Commission urges Member States to improve quality and access to early childhood education and care

Only eight European countries - Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Malta, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden and Norway - guarantee a legal right to Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) soon after a child's birth, normally after the end of paid maternity or parental leave. In all other countries, the gap between the end of maternity / parental leave and legal entitlement to ECEC is more than two years (see figure 1). This is one of the main findings of a new report published by the European Commission.

Taught time at school - new Eurydice report

The Eurydice data collection on taught time targets the recommended compulsory curriculum by
grades/stages for full time compulsory education. The intended curriculum, its goals, structure,
subjects and the notional workload for students can be based on regulations or standards defined by
central (or top-level) education authorities or may be established as a set of recommendations at regional
level. In some countries steering documents only include information of main goals of the national
framework curriculum and delegate the taught time allocation to regional/local authorities or to the
discretion of individual schools. In the present data collection, all these sources of information are used to
complement the time allocation between subjects and/or educational stages.

New Eurydice study calls for stronger focus on IT and entrepreneurial skills in schools

All European countries have made significant progress in embedding key skills into school curricula to meet today's societal demands, according to a new Eurydice report published today. The study shows that not all competences are treated equally at school. While the status of basic skills (literacy, mathematics, science and foreign languages) is well established, the promotion of transversal skills, such as digital, civic and entrepreneurship skills, which are equally important for preparing young people for today's job market, is lagging behind.

Teaching Reading in Europe - Eurydice Report

For the first time, a pan-European study offers a comprehensive picture of reading literacy and identifies some of the key factors impacting on the acquisition of reading skills for 3-15 year olds. It addresses four key topics: teaching approaches, tackling reading difficulties, teacher education and the promotion of reading outside school. It investigates each key topic in the light of the results of academic research, the latest results of international surveys and an in-depth review of national policies, programmes and best practices.

This new Eurydice study shows what countries are doing to improve reading literacy – and where they are falling short. The study, which covers 31 countries (EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Turkey), reveals that while most have made progress in developing literacy policies, they often lack focus on the groups most at risk, such as boys, children from disadvantaged households and migrant children. EU Education Ministers have set a target to reduce the share of poor readers from 20 % to less than 15 % by 2020. Only Belgium (Flemish Community), Denmark, Estonia, Poland and Finland have already achieved this target.

Science Education in Europe - Eurydice Report

The study examines the organisation of science teaching in Europe and provides an overview of existing policies and strategies that aim at improving and fostering science teaching and learning today. It looks at support measures available to teachers and schools for boosting students' motivation and interest in science. The study also contains a literature review on science education, main findings from the international surveys PISA and TIMSS as well as results from a Eurydice pilot survey (SITEP) on the content of initial teacher education programmes.

Citizenship Education in Europe - Eurydice Report

The report shows that all European countries now have introduced central regulations to promote student participation in school governance. Encouraging citizens, particularly young people, to actively engage in social and political life has recently become a growing political priority both at national and European level. Because education is viewed as a principal means to promote active citizenship, the report aims to capture how policies and measures relating to citizenship education have evolved over recent years in European countries. To this end, the report provides an overview of the state of play on five main topics: 1) Curriculum aims and organisation; 2) student and parent participation in schools; 3) school culture and student participation in society; 4) assessment and evaluation; 5) and support for teachers and school heads.

Mathematics Education in Europe - Eurydice Report

In recent years, the issue of competence in mathematics has become increasingly important and has been taken up at the highest policy level. Mathematical competence has been identified as one of the key competences necessary for personal fulfilment, active citizenship, social inclusion and employability in a knowledge society. Moreover, the 2008 'Council Conclusions on preparing young people for the 21st century: an agenda for European cooperation on schools' considers the acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills to be the main priority for European cooperation in education.

In the light of these policy developments, this first Eurydice report on mathematics education aims to contribute to European and national debate on how to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics and provide support to European cooperation in the field.

Facts and Figures on Education

When does the school year start in Latvia? When does it end in Austria? When do students go on autumn holidays in Germany? Whether you are planning on studying a semester abroad or simply planning your next holiday, the updated and downloadable annual overview of the school and academic calendars in Europe 2012/13, published by Eurydice, can help!