Although European policies promote the development of a knowledge-base society, international comparative studies reveal that still countries of competing economic zones such as Pacific Rim Countries outperform educationally. Also between European countries large differences exist in average achievement level and in offering equal opportunities to diverse student populations. Identifying effective factors at school and system level may help develop ways to improve effectiveness in education across Europe.

In this context, this international study, which is conducted in six European countries (Cyprus, Greece, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Slovenia), has four main aims:

• To investigate and explain differences between European countries and schools within countries in the average and differential added value of primary education for different outcomes of schooling, taking into account diversity of student intake.
• To inform national and European policy makers about effective practices at system (country), school and classroom level contributing to the improvement of educational quality in terms of higher average achievement and better educational opportunities for disadvantaged students.
• To develop further and test the validity of the dynamic model of educational effectiveness, especially in relation to diversity of student intake, processes, and prospective outcomes in order to improve the effectiveness of education based on scientific validated model(s)
• To elaborate on the system level factors of the dynamic model, explore their relationships with educational outcomes and with the school and classroom level factors, and draw implications for educational policy and research.

To investigate and explain differences in the value added of education, the collection of data from different countries is a prerequisite. Collection of data about quality of teaching, policies on teaching and on the school learning environment, and evaluation of policies and actions taken for improvement will establish variation in the functioning of factors of the dynamic model and allow us to measure their impact on quality and equity in education. Based on this information, we will identify generic and differential factors and come up with recommendations for improving education in each participating country by taking into account diversity.

For further information on the design of this study see the description of the comparative Project.