Written by Marcin Grajewski,

In the European Union, education policy is the responsibility of Member States, but EU institutions play an important supporting role. Erasmus+ is the fund for EU initiatives in education and vocational training, such as mobility of individuals, the development of partnerships and alliances, and policy innovations.
Acknowledging the importance of education for social and economic development, member-state governments have set targets for 2020 in a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020). These concern early childhood education, under-achievement in reading, mathematics and science, early school leavers, completion rates of higher education, and student mobility.
This note offers a selection of recent studies by some of the major think tanks and research institutes analysing the state of education in the EU and reforms needed to improve it.
How returns from tertiary education differ by field of study: Implications for policy-makers and students
Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), August 2015
Students in work and their impact on the labour market
Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), July 2015
The EU and the commons: A commons approach to European knowledge policy
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, July 2015
Extending working lives: A comparative analysis of how governments influence lifelong learning
Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), July 2015
Erasmus Pro: For a million “young European apprentices” by 2020
Notre Europe – Jacques Delors Institute, May 2015
Europeana for education and learning: Policy recommendations
Europeana, May 2015
Quality models in online and open education
European Association for Distance Teaching Universities, May 2015
Herkunft = Zukunft?
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, May 2015
Designing strategies for efficient funding of universities in Europe
European University Association, April 2015
Learning and teaching in European universities
European University Association, April 2015
Éducation et Islam
Fondation pour l’Innovation Politique, March 2015
New vision for education: Unlocking the potential of technology
World Economic Forum, March 2015
Does the growth in higher education mean a decline in the quality of degrees?
Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), March 2015
Higher education scholarships as a soft power tool: An analysis of its role in the EU and Singapore
European Union Centre in Singapore, March 2015
Should higher education in Europe be re-directed toward R&D?
Friends of Europe, January 2015
Developing school capacity for diversity
Migration Policy Institute, November 2014
Enhancing EU education policy: Building a framework to help young people of migrant background succeed
Migration Policy Institute, November 2014
Réforme de la formation professionnelle : entre avancées, occasions manquées et pari financier
Institut Montaigne, September 2014
Breaking the cycle of disadvantage: Early childhood interventions and progression to higher education in Europe
Rand Europe, June 2014
Education to employment: Getting Europe’s youth into work
McKinsey Centre for Government, January 2014
Improving the quality of teaching and learning in Europe’s higher education institutions
High Level Group on the Modernisation of Higher Education, June 2013
Fixing the broken promise of higher education in Europe
Fondation Européenne d’Etudes Progressistes, June 2013
How rankings are reshaping higher education
Dublin Institute of Technology, May 2013
The future of higher education in Europe: The case for a stronger base in EU Law
London School of Economics, July 2012
A higher education for the 21st century: European and US approaches
Centre for European Studies, March 2012
and so