Implementation of the SOCRATES Programme: studies and analyses
The European Commission, DG XXII, is inviting proposals for the implementation of Chapter III, Action 3, Point 1 of the Community action programme SOCRATES. This particular area of the programme, entitled "Questions of common interest on the education policy", falls within the scope of a series of measures aimed at improving and facilitating the exchange of information and experiences, in the field of education, amongst countries participating in the SOCRATES programme. Within this area, the Commission is intending to give financial aid to three types of activities: - The completion of studies and analyses on themes of common interest; - The implementation of operational activities, such as expert exchanges, conferences, workshops or pilot projects, on these themes; - The organization of actions aimed at disseminating results attained in this area, including results of studies with a common interest not directly backed within this area of the programme. Implementation of the SOCRATES programme will commence in 1995. With regard to this area of the programme, priority will be given, in the initial stage, to the financing of studies and analyses and of actions aimed at disseminating the results of these studies. These should form the bases for the implementation, at a later stage, of the operational activities referred to above. The Commission has set out the following requirements for studies and analyses to be financed under this call: - Studies should take the form of a comparative synthesis based on information already available in this field and underlining the most promising areas for further development; - Studies will not include the collection of new data, but will rely on available data, including non-published data which may be available in different expert centres in the field of education; - Studies may comprise a meta-analysis of these data through which, on the basis of the current situation, they will seek to identify and anticipate trends, potential innovations and future developments; - Studies should detail their added value in relation to studies already available as well as the interest in undertaking studies at European rather than national level; - Studies will review to what extent and how the Community could integrate and back activities carried out by Member States. The European unit of the EURYDICE network will be able to provide backing to selected institutions, especially with regard to the bibliographical data and other elements able to contribute to the development of the above studies and analyses. The two priority areas for the SOCRATES programme in 1995 will be: - The role of education vis-à-vis young people leaving the education system without adequate preparation; - The evaluation of the quality of non-higher education. Studies and analyses carried out under this call should, therefore, fall within these two priority areas and must, in particular, address the following themes: - Measures implemented by education systems to prevent young people from leaving the system without adequate preparation; - Measures implemented by education systems in favour of young people having left the education system without adequate preparation; - Quantitative and qualitative study of the profiles of young people leaving the education system without adequate preparation; - Analysis of the notion of "platform of basic skills"; - Analysis of the measures for evaluating the quality of non-higher education; - Secondary analysis of existing national and international data in the field of quality of non-higher education. Detailed information on the procedures for submitting proposals are contained in the information package prepared for this call. Requests for information should be addressed, in writing, to: European Commission DG XXII Education, Training and Youth Mrs A. Fracchia Unit A-1 200 rue de la Loi (B7 6/39) B-1049 Brussels Fax +32-2-2964258 Proposals must be sent, by registered mail, to the same address.