The 2017 Conference was focused on the topic of schools and their role in improving education. The main purpose of the Conference was to discuss different measures that directly impact schools and ECEC services, the evidence that both networks have gathered on the issues and to debate possible policies and orientations that can lead to the empowerment of schools and ECEC services to better meet the challenges of today’s and tomorrow’s society.
The Conference alternated between the formats of plenary sessions and parallel group discussions to enable dialogue and sufficient opportunities for the audience to actively participate. Both networks presented the key messages they have gathered and analysed from the pertinent literature in recent years. The importance of ECEC and of measures to integrate immigrants and refugees as well as other disadvantaged groups will be central topics of this year’s conference.
Opening plenary session
Effective policies and practices for empowering schools and promoting quality education
Welcome by the Coordinators of the Networks NESET II and EENEE
- Dr Jana Huttova, Scientific Coordinator of the Network of Experts on the Social Dimension of Education and Training (NESET) (PDF)
- Prof Ludger Woessmann, Scientific Coordinator of the European Experts Network on Economics of Education (EENEE) and Director of the Ifo Center for the Economics of Education (PDF)
Welcome by the European Commission
- Mr Jens Nymand Christensen, Deputy Director General, European Commission, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture
Keynote address
Education, inequality and social mobility
- Dr Abigail McKnight, Associate Professorial Research Fellow, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, London School of Economics (PDF)
Parallel group session 1
Importance of institutional frameworks to ensure quality and equity
- Prof Erna Nairz-Wirth, Head of the Education Sciences Group, Vienna University of Economics and Business and member of NESET (PDF)
- Dr Jean Hindriks, Full professor in Economics, Université Catholique de Louvain (PDF)
- Mr Rimantas Dumčius, Research Director at Public Policy and Management Institute (PPMI) (PDF)
Parallel group session 2
Migrants, refugees and other minority groups – how to identify successful integration policies
- Dr Maria De Paola, Associate professor of Economics at the Department of Economics, Statistics and Finance, University of Calabria (PDF)
- Ms Claudia Köhler, SIRIUS Board Member, Executive Director of Farafina Institute, Senior Researcher at European Forum for Migration Studies (EFMS) (PDF)
Parallel group session 3
Empowering teachers: promoting skills and competences for the 21st century learning and teaching
- Prof Dr Daniel Münich, Professor of Professional Practice at the Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education, Economics Institute (CERGE-EI) and member of EENEE (PDF)
- Dr Nima Sharmahd, Senior Researcher at Centre for Innovation in the Early Years (VBJK) (PDF)
