What economic changes are needed in Spain?
(III) Improving educational outcomes

Objectives

The broad international evidence available on the development of countries shows that, in the long run, their main source of growth is through human capital development. Today it is even more evident, since we live in an era marked by the emergence of the knowledge society and the growing importance of information and communication technologies. Hence, for a country to compete in global markets, it is ever more necessary to improve its population’s competencies and to mobilize its human capital effectively.

In particular, the recent experience in Spain and in other countries has shown that other models of development, based on the mere quantitative accumulation of factors and the use of external funding, are limited and eventually run out leading to an intense crisis of unpredictable duration.

Unfortunately, various international proficiency assessment tests indicate that, despite undeniable efforts, the situation in Spain regarding the educational outcome of its students and the skills of its workers is quite modest compared with the rest of developed countries. High dropout rates and serious problems of unemployment even among groups with high educational levels are other worrying education issues in Spain. These deficiencies have a negative impact on the transition of individuals into the labour market and their productivity, which, in turn, affect the whole society by limiting its ability to achieve higher levels of well-being.

Therefore, many of the solutions to the current problems in our country must start with improvements in the educational training of the Spanish population. Without a doubt, this requires a rigorous analysis and revision of the education system based on the increasingly improved and abundant information available, not forgetting that these educational results depend on a broad set of factors that respond to the interaction between resources, teachers, students and families. As well, we should not forget that factors external to the educational system, such as those related to labour market institutions, also influence in a very relevant way the competencies of individuals and their efficient use of these.

For this purpose we have invited a group of well-known specialists in this field, accredited by their academic careers and publications, to discuss these issues. Their interventions will be structured in two panels that focus on the educational problems in Spain. The first part will respond to aspects relating to the determinants of educational outcomes and the second part will focus on the most important problems regarding education in Spain.

This seminar, third of a series of activities of the BBVA Foundation Economic Research Program dedicated to analyzing the economic changes that Spain needs, is aimed at economists and the Public Administration workers, Social Science teachers and students, interested public and the media.

Programa provisional del seminario

9:15–9:30 Apertura y presentación

Francisco Pérez, Universitat de València e Ivie

9:30–11:30 Primer Panel. Los determinantes del rendimiento educativo

Moderador: José Manuel Pastor, Universitat de València e Ivie

“Rendimiento académico. Causas y políticas educativas para mejorarlo”
Josep Oriol Escardíbul, Universitat de Barcelona e Instituto de Economía de Barcelona (IEB)

“Habilidades no cognitivas y rendimiento escolar”
Ildefonso Méndez, Universidad de Murcia

“Pobres resultados y resultados de los pobres según PISA”
Antonio Villar, Universidad Pablo de Olavide e Ivie

11:30–12:00 Pausa – café

12:00–14:00 Segundo Panel. La mejora de la formación en España: problemas y soluciones

Moderador: Javier Quesada, Universitat de València e Ivie

“Dualidad en el Mercado de Trabajo y (falta de) Formación en la Empresa: Evidencia de España y otros países de la UE usando datos del PIAAC”
Ricardo Mora, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

“Los retos de la educación española para equipararse a la UE y la OCDE”
Ismael Sanz, INEE

“El problema del abandono escolar en España”
Lorenzo Serrano y Ángel Soler, Universitat de València e Ivie

14:00–14:15 Clausura

Coordinator

Lorenzo Serrano, Universitat de València e Ivie

Participants

Josep Oriol Escardíbul, Universitat de Barcelona e IEB
Ildefonso Méndez, Universidad de Murcia
Ricardo Mora, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
Francisco Pérez, Universitat de València e Ivie
José Manuel Pastor, Universitat de València e Ivie
Javier Quesada, Universitat de València e Ivie
Ismael Sanz, INEE
Lorenzo Serrano, Universitat de València e Ivie
Ángel Soler, Universitat de València e Ivie
Antonio Villar, Universidad Pablo de Olavide e Ivie

Venue

Fundación Universidad-Empresa, Adeit
Plaza Virgen de la Paz, 3
46001 Valencia