COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS School development and excellent teaching for a great start in life
Date: 2017-05-30
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
Subjects: access to education, cooperation in the field of education, educational administration, educational reform, educational system, pre-school education, teacher training, teaching, teaching quality, youth policy

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 30.5.2017  COM(2017) 248 final   COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS School development and excellent teaching for a great start in life {SWD(2017) 165 final}  
 
 
1.  Introduction 

Investing  in  people,  and  young  people  in  particular,  is  a  top  priority  for  Europe.  In 
December  2016,  the  European  Commission  presented  initiatives  on  'Investing  in  Europe's 
Youth',1  emphasising  the  importance  of  opening  up  new  opportunities  for  young  people.  A 
key message is that the quality of education is decisive for young peoples' prospects and life 
chances. This initiative builds on the 'New Skills Agenda for Europe'.2 Education also plays a 
critical role in the European Pillar of Social Rights.3 This Communication is part of a package 
of  initiatives  addressing  schools,  higher  education  and  graduate  tracking.  It  responds  to  the 
European  Council  Conclusions  of  December  2016.4  It  is  supportive  of  UN  Sustainable 
Development Goal no 4 on education.5 

High-quality  education  for  all  will  help  Europe  achieve  its  economic  and  social 
objectives. Good education underpins inclusive and resilient societies. It is the starting point 
for  a  successful  professional  career  and  the  best  protection  against  unemployment  and 
poverty.  It  fosters  personal  development  and  lays  the  basis  for  active  citizenship.  Good 
education fuels R&D, innovation, and competitiveness. However, for societies to reap these 
benefits, high-quality education needs to be a reality for all.  

Schools  play  a  pivotal  role  in  life-long  learning,  and  therefore  action  is  needed  to 
improve the quality and performance of school education.6 The current situation in Europe 
shows  that  there  is  no  room  for  complacency.  Across  the  European  Union,  there  is  a  rich 
diversity of schools and education systems. At the same time, virtually all Member States are 
facing several key challenges:  

  There are weaknesses in competence development at school education level. The 
latest  results  of  the  OECD  PISA  survey  show  that  one  in  five  pupils  have  serious 
difficulties  in  developing  sufficient  reading,  mathematics  and  science  skills.  As  a 
result,  these  young  people  are  more  likely  to  face  important,  lifelong  obstacles  to 
social  inclusion  and  employability.  At  the  same  time  the  share  of  pupils  achieving 
very  good  results  in  Europe  is  relatively low:  even  the  best-performing  EU  Member 
States  are  outperformed  by  advanced  Asian  countries.7  Many  young  people  lack 
appropriate digital  skills.8  Another  key  issue  is  lack  of  formal  qualifications;  despite 
the  fact  that  many  Member  States  have  made  good  progress  in  bringing  down  the 
share of early school-leavers to the Europe 2020 headline target of 10%, still too many 
young people leave school prematurely.  

1 COM(2016) 940, 941 
2 COM(2016) 381 
3 COM(2017) 250 
4 Conclusions adopted by the European Council on 15 December 2016. 
5 http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/education/ 
6 The challenges set out in this Communication apply to general education as well as to school-based vocational 
education. 
7  European  Commission  (2016),  PISA  2015:  EU  performance  and  initial  conclusions  regarding  education 
policies  in  Europe.  The  share  of  low  achievers  went  up  between  2012  and  2015  in  science  from  16.6  %  to 
20.6 % and in reading from 17.8 % to 19.7 %; in mathematics it stagnated at around 22 %. The proportion of top 
performers in science is 24% in Singapore and 15% in Japan. No EU Member State matches this performance. 
8 European Commission (2015) Being young in Europe today - digital world 

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  School education does not always play in full its role to promote equity and social 
fairness.  PISA  data9  reveal  that  gender  gaps  in  mathematics  and  science  are 
narrowing,  however  gender  stereotypes  still  lead  to  differences  in  engagement  in 
science and ICT and need more attention. Moreover, data demonstrate that educational 
achievements greatly depend on the pupil's socio-economic background. On average, 
more than a third of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the EU show 
low levels of educational achievement. This is four times more than their peers with 
more  advantaged  backgrounds.  Other  specific  challenges  for  pupils  with  a  migrant 
background and Roma amplify this. These gaps add to societal inequality10 instead of 
curbing it. Access to high quality education and training is key to a more resilient and 
equal  society.  The  examples  of  Estonia  and  Finland  show  that  school  education 
systems can deliver high levels of both achievement and equity at the same time. 
  The pace of technological and digital change is having a profound effect on our 
economies and societies - schools need to respond better to this new reality. Many 
of  today's  school  children  will  later  work  in  job  types  that  do  not  yet  exist.  Already 
90 %  of  all  current  jobs  require  at  least  some  level  of  digital  skills.11  It  is  no  longer 
sufficient to equip young people with a fixed set of skills or knowledge; they need to 
develop  the  resilience  and  ability  to  adapt  to  change.  The  'Reflection  Paper  on 
Harnessing Globalisation' also recognises that new ways of learning are needed for a 
society  which  is  becoming  increasingly  mobile  and  digital.  As  emphasised  in  the 
'Reflection  Paper  on  the  Social  Dimension  of  Europe',  education systems  need  to  be 
modernised  to  promote  creativity  and  critical  thinking,  and  an  entrepreneurial  mind-
set.12 

Addressing  these  challenges  requires  reforms.  This  is  a  task  for  Member  States,  as  the 
design of education systems is in their hands and solutions will vary depending on national, 
regional and local specificities. In keeping with subsidiarity, the EU can play a useful role in 
supporting Member States in their reform efforts. Cooperation at EU-level supports Member 
States  with  data  analysis,  evidence  sharing,  identifying  good  practices,  and  offering 
opportunities  for  exchanging  experiences  and  mutual  learning.  This  type  of  voluntary 
cooperation offers added-value to Member States in taking informed decisions.  

There are three areas where action is needed and where European level support can help 
address the above challenges:  

1.  Developing better and more inclusive schools;  
2.  Supporting teachers and school leaders for excellent teaching and learning; and,  
3.  Governance of school education systems: becoming more effective, equitable and 

efficient.  

For each of these areas, this Communication sets out EU action to assist Member States 
in addressing these challenges. The European Semester is a key driver for reform, namely 
through  the  education  related  country  specific  recommendations.  The  EU  can  help  those 
Member States who want support for their reform efforts. In addition, the EU offers financial 

9 OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 survey. 
10 European Commission (2016), Education and Training Monitor 2016. 
11 European Digital Progress Report (EDPR) 2017, SWD (2017) 160. 
12 COM(2017) 240, COM(2017) 206. 

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and technical support to Member States, notably through Erasmus+, the European Structural 
and Investment Funds, and the Structural Reforms Support Service. 

Diversity  is  a  hallmark  of  European  school education  systems, and  there  is  no one-size-
fits-all  solution.  At  the  same  time,  Member  States  have  a  shared  interest  in  improved 
educational outcomes. To make high quality education for all a reality, all available tools, at 
national  and  EU  levels,  should  be  fully  exploited.  The  Commission  stands  ready  to  work 
closely with Member States.  

2. Developing better and more inclusive schools 

To complement actions taken by Member States, the Commission will: 

  Increase cooperation between schools by making school partnerships and pupil mobility 
under  Erasmus+  more  accessible  and  enrich  digital  and  intercultural  learning  by 
promoting participation in eTwinning; 

  Develop  a  self-assessment  tool  on  digital  capacity  so  that  schools  in  the  EU  can,  on  a 
voluntary  basis,  self-evaluate  where  they  stand  in  relation  to  common  criteria  and  are 
supported in developing and improving their effective  use of technologies  for digital  age 
learning.13 Using the tool, schools can chose to report on their progress in the availability, 
use,  competences  and  attitudes  to  Information  and  Communication  Technologies, 
building a database across all participating Member States.  

  Support  improvements  in  school  level  education  in  science,  technologies,  engineering 
and  maths  (STEM)  by  promoting  best  practice  in  developing  links  and  cooperation  of 
higher education, research, businesses with schools at EU level and effectively addressing 
gender gaps and stereotypes in STEM, using Erasmus+ 

  Promote and support policy experimentation on developing multilingual pedagogies and 

teaching in diverse classrooms as part of the 2018 Erasmus+ work programme. 

  Follow-up  the  observations  of  the  United  Nations'  Committee  on  the  Rights  of  Persons 
with  Disabilities  by  supporting  cooperation  between  the  European  Agency  for  Special 
Needs and Inclusive Education and Member States, at their request, in implementing the 
education provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. 

  Further  support  Member  States  in  providing  sufficient  high  quality  early  childhood 
education  and  care  and  step  up  efforts  to  help  them  learn  from  each  other  and  identify 
what works best. 

13 https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/digcomporg/selfie-tool 

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2.1 

Supporting all learners and their competence development 

All  young  people  must  have  the  chance  to  develop  the  full  range  of  key  competences. 
These include literacy, foreign languages, mathematics, science, digital and coding skills and 
civic  and  social  competences,  but  also  entrepreneurship  competences  and  transversal  skills 
such  as  creativity  and  critical  thinking.  Despite  their  importance,  not  all  young  people  fully 
develop  these  competences.  The  2006  European  Framework  on  Key  Competences  for 
Lifelong Learning 14 supports the acquisition of these competences. Its review, announced in 
the 'New Skills Agenda', will help to further strengthen competence development in education 
and training. For schools, this also requires a change in the way learning happens. 

Linking learning with real life experience yields better results. Project- and problem-based 
learning,  on-the-job  experiences  or  community  service  learning  increase  young  people's  
motivation,  put  subject  content  into  context,  and  offer  opportunities  for  the  development  of 
social,  civic,  and  entrepreneurship  competences.15  Science,  technologies,  engineering  and 
mathematics  (STEM)  education  is  more  effective  when  linked  to  economic,  environmental 
and social challenges or to arts and design, demonstrating its relevance for daily life.16  

Digital  technologies  can  enhance  learning  and  support  innovation  in  schools.  Used 
properly,  digital  technologies  can  enrich  learning  experiences  and  support  development 
beyond  digital  competence.  Yet  currently  only  a  quarter  of  European  school  children  are 
taught by digitally confident teachers.17 Digital technologies can support communication and 
cooperation in and between schools and enhance the participation of pupils and their families 
in school life.  

Schools need to support all learners and respond to their specific needs. Schools that pay 
attention to the varying needs of different pupils achieve better results. This has also a gender 
dimension.  Schools  that  embrace  linguistic  and  cultural  diversity  across  their  school 
population  and  support  integration  have  a  positive  effect  on  all  children's  ability  to  learn.18 
However, this is not always the current practice. Some EU Member States face difficulties in 
providing pupils with disabilities access to inclusive, quality education.19 In some cities and 
regions,  a  significant  share  of  school  pupils  does  not  speak  the  language  of  instruction  at 
home.  Especially  newly  arrived  migrant  children  need  targeted  language  programmes  to 
better integrate into school. 20 In a number of countries, Roma and other ethnic minorities lack 
access to high quality education.  

14 2006/962/EC 
15 European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice (2016) Entrepreneurship Education at School. See also the 
entrepreneurship competence framework: https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/entrecomp 
16 European Commission (2015) Science Education for Responsible Citizenship 
17 European Commission (2013) Survey of Schools: ICT in Education Benchmarking Access, Use and Attitudes 
to Technology in Europe's schools 
18 European Commission (2015) Language teaching and learning in multilingual classrooms. The Commission 
foresees support in the work programme 2018-2020 of Horizon 2020 to research projects on the inclusion of 
migrant children within EU education systems (adoption target is October 2017). 
19 United Nations, Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2015): Concluding observations on the 
initial report of the European Union, CRPD/C/EU/CO/1 of 2 October 2015. 
20 In its Action Plan on the integration of third-country nationals, the European Commission proposed a number 
of supportive measures in education and training for migrant children. COM(2016) 377 final.  

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2.2.  Enhancing learning by opening up to new forms of cooperation 

Cooperation  helps  schools  to  enrich  learning  experiences  and  outcomes  and  better 
support young people in developing the competences they need. This includes cooperation 
with  local  services,  community  organisations,  businesses  and  universities,  but  also 
cooperation within schools. Young people at risk of dropping out of education benefit from 
close cooperation with social services or youth workers. Early interaction with career guides, 
entrepreneurs  and  academics  helps  young  people  to  prepare  for  future  employment  and 
further  studies.21  In  subject  areas  such  as  science  or  sport,  students  benefit  when  other 
education providers, business and civil society collaborate with their schools.22 However, not 
all schools have sufficient external support or support the necessary cooperation among their 
own teachers, non-teaching staff, pupils and parents.23  

Bullying,  cyberbullying,  and  violence  undermines  a  child's  well-being  and  success  at 
school.24 Physical and mental well-being are preconditions for successful learning. Evidence 
shows  that  strategies  involving  teachers  and  parents  are  the  most  effective  in  tackling  all 
forms  of  bullying.25  In  order  to  curb  bullying  and  violence,  children  need  to  learn  about 
tolerance  and  diversity.  The  same  applies  to  online  safety  and  the  responsible  use  of  social 
media  

Applying  a  whole  school  approach  improves  learning  outcomes,  inclusiveness  and 
equity.26  With  this  approach,  the  whole  school  together  with  external  stakeholders  and  the 
local  community engage  to  improve  school  quality.  The  online  platforms  'European  Toolkit 
for Schools' and the 'School Education Gateway' support this approach, and are available on a 
voluntary  basis  to  all  European  schools,  supporting  peer  exchange  and  helping  to  improve 
methods  of  organisation,  teaching  practices  and  learning  experiences.27  The  Erasmus+ 
programme  supports  European  school  partnerships,  helping  schools  to  broaden  connections 
and enabling cross-border peer exchange. 28 

eTwinning29 is the largest community for schools in Europe. More than 460 000 teachers and 
4 in 10 schools in Europe have already participated. Offering a safe online environment for 
cross-border  education  projects,  eTwinning  provides  schools  with  easily  accessible  tools  to 
enhance  their  digital  learning  offer  and  to  support  intercultural  and  cross-border  contacts 
between teachers and pupils. Mainstreaming its use in all schools in Europe can help to boost 
digital competences and open up classrooms. 

21 INCLUDE-ED http://creaub.info/included; European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network, www.elgpn.eu 
22 European Commission (2015): Science Education for Responsible Citizenship 
23 RESL.eu – Reducing early school leaving in Europe, www.uantwerpen.be/en/projects/resl-eu/ 
24 OECD (2017), PISA 2015 (Volume III) 
25 Ttofi, M.M., Farrington, D.P. (2011): Effectiveness of school-based programs to reduce bullying: a systematic 
and meta-analytic review, Journal of Experimental Criminology, Vol. 7, N. 1, 27-56. 
26 European Commission (2015): A whole school approach to tackling early school leaving. 
27 http://www.schooleducationgateway.eu/en/pub/resources/toolkitsforschools.htm 
28 To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Erasmus Programme, the action 'Move2Learn, Learn2Move' offers in 
2017 young people active in eTwinning projects an opportunity to travel and meet their peers as part of their 
learning experience. The Commission will assess the 2017 initiative and may, without any detrimental effect on 
the Erasmus+ budget and using input from this assessment, consider a similar initiative in the future. 
29 www.etwinning.net 

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 2.3 

Improving access to and quality of early childhood education and care 

High quality early childhood education and care lays the foundation of an effective and 
equitable  education  system.  It  prepares  children  for  primary  education,  boosts  academic 
performance  at  all  future  levels,  and  has  a  particularly  positive  impact  for  children  from 
disadvantaged and migrant backgrounds. PISA shows that 15 year olds who had not attended 
pre-primary education have a three times greater risk of being low performers than those who 
had  attended  it  for  more  than  one  year.30  Investing  in  early  childhood  education  and  care 
reduces the need for higher levels of spending at later stages of education, when the costs for 
closing the gaps between high and low performance of learners are higher.31  

Supply  and  access  to  high  quality  early  childhood  education  and  care  is  a  challenge. 
Participation in early childhood education and care has increased,32 but remains problematic 
for  children  under  the  age  of  three  and  especially  for  disadvantaged  children.  Participation, 
affordability  and  quality  are  unevenly  distributed  within  and  between  countries.  In  25 
Member  States  the  demand  for  childcare  exceeds  the  supply;  deficits  in  quality  are  often 
linked  to  inadequate  qualification  of  staff  and  limited  opportunities  for  professional 
development.33 Member States' experts and the European Commission have jointly identified 
quality principles and five key areas for action: access, workforce, curriculum, evaluation and 
monitoring, governance and funding.34  

Implementation  of  these  guidelines  would  contribute  significantly  to  young  children's 
educational  outcomes,  giving  all  children,  including  those  from  vulnerable  backgrounds,  a 
head-start for success at school.  

3. Supporting teachers and school leaders for excellent teaching and learning 

To complement actions taken by Member States, the Commission will: 

  Offer  policy  guidance  on  the  careers  and  professional  development  of  teachers  and 
school leaders by reinforcing peer learning under Education and Training 2020 through a 
series  of  expert  seminars  and  linking  it  to  the  European  sectoral  social  dialogue  in 
education; 

  Simplify  access  and  promote  opportunities  for  future  teachers  to  gain  practical 

teaching experience abroad with the support of Erasmus+; 

  Develop  online  communities  and  resources  for  school  professionals,  including  new 
eTwinning opportunities for student teachers, online networks for early career teachers and 
their  mentors,  online  courses  (including  MOOCs),  exchange  of  best  practice  among 
providers  of  Initial  Teacher  Education  and  a  Digital  Competence  Framework  to  support 
teachers' self-assessment and development; 

30 OECD (2016), Low-performing students: why they fall behind and how to help them succeed. 
31  Cunha,  F.  et  al.  (2006),  Interpreting  the  Evidence  on  Life  Cycle  Skill  Formation,  in  Handbook  of  the 
Economics of Education, Vol. 1, Amsterdam, North-Holland.  
32 Within Education and Training 2020, the Council set an EU benchmark requiring that at least 95 % of children 
from the age of 4 to compulsory school age participate in ECEC. In 2014, the EU-wide participation rate was 
94.3%. 
33 Eurydice (2014) Policy Brief Early Childhood Education and Care 
34  European  Commission  (2014),  Proposal  for  key  principles  of  a  Quality  Framework  for  Early  Childhood 
Education and Care. Report of the Working Group on Early Childhood Education and Care. 

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  Further develop synergies with the OECD to produce joint comparative data on school 
staff, including through more efficient, joint data collection by Eurydice35 and the OECD 
on teachers and school leaders. 

3.1. Making teaching careers more attractive 

High quality, motivated and valued teachers are at the heart of excellent education. But 
a decline in the prestige of the profession and staff shortages are challenges in many Member 
States,  holding back  the quality of school education.36 Most Member States  aim to  attract a 
wider range of suitable candidates to careers in teaching, and to motivate and support them to 
excel in this demanding profession.  

Improving selection and recruitment can help  identify those most suitable for teaching 
and  bring  a  broader  range  of  experiences  into  the  profession.  Some  countries  are 
evaluating  applicants  on  a  broader  range  of  aptitudes  and  attitudes  in  addition  to  their 
academic merits.37 Where relevant for Member States, this can go hand in hand with efforts to 
address  the  significant  gender  imbalance  in  teaching  and  to  attract  new  teachers  from  other 
professions and underrepresented groups.  

Pay, contractual status and clear career prospects are important for the attractiveness of 
the  profession.  In  some  Member  States,  teaching  loses  out  to  other  professions  in  the 
competition for the best. Teachers often earn  significantly less than the average for tertiary-
educated  workers:  salaries  range  from  74  %  in  pre-primary  education  to  92  %  at  upper 
secondary level.38 Countries with very low salary levels or poor job security struggle to attract 
newcomers and to fill vacant positions with the most qualified candidates. Teachers are also 
concerned  about  the  quality  of  their  preparation  and  induction  and  better  career 
opportunities.39  Clearly  defined  competence  levels  and  career  structures  enhance  teachers' 
appreciation of career prospects.  

3.2. Teaching: a profession of career-long learners working together 

The  quality  of  teacher  education  requires  more  attention.  Initial  Teacher  Education  is 
most  effective  when  pedagogical  theory  is  combined  with  both  subject  knowledge  and 
sufficient  classroom  practice.40  Student  teachers  need  to  be  prepared  for  collaborative  work 
and career-long professional development, for dealing with diversity in the classrooms and for 
using  digital  technologies  with  confidence.  In  a  number  of  Member  States,  participation  in 
Continuing  Professional  Development  (CPD)  is  low  or  poorly  focussed.  CPD  needs  to  be 
accessible, affordable and relevant. Involving schools and teachers in identifying themes and 
areas of need can help to improve its quality.41  

Teachers need special support during the early stages of their careers. When entering the 
profession, many teachers find real school environments challenging and some drop out of the 
profession.  Currently  only  6  out  of  10  novice  teachers  receive  genuine  induction  to  school 

35 http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/index_en.php 
36 European Commission (2013), Study on Policy Measures to improve the Attractiveness of the Teaching 
Profession in Europe 
37 European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice (2013), Key Data on Teachers and School Leaders 
38 OECD (2016), Education at a Glance 2016: OECD indicators. Data for 22 EU Member States.  
39  European Commission (2013), ibid 
40 OECD (2014), TALIS 2013 Results: An International Perspective on Teaching and Learning. 
41 The Teaching Profession in Europe (2015)  

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practice42  and  induction  schemes  that  combine  professional,  social  and  personal  support, 
including mentoring, help novice teachers develop competences and resilience. This enhances 
the quality of teaching and reduces costly exit from the profession.43 

High-performing  teachers  collaborate.  Teaching  as  a  team,  observation  of  other  teachers, 
and  wider  professional  learning  communities  are  gaining  ground  as  powerful  forms  of  peer 
collaboration,  but  are  not  yet  the  norm  across  Europe.44  To  improve  pupils'  learning 
experience,  teachers  need  to  be  able  and  willing  to  work  and  learn  in  teams  –  with  other 
teachers, in multi-professional school teams and with external partners. 

Collaborative  environments  and  digital  technologies  can  enhance  teacher  learning. 
Traditional  workshops  and  training  courses  away  from  school  still  prevail.  Educational 
innovations such as collaborative peer networks, massive open online courses (MOOCs), and 
the sharing of open educational resources can complement these methods and help overcome 
barriers to participation.45  

Through Erasmus+, the EU supports the professional development of school staff. Grants are 
available for student teachers, teachers and school leaders who wish to participate in training 
courses,  school  placements  or  job  shadowing  activities  in  another  country.  Through 
eTwinning, the EU encourages voluntary collaboration and peer learning among teachers in 
online courses and joint training events. 

3.3. Supporting school leadership  

Effective school leadership impacts  positively on student achievement, teaching quality 
and  staff  motivation.  Research  shows  that  leadership  based  on  a  vision  shared  by  staff, 
parents and local community is crucial in school development and innovation.46 However, in 
some  Member  States,  school  leadership  positions  are  considered  unattractive.47  Leading  a 
school  typically  comes  with  a  demanding  mix  of  tasks  linked  to  both  management  and 
instruction. School leaders often do not receive the preparation or ongoing support they need 
for these different tasks.  

Increased  school  autonomy  has  led  to  more  responsibility  for  school  leaders  in  many 
countries. This allows school leaders to re-organise classroom time and approaches, stimulate 
school development and share responsibilities among a wider group of staff. However, these 
changes  require  appropriate  resources  and  support.48  The  recruitment,  preparation  and 
professional  development  of  school  leaders  is  a  crucial  factor  in  improving  school 
performance.  

42 European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice (2015), The Teaching Profession in Europe: Practices, Perceptions, 
and Policies.  
43 European Commission (2010), Developing coherent and system-wide induction programmes for beginning 
teachers: a handbook for policymakers, SEC (2010) 538 final.  
44 OECD (2014) ibid.  
45 Ibid. 
46 OECD (2016), School Leadership for Learning. 
47 SWD(2012)0374. 
48 VO-raad/EFEE/ETUCE (2015), Professional Autonomy, Accountability and Efficient Leadership and the role 
of employers' organisations, trade unions and school leaders. 

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4. Governance of school education systems: becoming more effective, equitable and 
efficient 

To complement actions taken by Member States, the Commission will:  

  Building on existing cooperation, including on skills strategies and school resources, set up 
a demand driven technical support arrangement in cooperation with the OECD to help 
Member  States  who  voluntarily  seek  assistance,  to  design  and  implement  major  school 
education  reforms.  The  Commission  services,  including  the  Structural  Reform  Support 
Service,  and  EU  funding  instruments  (such  as  the  European  Structural  and  Investment 
Funds and Erasmus+) could provide support;  

  Propose  a  joint  report  on  the  effectiveness  and  efficiency  of  expenditure  in  school 
education, involving appropriate Council committees and Commission services. This will 
build  on  ongoing  work  with  the  OECD  and  may  lead  to  the  development  of  policy 
guidance  on  investment  in  school  education  in  partnership  with  interested  EU  Member 
States and stakeholders; 

  Together  with  EU  Member  States  and  stakeholders,  develop  targeted  policy  guidance  on 

quality assurance through peer counselling49 and peer learning. 

4.1. School resources: investing adequately and efficiently 

While  Europe  enjoys  a  rich  diversity  of  educational  systems,  cultures  and 
circumstances,  there  are  similar  governance  and  funding  challenges.  These  include 
defining  clear  responsibilities  for  funding  and  adapting  the  school  network  to  demographic 
changes.50 EU Member States allocate a significant amount of resources - more than 3 % of 
GDP  on  average  -  to  school  education.51  The  good  use  of  these  resources  is  key  for  the 
efficiency of the whole public expenditure of a country. 

Making the best use of limited resources to enhance the performance of all students is of 
critical  importance.  PISA  surveys  show  that  effective  educational  outcomes  cannot  be 
achieved below a minimum level of financing. Some Member States have not been investing 
sufficiently to achieve good long-term results.52 However, at a comparable level of spending, 
some  Member  States  achieve  better  results  than  others.  Strengthening  cooperation  between 
education and economic policy areas can improve the evidence-base and generate consensus 
about  "what  works" 
in 
infrastructure, including digital infrastructure and connectivity, as well as in human capital.53 
Tailor-made  policy  support  to  Member  States'  education  reforms  may  help  improve  the 
governance of school systems and increase effectiveness and equity.  

investment.  Challenges 

in  education 

investments 

include 

4.2. Combining autonomy and quality assurance  

The interplay between school autonomy and accountability calls for strong but flexible 
quality  assurance  systems.54  A  major  recent  trend  has  been  towards  decentralisation  and 

(in 

co-operation  with 

49 Peer counselling brings together professional peers from national administrations to provide external advice to 
a country requesting support for an education reform. 
50  OECD 
http://www.oecd.org/education/schoolresourcesreview.htm 
51 Eurostat, General government finance statistics. 
52 European Commission (2016), Education and Training Monitor 2016. 
53 https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/2017-european-semester-country-reports_en 
54 ET2020 Working Group Schools interim report on Quality assurance for school development, April 2017 

the  European  Commission):  School  Resources  Review, 

10 

 
 
                                                            
increased  school  autonomy.  Granting  schools  more  autonomy  over  school  practices  and 
organisation or their use of financial resources gives them more opportunities to adapt to their 
specific needs and local context. However, its benefits depend on the capacity of schools to 
plan effectively and manage their own development, as well as how  accountable they are to 
parents,  local  communities  and  education  authorities.55  PISA  results  show  that  school 
autonomy leads  to  better basic skill achievement when coupled with  accountability.  Quality 
assurance  mechanisms  vary  greatly  across  Europe,56  but  share  some  common  challenges. 
These  include  how  to:  set  goals  and  measure  progress  for  education  systems  and  student 
learning;  design  quality  assurance  for  increasingly  decentralised  and  multi-level  education 
systems;  encourage  dialogue  and  a  culture  of  trust  among  education  stakeholders;  and 
prioritise human and financial resources. 

Developing appropriate tools and processes for quantitative and qualitative data would 
strengthen quality assurance. Quality assurance mechanisms should consider school climate 
and  learner  well-being  as  well  as  learner  competence  development.  Both  quantitative  and 
qualitative data are necessary for this balanced view.57 Schools and local stakeholders need to 
invest  in  capacity  building  to  identify  the  most  appropriate  tools  and  indicators  in  order  to 
monitor  both  learner  progression  and  school  development  and  to  develop  a  shared 
understanding  on  how  to  interpret  data.  This  should  be  complemented  with  external 
monitoring  mechanisms  such  as  national  or  regional  school  evaluations  and/or  large-scale 
student assessments. Moving from a 'checklist' approach focused on formal compliance with 
rules  and  procedures,  to  a  supportive  approach  focused  on  school  development  raises 
standards and improves learning outcomes.58 

5.  Conclusion – the way forward 

Improving  education  is  a  centre-piece  of  the  Commission's  initiative  on  Investing  in 
Europe's  Youth.  In  particular,  the  quality  of  schools  plays  a  central  role  in  shaping  the 
prospects of young people. Schools lay the foundation for professional success. They offer a 
unique chance for social mobility. This is, however, not always the case. The new PISA data 
are a wake-up call  for Europe: the share of low-achievers in  science soared from 16.6 %  in 
2012  to  20.6 %  in  2015.  11 %  of  pupils  leave  school  without  formal  qualification.  If  such 
short-comings in school education are not tackled, millions of young people will see their life 
chances diminished.  

Making  high-quality  education  a  reality  for  all  young  people  is  a  key  concern  for 
Europe's  future.  The  reflection  paper  on  the  social  dimension  of  Europe  of  April  201759 
points out that education is among the factors that will increasingly determine our societies' 
and economies' future; in the Rome Declaration of 27 March 2017, 27 Member States pledge 

55 Hanushek, E.A.,  Link, S. and Woessmann, L. (2013), Does school autonomy make sense everywhere? Panel 
estimates from PISA, Journal of Development Economics, Vol. 104, pp. 212-232. 
56  European  Commission  (2015),  Comparative  study  on  quality  assurance  in  EU  school  education  systems: 
Policies, procedures and practices. Final report. 
57 ET2020 Working Group Schools interim report on Continuity and transitions in learner development, April 
2017 
58 Council conclusions on quality assurance supporting education and training, 20 May 2014.  
59 COM(2017) 206 

11 

 
 
 
                                                            
to work towards "A social Europe: …a Union where young people receive the best education 
and training and can study and find jobs across the continent".60  

Working towards a shared commitment. Improving school education warrants being a top 
priority.  This  applies  to  Member  States  and  the  EU  and  will  require  close  cooperation. 
Reforming  their  school  education  systems  is  a  task  for  Member  States.  The  Commission 
stands  ready  to  support  them  by  harnessing  EU  tools  and  processes.  Notably,  the  European 
Semester  is  a  tried-and-tested  driver  for  reforms.  Other  work,  such  as  the  voluntary 
cooperation under ET 2020, should be further developed so that they offer the best possible 
added-value to Member States. In particular, the Education and Training Monitor should be 
used in full to help Member States take informed and evidence-based policy decisions. A key 
question  for  future  cooperation  is  whether  to  set  a  more  ambitious  benchmark  in  the  fight 
against  early  school-leaving.  Another  key  issue  is  how  to  make  the  most  of  Erasmus+  to 
provide  more  young  Europeans  with  learning  experiences  abroad  and  increase  existing 
capacities to support development and innovation in school and teacher education. 

Success will depend on close cooperation. An Education Summit, planned for early 2018, will 
address equity in education and how to better support disadvantaged groups in education. It 
will offer a first opportunity to discuss the future of European cooperation in education and 
especially in school education. 

60 Rome Declaration, Declaration of the leaders of 27 Member States and of the European Council, the European 
Parliament and the European Commission, 25 March 2017. 

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