Session Information
05 SES 06 A, Preventing Dropout, Accommodating Needs and Retaining Students in Secondary Education
Symposium
Contribution
Objectives This paper reports on a comparative analysis of Europe wide policy provision designed to meet the EU's Early School Leaving (ESL) reduction target drawing on the 10 country SCIREARLY research project supported by the EU Horizon Europe programme. Theoretical Perspectives The importance of a 'whole school approach' is highlighted, emphasising multi-site stakeholder collaboration. This acknowledges the role played by various services, including social, youth, and outreach services. In 2011, the European Commission (EC) provided recommendations to guide EU policies on tackling Early School Leaving (ESL), forming the basis for this policy analysis. It calls for comprehensive approaches addressing ESL's root causes and sustained reduction efforts. The framework includes three measures: 1) Prevention – addressing root problems through quality early education, relevant curricula, flexible pathways, and strong guidance systems, 2) Intervention – supporting at-risk students with personalized guidance, extra-curricular activities, and improved learning environments, and 3) Compensation – offering second-chance schemes and alternative pathways. Methods and data sources Utilising the Eurostat ESL data from 2012 - 2021, countries were categorised into three groups: 1) High Performers - countries with consistent ESL rates below 6% throughout the entire time period. (Poland, Switzerland, Croatia, and Slovenia), 2) High Improvement - countries that have achieved a reduction of ESL rates by more than 6 % over the same period. (Spain, Portugal, Malta, Greece, and Ireland), 3) Low Performers - countries with ESL rates exceeding and remaining at 10% (Italy, United Kingdom, Norway, Bulgaria, Hungary, Cyprus, and Germany). Policies from these countries were examined using the framework outlined and a comparative report examining differential outcomes was developed. The policy analysis relied on key data sources including the OECD Library, EC reports, government websites, national and regional research agencies, and agencies involved in providing compensation programmes. Furthermore, evaluation reports of ESL initiatives played a crucial role in assessing the effectiveness of existing policies. Results The policy analysis reveals that examined countries have explicit policies addressing ESL through preventive, interventive, and compensatory measures. Preventive and compensatory measures are stronger than interventions. The main challenge is not in the policy itself but in its implementation, with inadequate interagency collaboration and unsophisticated evaluation being weaknesses. Results identify ESL policy strengths and gaps, aiding policymakers in developing effective strategies. By comparing policies and practices, the analysis offers insights into successful approaches facilitating international benchmarking.
References
European Commission. (2013). Reducing early school leaving: Key messages and policy support Final Report of the Thematic Working Group on Early School Leaving November 2013. Accessed 21/05/2023 https://education.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/early-school-leaving-group2013-report_en.pdf European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice/Cedefop, (2014). Tackling Early Leaving from Education and Training in Europe: Strategies, Policies and Measures. Eurydice and Cedefop Report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2797/33979 Donlevy, V., Day, L., Andriescu, M., & Downes, P. (2019). Assessment of the implementation of the 2011 council recommendation on policies to reduce early school leaving. European Commission. European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop). (2017). Leaving education early: putting vocational education and training in centre stage: Ireland. European Commission. (2015). Education & Training 2020. Schools Policy. A Whole School Approach to Tackling Early School Leaving. European Commission (2022a). Proposal for a COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION - Pathways to School Success. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:3605c49b-f881-11ec-b94a-01aa75ed71a1.0001.02/DOC_1&format=PDF Eurostat. (2023a). Early Leavers from Education and Training. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Early_leavers_from_education_and_training#Early_leavers_from_education_and_training_.E2.80.93_today_and_a_historical_comparison. Accessed 15/06/ 2023 European Commission (2023b) European Education Area: Quality education and training for all. Early SchoolLeaving. https://education.ec.europa.eu/education-levels/school-education/early-school-leaving OECD (2017). Starting Strong IV Early Childhood Education and Care - Data Country Note: Ireland. OECD Publishing. Accessed 19/07/2023 https://www.oecd.org/education/school/ECECDCN-Ireland.pdf
Update Modus of this Database
The current conference programme can be browsed in the conference management system (conftool) and, closer to the conference, in the conference app.
This database will be updated with the conference data after ECER.
Search the ECER Programme
- Search for keywords and phrases in "Text Search"
- Restrict in which part of the abstracts to search in "Where to search"
- Search for authors and in the respective field.
- For planning your conference attendance, please use the conference app, which will be issued some weeks before the conference and the conference agenda provided in conftool.
- If you are a session chair, best look up your chairing duties in the conference system (Conftool) or the app.