Integrating key competences into the curriculum: Key factors for policy design and implementation

This  ad hoc report aims to understand the factors that support the effective design and implementation policies to integrate key competences into the curriculum using recent examples from four European countries: Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Portugal. The main question behind the study is: what are the key factors for designing and implementing effective interventions for the development of key competences in the curriculum?

The analysis shows that the approaches taken in each country have been quite different, and largely depend on the context of the country. In particular, they depend on the level of autonomy schools have in relation to the design and implementation of their curricula, and of assessment, as well as how schools and teachers are able to take advantage of that autonomy.

An analysis of the experiences of the four countries in the context of the literature on key competences and curriculum reform has identified several critical areas for countries to work through when integrating key competences in school curricula:

• country context and governance arrangements;
• policy design;
• the selection of competences;
• implementation and change strategies; \
• engagement with stakeholders;
• support for teachers and schools;
• curriculum coherence;
• the time and space to implement measures; and monitoring and evaluation.

While much research has been carried out in the areas of key competences and curriculum reform, there is a need for more in-depth, longitudinal studies that consider the impact of country context and education governance, including school leader/teacher mindsets and beliefs about teaching, learning and assessment, trust and financial resources, on policy design and implementation over time.