Producing information on focus areas is one of the tasks assigned to FINEEC. This means producing information on predefined and socially significant focus areas to support decision-making and development work at all levels ranging from Finnish society and the education system at large to the local level. The focus areas of information production are specified in the National plan for Education Evaluations, which guides FINEEC’s work.
During the plan period 2020–2023, the focus areas of the evaluation activities are as follows:
- Learning and competence development
- Promoting equity
- Improving the effectiveness of the education system
- Supporting continuous improvement
Learning and competence development
The evaluation data aimed at developing learning and competence seeks to answer the following questions:
- How well are the objectives set to learning and competence achieved?
- Which factors enhance or hinder learning and strengthening competence?
- How is the development of learning and competence towards future competence needs and continuous learning enhanced?
In the picture below, you can see at a glance the projects that produce evaluation data especially for learning and competence development. Click the picture to enlarge it.
Promoting equity
The evaluation data aimed at promoting equality seeks to answer the following questions:
- What is the state of equality and equal opportunities in education in Finland?
- Which factors enhance or hinder the implementation of equality in education?
In December 2021, FINEEC published a summary publication on the topic: Equality and participation in education – an overview of national evaluations. Finnish Education Evaluation Centre. Summaries 16:2021.
In the picture below, you can see at a glance the projects that produce evaluation data especially for promoting equity. Click the picture to enlarge it.
Increasing the functionality of the education system
The evaluation data aimed at increasing the functionality of the education system seeks to answer the following questions:
- How does the education system work as a whole?
- What have been the effects of the education reforms?
- What is the capacity of the education system to react to changes in the operating environment?
In the picture below, you can see at a glance the projects that produce evaluation data especially for increasing the functionality of the education system. Click the picture to enlarge it.
Supporting continuous improvement
The evaluation data aimed at Supporting continuous improvement seeks to answer the following questions:
- How does quality management work and support management and continuous development?
- How does the operating culture support the achievement of the goals set for the activities?
- How is sense of community and participation of various actors in the development efforts achieved?
In spring 2023, FINEEC will publish a summary of the elements and practices of well-functioning quality management of education. The publication deals with all levels of education. FINEEC has previously published a summary entitled Quality Management in the Finnish Education System, which provides an overall picture of the current state of quality management and the focus areas of support needs in quality management in the Finnish education system. In addition, FINEEC has published reports describing the state of quality management at different levels of education, such as Survey of the current state of quality management in basic education (2022) and Status of vocational education and training providers’ quality management (2022).
In the picture below, you can see at a glance the projects that produce evaluation data especially for supporting continuous development. Click the picture to enlarge it.
Information production on focus areas by project
Many projects provide evaluation data for more than one focus area. The table below shows the focus areas on which FINEEC’s evaluation projects in the plan period of 2020–2023 will produce information. For more information on a project, click on its title. Please note that evaluations that have not yet started do not currently have their own pages. For the precise schedules of evaluation projects, see the attachment to the Evaluation plan titled Projects by year (p. 32).
Information on focus areas is also produced in the context of FINEEC’S expert statements.
The focus areas have been marked as follows in the table below:
I – Learning and competence development
II – Promoting equity
III – Improving the effectiveness of the education system
IV – Supporting continuous improvement
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