Reviews of National Policies for Education Education in Latvia (eBook)

Oecd (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2016 | 1. Auflage
288 Seiten
OECD Publishing (Verlag)
978-92-64-25062-8 (ISBN)

Infos

How can Latvia improve the quality and equity of its education system and realise long-term efficiency gains? This report covers the whole education system from early childhood education and care to tertiary education and provides an assessment of Latvia’s policies and practices against the best approaches in education and skills across the OECD. This international comparison brings to the fore the many strengths of Latvia’s education system, but also highlights the challenges it faces and provides a number of recommendations in response. This report will be of value to Latvia but also policy makers in other countries looking to raise the quality, equity and efficiency of their education systems.

Inhalt

Foreword 5
Acknowledgements 7
Table of contents 9
Abbreviations and acronyms 14
Executive summary 17
Improving education outcomes 17
Promoting equity in educational opportunities 18
Gathering and using data to guide skill development 18
Ensuring adequate and efficient education funding 19
Engaging stakeholders in designing and implementing policy 19
Chapter 1 Latvia and its education system 21
Context 22
Figure 1.1. Internal migration in Latvia (2007-12) 23
Figure 1.2. Unemployment rate and real GDP growth in Latvia, compared to EU-28 average, percentage (2006-13) 24
Figure 1.3. The Latvian polycentric development structure 27
The Latvian education system – a brief overview 27
Table 1.1. The Latvian education system – Overview in numbers 28
Teachers and school leaders 30
Main trends in access, quality and equity 31
High levels of access and participation 32
Improvements in average student performance 33
Figure 1.5. PISA performance across all subjects (2000-12) 34
Table 1.2. Percentage of students at PISA proficiency levels, PISA 2012 35
Figure 1.6. Mean mathematics performance in PISA 2012, by school location, after accounting for socio-economic status 37
Cross-cutting issues in Latvia’s education system 39
Governing a highly decentralised education system 39
Box 1.1. Latvia’s education priorities for the period 2014-20 40
Ensuring adequate funding and efficiency in education funding 44
Table 1.3. Expenditure on education by level of education (2011) 45
Box 1.2. Latvia’s per-student school funding system 48
The Latvian school funding formula 48
Realigning system capacity with demographic changes 50
Figure 1.7. Number of residents, by age (start of 2014) 51
Figure 1.8. Estimated changes in population between 2012 and 2020, by age group 52
Using data and research for evidence based policy making 53
Annex 1.A1 Key indicators 56
Notes 59
References 60
Chapter 2 Early childhood education and care in Latvia 67
Introduction 68
Context and main features 68
Governance and financing 68
Box 2.1. Objectives and primary tasks of ECEC (“pre-school education”) in Latvia 69
Figure 2.1. Expenditure on pre-primary education (for children 3 years and older) as a percentage of GDP, by source of funding (2011) 72
Box 2.2. “Childcare support and child-minder service” pilot project 73
Organisation of ECEC services and learning 74
Figure 2.2. Overview of ECEC in Latvia 75
Figure 2.3. Latvian network of public and private ECEC institutions (2013) 77
The ECEC workforce 79
Quality assurance 80
Box 2.3. Family day carer (“child-minder”) qualifications and safety requirements in Latvia 81
Responding to children with special education needs 82
Children living in poverty 83
Figure 2.4. Child poverty among children under the age of six (2013) 84
Box 2.4. “Hand-in-Hand for Child Support” – responding to equity challenges in Latvia 85
Key policy issues 85
Policy issue 1: Despite good progress, enrolment of the youngest children is relatively low and unequal across Latvia 85
Steady progress towards universal enrolment among children aged 3 years old and older 86
Figure 2.5. Net enrolment rate of children up to 7 years of age (2002-12) 87
Continue efforts to resolve waiting lists and expand participation among children under the age of 3 88
Figure 2.6. Percentage of children under 3 in formal ECEC, hours per week (2005-13) 88
Policy issue 2: Barriers to developing a high-quality and motivated ECEC profession 91
Ensuring attractive working conditions 91
Investing in and guiding the professional development of ECEC staff 92
Box 2.5. ECEC teacher standards – examples from England and Portugal 94
Ensuring quality and selective initial teacher education 95
The need for a more strategic approach to developing the ECEC workforce 96
Policy issue 3: Strengthening the systematic data collection, monitoring and use of data on ECEC 97
Underdeveloped system-level monitoring of ECEC 97
Box 2.6. Quality of ECEC: A multi-faceted concept 98
Strengthening the links between research, policy and practice 100
Box 2.7. Strategic use of research on ECEC in Norway 101
Moving towards a unified approach to monitoring service quality 101
Policy issue 4: Governance and financing hamper equal access to quality ECEC 103
The need to review governance and funding of ECEC services 103
Recommendations 105
Recommendation 1: Continue expanding ECEC services, in particular in rural areas and for the youngest children 105
Recommendation 2: Take a strategic approach to improving the quality and motivation of ECEC staff 106
Recommendation 3: Strengthen data collection, monitoring and use of research 107
Recommendation 4: Review the governance and financing arrangements of ECEC 108
Note 108
References 109
Chapter 3 Primary and lower secondary education in Latvia 119
Introduction 120
Context and main features 121
Governance and financing 121
Table 3.1. Overview funding of costs items, basic education, by source of funding 123
Characteristics of schools and the school network 123
Table 3.2. Students, staff and school numbers in Latvian basic education (2005/06 and 2013/14) 124
Figure 3.1. Changes in student and teacher numbers in basic education (2003-12) 126
Organisation of learning in schools 127
Support for students with additional and special education needs 128
Table 3.3. Selection of targets regarding children with special needs 129
Assessment of student learning 130
Table 3.4. Assessment and centralised examinations in basic education 130
School evaluation 132
System-level monitoring of education quality 133
Teachers and school leaders 133
Box 3.1. The Assessment System of Teacher Performance in Latvia 137
Key policy issues 140
Policy issue 1: The need to improve teacher and leadership quality 140
Low remuneration and low status of the education profession 140
Box 3.2. Providing greater career diversity in Estonia, New Zealand and Singapore 142
The need to make entry into the teaching profession more selective 144
Taking a lifecycle approach to professional development 145
Absence of professional teaching and leadership standards 146
Policy issue 2: Disparities in equity across the Latvian school system 147
Large differences in performance between rural and urban schools 148
Box 3.3. Different approaches to consolidation of small schools – examples from Wales and Portugal 150
The challenge of putting “inclusive education” into practice 151
Box 3.4. Targeted support to weak schools – examples from Ontario (Canada) and the Netherlands 152
Table 3.5. Integrating children with special needs in regular schools and classes (Grades 1-12) 153
Box 3.5. Different approaches to funding and supporting disadvantaged students and/or those with special education needs 155
Policy issue 3: Underdeveloped assessment and evaluation arrangements 156
The challenge of moving towards competency-based student assessments 156
Box 3.6. The design and implementation of Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence 158
Strengthening teacher and school leader appraisal to foster improvement 159
Further improving school evaluations 160
The need for stronger system-level monitoring 162
Recommendations 162
Recommendation 1: Establish the conditions for a high-quality teaching and leadership profession 162
Recommendation 2: Promote equity and excellence in education, with a focus on rural schools 163
Recommendation 3: Develop a coherent assessment and evaluation framework for informing policy and educational practice 164
Notes 165
References 166
Chapter 4 Upper secondary general and vocational education in Latvia 175
Introduction 176
Context and main features 177
Governance and financing 177
Figure 4.1. Annual expenditure per student, by upper secondary 179
Organisation and size of the upper secondary school network 181
Figure 4.2. Percentage of younger and older upper secondary-educated adults (2012) 182
Table 4.1. Number of schools and students in upper secondary general and vocational education (2013/14) 183
Figure 4.3. Distribution of vocational education students, by type of programme (2013/14) 185
Content and structure of education programmes 186
Table 4.2. Curriculum subjects and number of hours for general upper secondary education (full-time) 188
Assessment of student learning 191
Figure 4.4. Enrolment in vocational schools, by field of education (2013) 193
Figure 4.5. Early leavers from education and training, 18-24 year-olds 194
Teachers and school leaders 195
Participation in lifelong learning 198
Figure 4.6. Participation of adults (25-64 year-olds) in formal and non-formal learning (2014) 199
Key policy issues 200
Policy issue 1: Improving the quality and relevance of vocational education 200
Lack of quality and attractiveness of vocational education – the imperative for reform 200
Figure 4.7. Perceived quality and image of vocational education and training 201
Involving employers and social partners to strengthen the quality and relevance of education 201
Box 4.1. Strong involvement of social partners in vocational education and training: Example from the Netherlands 202
Modularisation of vocational programmes and occupational standards 203
The need to strengthen work-based learning 204
The need for good data and information to monitor progress 206
Policy issue 2: Stark divide between upper secondary general and vocational pathways 208
A “divided”, school-based upper secondary system 208
Box 4.2. Riga technical school of tourism and creative industry 210
Double qualifications 210
A subject-dense curriculum 211
Box 4.3. Examples of alternative assessment approaches to the final examination 213
Policy issue 3: Developing lifelong learning 214
Low adult participation in formal and non-formal education 215
Figure 4.8. Participation in lifelong learning (2011) 216
Table 4.3. Participation in lifelong learning, by age (%) 217
The need to ensure employer support for education and training 219
Underdeveloped career guidance system 219
Box 4.4. STEM Ambassadors 221
Lifelong learning: A fragmented area of policy 221
Recommendations 222
Recommendation 1: Continue improving the quality and relevance of vocational education 222
Recommendation 2: Narrow the divide between general and vocational upper secondary education 223
Recommendation 3: Increase efforts to raise participation in lifelong learning 223
Notes 225
References 226
Chapter 5 Tertiary education in Latvia 235
Introduction 236
Context and main features 236
Governance and financing 236
Figure 5.1. Principal entities responsible for tertiary education, science and innovation in Latvia 238
Table 5.1. Sources of finance for tertiary education in Latvia (2012) 239
Organisation and size of the network of tertiary education institutions 242
Attainment, participation and graduation 242
Figure 5.2. Tertiary attainment of population, by age group (2012) 243
Figure 5.3. Entry rates to tertiary education (2012) 244
Figure 5.4. The decline in student enrolment has mostly been among self-paying students 245
Figure 5.5. Enrolment of male and female students in tertiary education, by field of study (2013) 246
Academic staff 247
Figure 5.6. Numbers of academic staff, full-time and part-time (2003-12) 249
Quality assurance 250
Science 251
Figure 5.7. Expenditure on R& D in tertiary education as a percentage of GDP (2004-13)
Key policy issues 254
Policy issue 1: System capacity is not aligned with demographic decline, fiscal reality and labour market needs 254
Student population decline has had little impact on institutions and study programmes 255
Figure 5.8. Student enrolment in tertiary education (1990/91-2014/15) 256
Table 5.2. Number of institutions by legal status and number of study programmes (2004/05-2014/15) 257
Growing numbers of international students, but more Latvians studying abroad 258
Insufficient alignment with labour market demands 258
Figure 5.9. Percentage of graduates, by field of study (2004, 2009 and 2014) 259
Box 5.1. Promoting females in STEM-related fields of study, examples from Finland and Australia 260
Policy issue 2: Inadequate tertiary education funding 261
Challenges of the tertiary education funding system 262
Proposed “three pillar” funding model 263
Table 5.3. Three-pillar model for new financing system 265
Policy issue 3: Concerns about the quality of tertiary education and science 265
Weak tertiary education quality assurance system 266
Despite some progress, scope for further strengthening science and innovation remains 267
Figure 5.10. Innovation Index (2014) 268
Policy issue 4: Underdeveloped capacity for leadership and sustained implementation 271
The need to strengthen strategic leadership capacity at the national level 272
Box 5.2. Points for future policy development in tertiary education 273
Scope for strengthening institutional leadership capacity and public accountability 274
Figure 5.11. Latvia’s planning framework for tertiary education and science reform 275
Recommendations 277
Recommendation 1: Move forward with the implementation of the three-pillar financing model 277
Recommendation 2: Continue improving the quality of tertiary education and science 278
Recommendation 3: Continue efforts to realign system capacity with demographic decline, fiscal reality and labour market needs 279
Recommendation 4: Strengthen the capacity for strategic leadership and management 279
References 281
Annex A The authors 287
External experts 287
OECD Analysts 288

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 19.5.2016
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Pädagogik
• Themenwelt: Wirtschaft ► Betriebswirtschaft / Management ► Allgemeines / Lexika
• ISBN-10: 92-64-25062-X / 926425062X
• ISBN-13: 978-92-64-25062-8 / 9789264250628