The European Commission published, on October 19, the final report of the Expert Group on Quality Investment in Education and Training, “Investing in our future: quality investment in education and training”.
To promote positive change across the European Union, these national practices and reforms of education policies are frequently discussed within the context of the European Education Area strategic framework through the EEA Working Groups.
“We need to ensure that all young Europeans receive the best education possible. Promoting quality investment in education and training is a key political priority for the European Union and is essential to achieving the European Education Area by 2025. The findings of this report will feed into our work at the Commission, and we will continue to promote a real policy evaluation culture in the Member States to support quality investment in education and training and make the best possible use of the resources we have available” Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth.
Before the end of this year, the Commission will introduce a new initiative to make flexible but targeted tools, methods, and expertise available to Member States to support them in the evaluation of their educational policies. This will be done in the context of improving quality investment in education and training in the EU.
The experts’ report focuses on the most effective ways to allocate public funds to the four main areas of expenditure in the EU for education and training: teachers and trainers, educational infrastructure, digital learning, and equity and inclusion.
In national contexts, the expert group finds promising educational and training approaches that can serve as models for governments and educational institutions throughout the EU. These include one-on-one tutoring and peer tutoring programs, school building and renovation programs to improve the quality of facilities, and quality early childhood education and care.
The report also identifies the challenges that must be overcome to increase spending efficiency and effectiveness and which common strategies may be advantageous, such as the lack of solid data on how targeted investments affect actual learning outcomes and the need for more thorough evaluations of overall national education policies.
Find out more and read the press release.
© European Commission
© AdobeStock