Connecting Policy & Practice / Informing & Influencing Policy Development

1. Connecting Policy & Practice /Informing & Influencing Policy Development Raimo Vuorinen Researcher, Institute for Educational Research A Presentation at the Informal Meeting of Ministers of Education: Guidance and Lifelong Learning – Future Directions Dublin Castle, 28/29 April 2004

2. Themes • What role can evaluation play? • Initiatives generated by the evaluation findings? • Implementation of the national initiatives? • Existing tools for the dialogue between policy and practise • Dimensions of guidance provision – a new tool for communication • Connecting Policy & Practise?

3. Comprehensive schools • Employment offices • Vocational guidance and • career planning • Educational and vocational • information services • Employment exchange • services Upper secondary schools Vocational colleges Polytechnics Centre for International Mobility CIMO - Euroguidance Finland Universities Adult education National evaluations of guidance 2000 - 2004 OECD activity on guidance policies 2001-2003 Ministry of Labour 2001-2002 National Board of Education 2001-2002 FINHEEC 2000-2001 NBE 2002 -2004 - still on progress

4. Comprehensive schools Upper secondary schools Vocational colleges Polytechnics Universities Adult education Main findings in the evaluations 2000 - 2004 Contextual findings General findings • Legal basis exists • Guidance is embedded in curricula • Need for trained practitioners • focus on completition of • programmes • Increased demand • Many examples of good practise • Focus on short term decision- • making • Transitions were not described • from a life long learning perpective • - Focus on educational issues • Weak feedback mechanisms • Weak evidence base • Fragmented policy making • ICT not used effectively • Services variable • in quantity and • quality • need for qualified • practitioners

5. What role can evaluation play? An intervention to promote the enhancement of overall guidance provision within regional and institutional levels A mechansism to define targets for national initiatives policy level initiatives -> implementation issues? practise level initiatives -> dissemination issues? Influencing national guidance policies in Finland 2003 – 2008?

6. Development Plan for Education and University Research 2003-2008: • The starting point for the development plan is the realisation of basic security in education. • The aim is to prevent social exclusion and to intervene at an early stage to secure basic rights throughout the entire education system. • Priorities include the improvement of the effectiveness of the education system, support and guidance for children and young people, promotion of adult education opportunities and research activities.

7. Current initiatives to meet the challenges- comprehensive and secondary education • national development programme of student counselling • 70 regional projects • national Web-based support for institutional evaluation • training and mentoring of regional consultants • 80 trained regional consultants • in-service training for teachers in guidance issues • in-service training of school principals • in-service training of guidance practitioners • national 3-level training programme in ICT skills for practitioners

8. Current initiatives to meet the challenges- comprehensive and secondary education • National guidelines for guidance provision and career education • a strategic and operational plan for the guidance provision • regular evaluation of produced services • a holistic approach • student counsellor, every teacher and principal are delivering counselling services (responsibilities) • multi-professional cooperation – expert groups (pastoral care, etc.) • New goals of the curriculum guidelines • support personal growth and development • promote the development of study skills and to help in learning difficulties • counsel and guide students in educational and occupational orientation

9. Current initiatives to meet the challenges- Higher education • Ministry of Education invited all universities to draw up development strategies for basic degrees and for studies, in which guidance plays an important part • In the target outcome negotiations conducted in spring 2002, guidance was one of the themes discussed with all the universities. • Additionally, the Ministry of Education has decided that all the HEIs will introduce the individual study plan system by the year 2006 as a part of the preparation for the two-cycle degree system proposed by the European Union in the Bologna process • Additional funding for institutional pilot projects in guidance

10. Existing tools for the dialogue between policy and practise: • National policy seminars • Sustainable national forums • Internet-based resource centres • for policy makers, practitioners, trainers, researchers, stake holders • platforms for communication • databases of research and good practise • support for national, regional and institutional decision making processes

11. A new communication tool: Dimensions of guidance provision(Hakulinen & Kasurinen 2002) • factors behind decision making – why does guidance matter for public policy? • time dimension – when guidance is needed? • contextual dimension – in which framework? • systemic dimension – where are the decisions made? • area dimension – what sectors are involved? • responsibility dimension – who provides guidance? • content dimension – what is the content of services? • methodological dimension – how services are delivered?

12. Matris for counselling strategies in education (Kasurinen 2003) F a c t o r s b e h i n d d e c i s i o n m a k i n g Secondary education Time dimension (When?) Comprehensive education Higher education Working life Adult education Lifelong learning… ….. ….. …. ….. …. . Contextual dimension (Framework) ? Systemic dimension (Where?) ? Area dimension (What) Multi-professional expert groups? Responsibility dimension (Who?) Cooperation? Content dimension (What?) Transition? Follow-up? Methodological dimension (How?) Face-to-face? Group activities? ICT?

13. Questions for discussions: • How to promote and develop common understanding and communication tools on guidance policy and practise within the education sector, between the education and employment sectors and also with the citizens generally? • How to engage policy makers, social partners, researchers, practitioners and citizens to establish sustainable cross-sectoral fora or other structures in order to promote guidance policy development?

14. Thank you! For further information, please contact: University of Jyväskylä, Institute for educational research Raimo Vuorinen, Researcher tel. +358-14-2603271 email: raimo.vuorinen@ktl.jyu.fi