Improving competences for the 21st century
06 December 2008 - General announcements
The European Commission and the European Council have published two documents on schools in the 21st century and the way in which the European member states can co-operate on the development of school policies.
Both documents are the result of a consultation that the European Commission launched in the autumn of 2007. ATEE contributed to this consultation by sending a response based on discussions during the ATEE conference in Wolverhampton, 2007.
The European Commissions communication 'Improving Competences for the 21st Century: an Agenda for European Cooperation on Schools' emphasizes the need for a focus on competences (including key competences with special attention to literacy and numeracy), a personalized approach to learning and the need of assessing learning outcomes. To improve high quality learning for every student there is a need for better early learning opportunities, a system that promotes equity and that fights early school leaving. To reach the aims, it is neccessary to pay attention to teacher competences and qualifications and to school leadership.
The document is accompanied by a staff working document with the outcomes of the consultation and theoretical and empirical evidence supporting the commissions communication.
The Commission's documents can be found at the EU's website.
Based on the Commissions document, the Council of the European Union published its conclusions on preparing young people for the 21st century. In this agenda for European cooperation on schools the ministers of education of the memberstates agree to guarantee and improve the acquisition of key competences (in particular literacy and numeracy), to enhance the essential role that schools play and to promote teaching as a profession and to improve teacher education.
The document also identifies an agenda for cooperation to reach these aims.