  who  prefer  'learning  by  doing'  and  are  motivated  by  active  forms  of 
learning.  

Early school leaving is also a gender issue which requires more attention. In the EU, 16.3% of 
boys  are  early  school  leavers,  compared  to  12.5%  of  girls12.  During  compulsory  education, 
boys tend to experience more difficulties than girls in adapting to the school environment and 
generally  have  lower  achievement  levels.  They  are  over-represented  among  pupils  with 
disabilities (61%) and are more likely to show emotional and behavioral problems, or specific 
learning difficulties (65%)13. 

Member States experience different challenges with regard to early school leaving. In some, 
early school leaving is a predominantly rural phenomenon, has high incidence in remote areas 
and can be linked to insufficient access to education. In others it mostly affects disadvantaged 
areas in big cities. Some regional and seasonal labour markets (e.g. tourism, construction) can 
attract young people out of school into unskilled jobs with poor prospects. The availability of 
such jobs and the prospect of earning money early, either to improve the economic situation 
of  the  family  or  to  enable  the  young  person  to  become  more  independent,  motivates  many 
young  people  to  leave  education  and  training  prematurely.  Some  countries  experience  high 
levels of early school leaving in certain vocational settings, while others register lower early 
school leaving in, for instance, apprenticeship tracks14.  

All  such  conditions  must  be  taken  into  account  when  supporting  pupils  at  risk  of  dropping 
out.  However,  only  few  Member  States  follow  a  consistent  and  comprehensive  strategy  to 
reduce early school leaving. Many initiatives against early school leaving are not sufficiently 
linked to other policies addressing young people. There is also often a lack of sound analysis 
of the specific problems within a region or target group. 

3. 

EARLY  SCHOOL  LEAVING  CAN  BE  PREVENTED  THROUGH  SYSTEMATIC  EVIDENCE-
BASED POLICIES 

Strategies for combating early school leaving have to take as a starting point an analysis of the 
national,  regional  and  local  specificities  of  the  phenomenon.  Data  should  allow  for  the 
analysis  of  the  main  reasons  behind  early  school  leaving  for  different  groups  of  pupils, 
regions,  localities  or  schools  which  are  especially  affected  by  early  school  leaving.  Strong 

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Eurostat, LFS 2010. 
Data refer to 2008; SEC(2009) 1616, p. 85. 
GHK (2005), "Study on Early School Leavers, Final Report", p. 77, Sally Kendal, Kay Kinder (2005), 
"Reclaiming those disengaged from education and learning – a European Perspective", p. 15. 

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disparities  in  rates  of  early  school  leaving  might  indicate  structural  problems  in  certain 
geographical areas or educational tracks. 

Policy design needs to be based on precise information in order better to target measures; a 
system  to  monitor  developments  in  early  school  leaving  can  help  to  constantly  adapt  them, 
based on information such as individuals’ reasons for leaving education and training early15. 

Individual student numbers 

The UK introduced in 1997 the 'unique pupil number' (UPN) which provides a rich source for 
analysis and helps target school policy more effectively also in fields other than early school 
leaving. Other countries introduced 'individual education numbers', data collections based on 
individual pupil data, or national student registers (e.g. the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy). 
For  the  Netherlands  the  introduction  of  the  'individual  education  number'  and  the  on-line 
monitoring  of  early  school  leaving  are  regarded  as  main  success  factors  in  the  reduction  of 
early school leaving. 

Comprehensive  policies  against  early  school 
intervention and compensation. 

leaving  should  focus  on  prevention, 

Prevention seeks to avoid the conditions from arising where processes leading to early school 
leaving can start: Increasing participation in good quality early childhood education and care 
has  been  identified  as  one  of  the  most  effective  measures  to  give  children  a  good  start  in 
education  and  to  build  their  resilience.  However  access  to  high-quality  early  childhood 
education  and  care  services  needs  to  be  improved.  Other  preventive  measures  address 
questions  such  as  systematic  language  support  for  children  with  a  migrant  background,  an 
active  desegregation  policy  which  improves  the  social,  ethnic  and  cultural  mix  in  schools, 
allows for better peer learning and helps integration, or the targeted support of disadvantaged 
schools.  Additional  potential  obstacles  to  successful  school  careers  can  be  removed  by 
increasing the permeability of educational pathways and increasing the quality and status of 
vocational education pathways. 

Desegregation policies aim to change the social composition of 'disadvantaged' schools and 
to  improve  the  educational  attainment  of  children  from  socially  disadvantaged  and  low-
education backgrounds. Active desegregation programmes in Hungary and Bulgaria improved 
on  regional  level  the  educational  achievement  of  Roma  pupils  by  supporting  schools  which 
integrate  Roma  pupils  and  at  the  same  time  foster  school  quality  by  e.g.  extracurricular 
activities and targeted academic support. 

Positive  discrimination  measures  such  as  zones  of  educational  priority  (Cyprus)  and 
programmes which provide targeted support to school in disadvantaged areas (France, Spain) 
improve  their  educational  offer,  provide  additional  support  to  their  pupils  and  create 
innovative  learning  environments  adapted  to  their  specific  needs.  Positive  discrimination 
measures  are  often  combined  with  active  networking  and  strong  cooperation  of  the  schools 
involved. 

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All  policy  examples  are  taken  from  the  SWD  'Reducing  Early  School  Leaving'  -  SEC(2011)  96.  It 
contains additional information on the policy examples as well as  more detailed information on early 
school leaving, its causes and successful strategies to reduce it. 

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Flexible  educational  pathways  to  combine  general  education,  vocational  training  and  first 
practical  work  experience  target  students  who  might  be  discouraged  by  low  academic 
achievements and want to start working as early as possible. It allows them at the same time 
to continue general education. Several Member States (e.g. Luxembourg, Italy, and Denmark) 
have used this approach to help previously disengaged pupils to get a leaving certificate while 
gaining valuable and motivating experiences in work. 

Intervention addresses emerging difficulties at an early 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 address individual pupils who are at risk of discontinuing their education or 
training.  Whole  school  measures  aim  at  improving  the  school  climate  and  the  creation  of 
supportive learning environments. Early warning systems and better cooperation with parents 
can  be  an  efficient  form  of  help  for  pupils  at  risk.  Also  networking  with  actors  outside  the 
school and access to local support networks tends to be highly efficient in providing relevant 
support.  Student-focused  measures  focus  on  mentoring  and  tutoring,  personalized  learning 
approaches,  improved  guidance  and  financial  support  such  as  education  allowances.  Labour 
market  institutions  should  also  be  more  involved  in  providing  vocational  orientation  for 
young people. 

Schools as 'learning communities' agree on a common vision, basic values and objectives of 
school  development.  It  increases  the  commitment  of  pupils,  teachers,  parents  and  other 
stakeholders  and  supports  school  quality  and  development.  'Learning  communities'  inspire 
both teachers and pupils to seek improvement and take ownership of their learning processes. 
It  creates  favourable  conditions  also  for  reducing  school  drop-out  and  for  helping  pupils  at 
risk of dropping out. 

Networking with actors outside school enables schools to support pupils better and tackle a 
range of problems that put children in difficulty, which can include drug or alcohol use, sleep 
deficits, physical abuse and trauma. Programmes such as the School Completion Programme 
in Ireland favour strongly cross-community and cross-sectoral approaches. Schools are linked 
up with youth agencies, social services, local development agencies, drug task forces, etc. 

Involving  regions  more  strongly  in  the  development  of  measures  against  early  school 
leaving,  giving  them  financial  support  and  setting  incentives  has  proven  to  be  successful  in 
some countries, e.g. the Netherlands. Municipalities, schools and care institutions can decide 
themselves on the measures to be implemented. Via the local governments, schools can also 
call on the services of care institutions, the police and judicial authorities.  

Open  Schools  such  as  the  'scuole  aperte'  in  Naples  (Italy)  aim  to  tackle  disengagement  of 
pupils by running a huge variety of projects in association with local civil society. Activities 
are  organised  outside  school  hours  and  are  open  for  all  children,  including  those  who  have 
already  abandoned  mainstream  education.  They  provide  a  way  to  re-engage  them  and  also 
many children who were at risk of dropping out in learning. 

Compensation measures offer opportunities for education and training for those who dropped 
out.  They  can  take  the  form  of  financial  or  other  types  of support.  They  aim  to  help  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 there 
is evidence that prevention of early school leaving shows better results than compensating the 
negative effects of early school leaving. The experience of failure, a lack of self-confidence in 

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learning and increased social, emotional and educational problems after dropping-out reduce 
the likelihood of achieving a qualification and completing education successfully16. 

Re-entering  mainstream  schooling  requires  often  a  transition  period  between  the  previous 
failed school experience and a more successful new start. Programmes last from at least three 
months up to one year, depending on the expectations and motivation of participants. Due to 
the  complex  multi-faceted  problems  faced  by  the  target  group,  alternative  pedagogical  and 
counselling methods are needed to re-integrate them into education and training. One success 
factor  is  the  provision  of  an  individualised,  supportive  learning  environment  and  a  flexible 
approach tailored to the needs of each young person. Programmes such as 'Project learning for 
young adults' in Slovenia, the transition classes in France or the SAS centres in Belgium give 
an  opportunity  to  young  people  at  risk  to  gradually  regain  confidence,  catch  up  on  missed 
learning and re-enter mainstream education. 

Too often projects and initiatives to reduce early school leaving exist in parallel, with no links 
to other initiatives17. Despite their reported success, their impacts too often remain at the local 
or regional level. Given the urgency of reducing early school leaving, the main requirement is 
to shift from implementing individual measures to introducing a comprehensive policy against 
early  school  leaving.  The  elements  of  such  policies  have  to  be  adapted  to  the  concrete 
situation within the Member States. 

Experiences of Member States, comparative data and analytical research suggest that the key 
issues  for  successful  policies  include  the  cross-sectoral  nature  of  collaboration  and  the 
comprehensiveness  of  the  approach.  Early  school  leaving  is  not  just  a  school  issue  and  its 
causes need to be addressed across a range of social, youth, family, health, local community, 
employment,  as  well  as  education  policies.  Also  extended  educational  concepts  such  as 
cultural education, cooperation with businesses or other outside school actors, and sports can 
play an important role in reducing early school leaving by promoting creativity, new ways of 
thinking, intercultural dialogue, and social cohesion. 

4. 

EU-LEVEL COOPERATION ADDS VALUE IN REDUCING EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING  

As part of the Europe 2020 strategy, Member States have agreed at the highest political level 
to  set  national  targets  on  reducing  early  school  leaving,  taking  into  account  their  starting 
position  and  national  circumstances.  Early  School  Leaving  will  be  addressed  in  the 
framework of their National Reform Programmes (NRP) describing the strategies and actions 
they  will  undertake  to  meet  their  national  targets.  National  targets  on  the  reduction  of  early 
school leaving rates will foster policy development in this area and increase the pressure for 
efficient  and  effective  policies.  Reporting  on  the  national  Europe  2020  targets  through  the 
Annual  Growth  Surveys  will  put  more  weight  on  the  monitoring  of  the  effectiveness  of 
policies, their successes and shortcomings. 

The  existing  strategic  framework  for  cooperation  in  education  and  training,  Education  and 
Training  2020,  its  tools  and  reporting  mechanisms  will  support  the  implementation  of 
effective  and  efficient  policies  against  early  school  leaving.  It  will  provide  a  platform  for 
highlighting Member States’ progress, supported by the availability of solid and comparable 
statistics via Eurostat. 

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17 

NESSE (2009), p. 45. 
Frank Braun: Einleitung, in "Schulabbrüche und Ausbildungslosigkeit", München 2007. 

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To  support  Member  States  better  in  developing  efficient  and  effective  national  policies 
against early school leaving, several measures and tools, offering a comprehensive approach 
to this multifaceted challenge, will be put in place: 

•  The  proposed  Council  Recommendation  on  policies  to  reduce  early  school  leaving, 
accompanied  by  a  Staff  Working  Document  of  the  Commission,  is  designed  to  help 
Member States innovate and develop strategies with a high impact and a good cost-benefit 
ratio. It is proposed that the Recommendation should set a common European framework 
for  effective  and  efficient  policies  against  early  school  leaving  and  that  Member  States 
should  adopt  comprehensive  national  strategies  against  early  school  leaving  by  2012,  in 
line with their national targets.  

•  The forthcoming Commission Communication on early childhood education and care, 
to be adopted in 2011, will underline that early childhood education and care systems can 
help  to  establish  the  basis  for  lifelong  learning,  as  the  most  powerful  way  to  combat 
disadvantage  through  education,  and  so  effectively  prevent  much  school  drop-out.  The 
Communication  will  set  out  key  issues  for  reinforcing  quality  and  access  in  early 
childhood education and care. 

•  The Commission will present in 2011 a Communication on a New European Agenda on 
Integration  to  support  Member  States'  integration  policies.  To  support  the  educational 
attainment of students with migrant background, the need to address early school leaving 
should also be taken into account in this context.  

•  Vocational education and training has the potential to be an important vehicle to prevent 
young people from leaving education early. Following the Commission Communication ‘A 
new  impetus  for  the  European  cooperation  in  Vocational  Education  and  Training  to 
support  the  Europe  2020  strategy’18,  Education  Ministers  agreed  an  ambitious  VET 
modernisation agenda, including specific action to reduce drop-out from VET. 

•  A  benchmark  to  measure  the  employability  of  young  people  will  be  proposed  by  the 
Commission in early 2011. Increasing their employability is crucial for improving young 
people’s prospects for employment and for their future careers, and so for engaging them 
fully  in  education  and  training.  The  benchmark  will  offer  better  opportunities  to  monitor 
the  situation  and  support  the  exchange  of  good  practices  and  experiences  of  Member 
States.  

•  In  order  to  target  policy  developments  most  effectively  and  to  accelerate  the  process  of 
mutual  learning,  a  European  level  group  of  decision-makers,  representing  different 
Member States, will accompany the implementation of the Council Recommendation and 
support  the  Commission  and  Council  in  monitoring  the  developments  in  Member  States 
and at European level. It will help in identifying effective policies and practices to tackle 
shared challenges across the Member States, support the exchange of experience and help 
to formulate better targeted policy recommendations. 

•  In addition ministerial and high level official discussions will continue, as well as high-
profile  events  such  as  Commission  or  Presidency  conferences.  They  will  provide 
important  input  into  the  ongoing  discussions  and  improve  the  uptake  of  effective  new 

18 

COM (2010) 296. 

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policy approaches and measures. They will highlight both good practices in Member States 
and increase the understanding of differences in national performance against targets and 
thus support Member States in their efforts. 

•  The  Lifelong  Learning  Programme  as  well  as  the  research  and  innovation  related 
programmes  will  be  more  intensively  used  to  support  experimentation  and  innovative 
approaches to reduce early school leaving. It allows for exchange of experiences and good 
practice on the level of education and training institutions and promotes the development 
of  effective  and  efficient  support  measures  for  pupils  at  risk  of  dropping  out.  Funding 
priorities  for  2011  include  reducing  early  school  leaving,  improving  the  learning  of 
students  with  a  migrant  background  and  promoting  gender  equality  and  inclusive 
approaches to learning.  

•  The European Structural Funds, especially the European Social Fund and the European 
Regional  Development  Fund,  are  very  important  sources  for  financing  national  and 
regional  measures  to  reduce  early  school  leaving.  The  common  European  policy 
framework  contained  in  the  Council  Recommendation  will  add  focus  and  rigour  to 
investments under the European Structural Funds and so strengthen their cost-effectiveness 
in combating early school leaving.  

•   

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