EVALUATION REPORTS ON THE SECOND CHANCE SCHOOLS

In 1999 the European Commission started an external evaluation exercise to find out what the achievements have been of these schools and what lessons could be learned in terms of the methodological and pedagogical approaches.

Three thematic reports have been finalised early September 2000. The synthesis report, which builds on the thematic reports whilst adding quantified data and a more global, political assessment on the Second Chance School pilot projects as such, was finalised early November 2000. A fifth report is the "response" report of the Commission (pdf format)itself, which considers the different elements of the external evaluation, puts these into context and draws some of its own conclusions.

Notwithstanding the fact that the external evaluation offers an interesting, informative and globally positive assessment, the reports cannot be considered as an 'end report' but more as a "rapport d'étape". The actual launch dates of the different schools are spread out over the four years 1996-2000, and many schools have not even finished one school cycle. Information on the actual job insertion on the pupils is, for instance, very limited at this stage.

All the same, the results of the Second Chance Schools so far are rather encouraging.

Experience, as confirmed by the external evaluation reports, suggests that the second chance schools are, indeed, at the rendezvous of young people left at the wayside and that they are succeeding in placing them back on a pathway of learning and, consequently, social and professional rehabilitation.

It is by itself a remarkable achievement that these 13 schools have managed to capture almost 4.000 young persons which had previously turned their backs on education and were inclined to consider schools as places of displeasure, frustration, adversity and, ultimately, failure and self-depreciation. Revealing is that in one external survey of a sample of current pupils, 90 % indicated that the second chance school had offered them a real improvement of their situation.

Reports

1. The external synthesis report, produced by Beratungs-, Projektmanagement- und Personalsentwicklungsgesellschaft (BBJ) in Berlin (D) (PDF format - 3600 kb)

2. The thematic report on "partnership" produced by Centrum voor Europese Studies en Opleidingen (CESO) in Maastricht (NL) and the Collège Cooperatif  Provence Alpes Méditerranée in Aix-en-Provence (F) (PDF format - 480 kb)

3. The thematic report on "teaching methods" produced by CESO in Maastricht (NL) and AIKE International Ltd in Helsinki (Finland) (PDF format - 220 kb)

4. The thematic report on the characteristics and progression of the target group, produced by the Centre International d'Etudes Pédagogiques (CIEP) in Sèvres (F) (PDF format - 250 kb)