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For a region with high educational attainment, a shortage of skills in Europe and Central Asia has emerged as one of the most important constraints to growth. This title recommends greater focus on the quality of education and measuring what students actually learn, as well as bigger emphasis on incentives to produce better learning results.
Future growth in the countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA) will increasingly depend on innovation. And innovation requires skills. This makes it important, as countries plan for recovery, to undertake reforms to reduce the skills shortages that the previous growth episode exposed. Education systems have a very important role to play in creating the right skills. But education systems in the region fall short of the demands of their economies in two major ways. The first is that despite high levels of enrollment they do not produce enough graduates with the right skills. Students graduate with diplomas, not with skills, because the quality of the education for many students is poor. In large part this is because education systems remain focused on providing an excellent education to a few at the expense of improving the quality of learning for the majority. Moreover, the systems are still making the transition from teaching the basics to inculcating higher order skills such as critical-thinking and problem solving. The second way in which education systems fall short is that outside of a few countries in the EU there are few opportunities for adults to retrain, or acquire new skills. This book argues that generating more of the right skills requires a fundamental change of approach in the education systems in the region so that they aim for, and deliver, higher quality education for the vast majority of students (“not just diplomas but skills”). To start with, education systems need to “turn the lights on” and take seriously the measurement of what students actually learn as opposed to measurement of the inputs into the education process on the implicit assumption that learning follows. Policy makers also need to move away from the focus on inputs and processes and increase the emphasis on incentives.
What can be done to create more and better jobs in Europe and Central Asia? And should there be specific policies to help workers access those jobs? The authors of this book examine these questions through the lens of two contextual factors: the legacy of centralized planned economies and the mounting demographic pressures associated with rapid aging in some countries and soaring numbers of youth entering the workforce in others. The authors find the following: Market reforms pay off, albeit with a lag, in terms of jobs and productivity. A small fraction of superstar high-growth firms accounts for most of the new jobs created in the region. Skills gaps hinder employment prospects, especially of youth and older workers, because of the inadequate response by the education and training systems to changes in the demand for skills. Employment is hindered by high implicit taxes on formal work and barriers that affect especially women, minorities, youth, and older workers. Low internal labor mobility prevents labor relocation to places with greater job creation potential. Back to Work: Growing with Jobs in Europe and Central Asia asserts that to get more people back to work and to grow with jobs, countries, especially late reformers, need to regain the momentum for economic and institutional reforms that existed before the economic crisis. They should lay the fundamentals to create jobs for all workers, by pushing reforms to create the enabling environment for existing firms to grow, become more productive, or exit the market and let new firms emerge and succeed (or fail fast and cheap). They should also implement policies to support workers so that those workers are prepared to take on the new jobs being created, by having the right skills and incentives, unhindered access to work, and being ready to relocate.
The importance of fairness, validity, and accessibility in assessment is greater than ever as testing expands to include more diverse populations, more complex purposes, and more sophisticated technologies. This book offers a detailed account of fairness in assessment, and illustrates the interplay between assessment and broader changes in education. In 16 chapters written by leading experts, this volume explores the philosophical, technical, and practical questions surrounding fair measurement. Fairness in Educational Assessment and Measurement addresses issues pertaining to the construction, administration, and scoring of tests, the comparison of performance across test takers, grade levels and tests, and the uses of educational test scores. Perfect for researchers and professionals in test development, design, and administration, Fairness in Educational Assessment and Measurement presents a diverse array of perspectives on this topic of enduring interest. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.
This book critically reflects on the context in which lifelong learning policies and practices are organized in Europe with contributions of researchers and policy makers in the field. Through a critical lens the book reinterprets the core content of the messages that are conveyed by the European Commission in the “Memorandum for Lifelong Learning”, the most important policy document in the area, which after a decade from its publication still remains the vehicle for all current developments in lifelong learning in Europe. With references to research findings, proposed actions, and applications to immediate practice that have an added value for Europeans –but which either do not appear to correspond directly to what is stipulated by the European Commission, or are completely ignored as part of the lifelong learning process– the book offers an analytic and systematic outlook of the main challenges in creating the ‘European Area of Lifelong Learning’. In times as decisive as the ones we are going through today (both in social and economic terms), a critical perspective of the practices and policies adopted by the EU Member States is essential. The book follows the same structure as the Memorandum in order to debate and critically approach in separate sections the core issues that Europe faces today in relation to the idea of making a ‘European area of Lifelong Learning’. ​
This book addresses the questions why citizenship education is an important subject for students in further and adult education and why we need democratic colleges to support the study of citizenship education. It investigates the historical roots of further and adult education and identifies how the adoption of citizenship education in the post-compulsory sector can enrich vocational studies in further education and programmes in adult education. It is argued that democratic colleges are vital to ensure that citizenship education informs the decision-making process throughout educational institutions (and as a means of establishing fair and equal representation for important stakeholders). The author has worked in both sectors for over a decade, and uses this experience to offer a blend of educational practice and philosophical investigation. The result is a work that appeals to both teachers in further and adult education as well as academics and students interested in philosophy of education.​

14-19 diplomas

Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Education and Skills Committee

Published: 2007-05-17

Total Pages: 296


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In October 2004, the Tomlinson report (downloadable at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/14-19/documents/Final%20Report.pdf) set out wide-ranging proposals for changes to the curriculum and examination arrangements for the education of 14 to 19 year olds. In February 2005, the Government published its response in the form of a White Paper (Cm. 6476, ISBN 9780101647625) detailing a 10-year reform programme including the introduction of 14 new awards (originally called vocational Diplomas); thus rejecting the overarching Diploma award recommended in the Tomlinson report. Whilst stating its belief that the proposed changes would have been better structured and more coherent had Tomlinson's proposals been adopted, the Committee's report examines the design, development and implementation of the Government's Diplomas scheme.
Incorporating HC 651-i to -viii, session 2007-08
Incorporating HC 1090-i, session 2006-07

Post-16 skills

Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Education and Skills Committee

Published: 2007-08-14

Total Pages: 448


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Post-16 Skills : Ninth report of session 2006-07, Vol. 2: Oral and written Evidence