Although policy documents indicate that there are three main patterns of educational review (predetermined cycles, continuous review programmes, and ad hoc reviews) it is clear that most education systems are subject to constant change. Moreover, international comparisons suggest that there are converging approaches adopted by groups of countries as they face common challenges and seek to prepare their young people to work and live within a global economy. This chapter explores the stimuli for educational reform, identifies areas of change, and raises some issues. It concludes by highlighting a harmonising trend, whereby European countries appear to be relinquishing some of their sovereignty with respect to education, in the interest of collective economic competitiveness.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Eurydice (2006). Eurybase, the Database on Education Systems in the European Union. Available at: http://www.eurydice.ort/ [Accessed 20 March 2006.].
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (2004). Education at a Glance. Available at: http://www.oecd.org/document/7/0,2340,en_2649_34515_33712135_1_1_1_1,00.html [Accessed 20 March 2006.].
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (2005). Problem Solving for Tomorrow’s World First Measures of Cross-Curricular Competencies from PISA 2003. Available at: http://www.pisa.oecd.org/pages/0,2987,en_32252351_32235731_1_1_1_1_1, 00.html [Accessed 20 March 2006.].
O’Donnell, S., C. Andrews, R. Brown, and C. Sargent (2005). INCA: The International Review of Curriculum and Assessment Frameworks Internet Archive. Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA): London. Available at: http://www.inca.org.uk [Accessed 20 March 2006.].
Pépin, L. (European Commission) (2006). Histoire de la Cooperation Européenne dans le Domaine de l’Éducation et de la Formation. Office des Publications Officielles de la Communauté Européenne: [History of European Cooperation in the Field of Education and Training.] Luxembourg.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Le Metais, J. (2007). Reform and Convergence in School Education: International Perspectives. In: Maclean, R. (eds) Learning and Teaching for the Twenty-First Century. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5773-1_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5773-1_11
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-5772-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-5773-1
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)