Programming and computational thinking skills are becoming ever more important in our society and working life. Today, a growing number of countries in Europe and internationally are refocusing their ICT curricula on developing students’ computer programming and coding skills, and introducing the topic in national, regional or school curricula. So what lies behind this emerging trend?

Securing access to education for all is essential for equal and democratic societies. Girls and boys in Europe are fortunate enough to enjoy equal access to schooling and education, and while gender inequalities are a persistent feature of European education systems, a great deal is being done to tackle them.

Consumer education is concerned with teaching the skills, attitudes and knowledge needed to live in a consumer society. It is a fundamental component of general education, designed to support consumers in their efforts to lead a sustainable lifestyle. Consumer Classroom, a website providing ready-to-use teaching resources on a wide range of consumer education themes, organises an inter-school competition on digital content, open to secondary schools (12-18 year old students) across the European Union.

Approximately 5 million European citizens aged 18 to 24 are considered “early school leavers”, meaning they have left school having completed only their lower secondary education or less, and are no longer receiving education and training. Early school leaving is linked to a high risk of unemployment, in turn leading to reduced lifetime earnings and even poverty. Early school leavers are also more prone to social exclusion. For this reason, reducing early school leaving is one of the main common goals agreed by the education ministries of European Union countries, with Member States committing to reduce the proportion of early school leavers to less than 10% by 2020 (this figure stood at 13.9% in 2010).

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers is a key factor in improving the quality of teaching and learning. It is considered a professional duty in 28 European education systems, and demand for CPD is heightened not only by trends in education but also by education reforms.

Values such as equality, peace, justice, non-discrimination, non-violence, tolerance and respect for human dignity are the cornerstones of modern, democratic and multicultural societies. Such values can be reinforced through the provision of human rights education, citizenship education and education in mutual respect and understanding.

The growing use of digital tools in the classroom brings also a number of questions related to e-safety and handling of such issues. The annual Safer Internet Day challenges people across the globe to reconsider their take on online safety.

eTwinning was launched in January 2005 as the flagship of the European Commission’s eLearning programme. The project was modelled on the decision by the Barcelona European Council in March 2002 that identified school twinning as an opportunity for all young people to learn and practice information & communication technologies skills, as well as promote the multicultural European model of society.

Improving the quality of education and training is one of the cornerstones of the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020), adopted in 2009. The school evaluation plays an important role in it, as it’s a way to improve school organisation and functioning, as well as to enhance the quality of education provision.

The European Commission works with EU countries to strengthen 'key competences' – knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will help learners find personal fulfilment and, later in life, find work and take part in society.