At the end of the last millennium, schools received strong competition from the Internet, multimedia and other developed electronic media thanks to the new possibilities for gathering, processing, searching for and sending information. Furthermore, young people and adults now travel a lot, and by travelling they also learn. Never before in the…

We need to trust people and institutions, values and truths. But where should we turn to find which are trustworthy? Does trusting make us vulnerable to abuse? Is it safe for learners - the children, young people and adults in the world of contemporary education - to trust their teachers to care, and to tell them the truth? and can teachers trust…

Part 1 presents data on cohorts born in 1940, 1950, 1960, and 1970 in Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain that illustrate changes in the qualifications structure. Part 2 tracks forces influencing educational supply and demand. Part 3 compares the five countries in terms of compulsory, postcompulsory, and higher education. (SK)

Many European governments associate improving literacy with providing development assistance to regions like Africa and Asia from which the majority of the world's 774 million illiterates come. As school attendance is compulsory in the region, it is assumed that the Education for All (EFA) goals have been achieved and literacy is therefore not…

To reflect on factors influencing the quality of schooling, this study examined parents' social participation in education in various countries of the European Union. The premise was that, in practice, parent participation in education systems makes possible both consistency of education and the cultural enrichment that children need. The study…

This report focuses on the compulsory education reforms introduced throughout the European Union from 1984-1994. Compulsory education that stage of education established formally by a government for the education of all children and young people, usually institutionalized on a full- or part-time basis, and compulsory for a certain number of years.…

Strategies to improve disadvantaged young people's access to and progression within initial vocational training (VT) were identified through a study of relevant experiences within the European Union's member states. The study, which was based on national reports from each country, focused on the following topics: identifying the challenges and…