Publications
From Eurydice
Publications by year: 2017- 2016 - 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011
Here you can consult thematic reports, comparative studies and Facts and Figures since 2011. Please refer to the EU Bookshop to source reports before this date.
You can also find a series of Focus on articles, which explore themes of recent publications.
Published in 2017
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Focus on: Do international university rankings serve a useful purpose? Date of publication: 14 September 2017 There are a few great orchestras in the world, thank goodness. Although some people do put them in ranking order, it's not like a snooker match. Each orchestra has different things to offer. – Simon Rattle For a few years now, international university rankings, such as the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, the QS World University Rankings, and the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities, have been very influential in shaping university priorities and even government policy on higher education. |
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The Organisation of the Academic Year in Europe – 2017/18 Date of publication: 11 September 2017 The academic calendar contains national data on how the academic year is structured (beginning of the academic year, term times, holidays and examination periods). Differences between university and non-university study programmes are also highlighted. The information is available for 37 countries. |
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The Organisation of School Time in Europe. Primary and General Secondary Education – 2017/18 Date of publication: 11 September 2017 The school calendar contains national data on the length of the school year, the start and the end dates of each school year, the timing and length of school holidays and the number of school days. Key points are illustrated by comparative figures. The information is available for 37 countries covering both primary and general secondary education. |
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Focus on: Why, when and how should children learn a foreign language? Date of publication: 31 August 2017 "The borders of my language are the borders of my world." – Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (5.6) The stories your parents told you. The games you used to play in the playground. Conversations you have with people around you. All of these form an integral part of your identity, and what they have in common is language. Personal identity does not exist in a vacuum, but is shaped by and in turn affects the collective identity of the surrounding society. |
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Focus on: Is one country's brain gain another one's drain? Date of publication: 17 July 2017 "I not only use all the brains that I have, but all I can borrow." – Woodrow Wilson As one of the four fundamental freedoms guaranteed by EU law, freedom of movement for workers, pursuant to article 45 guarantees every EU citizen the right to move freely, to study and work in another member state. From a European perspective, the fact that people are able to pursue education and employment opportunities across borders unhindered – generating greater individual and collective wealth as a consequence – is usually considered beneficial. But are the results of this fundamental freedom positive for everyone, or are some paying a price for this freedom? |
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Modernisation of Higher Education in Europe: Academic Staff – 2017 Date of publication: 15 June 2017 The higher education sector has experienced profound changes in recent years. Student numbers have continued to increase, while the sector has diversified and experienced significant structural changes, such as new funding arrangements, and new quality assurance systems. The challenges for academic staff have also been growing. Staffs are responsible for teaching ever greater numbers of students, undertaking research, and responding to growing societal needs, while academic jobs become more competitive, and job security more tenuous. |
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Recommended Annual Instruction Time in Full-time Compulsory Education in Europe – 2016/17 Date of publication: 8 June 2017 The Council of the European Union has set the goal of reducing low achievement in reading, mathematics and science among 15-year-olds to less than 15 % by 2020. But how are European countries going to achieve this? Effective learning depends on many factors, but one key element in the learning process of students is the instruction time available to them. How can they best organize limited time between different subjects, ensuring that all students have the opportunity to develop their learning potential in a range of different areas? |
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Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe – 2017 Edition Date of publication: 18 May 2017 The 2017 Edition of Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe depicts the main education policies regarding teaching and learning of languages in 42 European education systems. It answers questions about what foreign languages are learnt, how long students spend studying foreign languages, the level of foreign language proficiency students are expected to reach by the end of compulsory education and what kind of language support is provided to newly arrived migrant students as well as many other topics. The indicators are organised into five different chapters: Context, Organisation, Participation, Teachers and Teaching Processes. A variety of sources were used to build the indicators, and these include the Eurydice Network, Eurostat, and the OECD’s PISA and TALIS international surveys. |
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Homework: what is it good for? Publication date: 28 April 2017 “I'm learning skills I will use for the rest of my life by doing homework...procrastinating and negotiation.” ― Bill Watterson According to the recent OECD PISA 2015 data, 15-year old pupils spend on average 17 hours per week on activities such as homework, additional instruction and private study. |
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Focus on: Education systems in a post-truth world Date of publication: 31 March 2017 "I think people in this country have had enough of experts" – Michael Gove, former Secretary of State for Education of the United Kingdom There is no denying that evidence and those providing it are under fire in the public debate. The word "post-truth " has become so ubiquitous in our everyday discussion of politics that the Oxford English Dictionary has declared it its Word of the Year 2016. |
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Date of publication: 16 February 2017 These thematic overviews provide background information to the Education and Training Monitor 2016, and examine education structures, policies and reforms in five key areas:
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Focus on: What future for student mobility? Date of publication: 14 February 2017 "I look forward to a United States of Europe, in which the barriers between the nations will be greatly minimised and unrestricted travel will be possible." - Winston Churchill in 1942 Student mobility is undoubtedly of huge value to European society. But while it brings benefits to individuals, to countries and to Europe itself, support measures for student mobility are not uniform across the EU. We ask: what are the factors that motivate young people to study abroad, what different possibilities does EU citizenship provide them with, and is there a hopeful future for transnational study in today's current political climate? |
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Date of publication: 10 February 2017 In 2016, Eurydice published a number of reports on various educational topics. An overview of our 2016 publications is now available. With just one click, you can easily get access to all our reports! |
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Support Mechanisms for Evidence-based Policy-Making in Education Date of publication: 26 January 2017 This report describes the mechanisms and practices that support evidence-based policy-making in the education sector in Europe. It comparatively looks at institutions and practices in evidence-based policy-making, as well as the accessibility, and mediation, of evidence. The report presents more detailed information on each individual country, with specific examples of the use of evidence in policy formulation for each separate country. |