The Learning Lab is an initiative which promotes the use of education policy evaluation practices in the EU and identifies ways to invest in education policies.  

It recognises that evaluation is the key to successful education policy design and implementation. It puts resources, methodologies, and collaborative tools at the disposal of policymakers and evaluators, to facilitate robust policy evaluation knowledge, plans for investment in education, ideas on education policy design as well as education policy evaluation practices.

Supporting national education authorities

A new publication from the European Commission’s department for education and culture (DG EAC) highlights the following features of the Learning Lab.

Collaborative learning

Through the Learning Lab, participants from EU countries can learn from each other and uncover new insights using collaborative tools.

Tailored training courses

The Learning Lab offers non-technical training courses tailored to the specific national needs and contexts. These courses introduce counterfactual impact evaluation techniques and cover topics such as design, data analysis, and interpretation of results.

Community of practice

The Community of Practice on Counterfactual Impact Evaluation of Education Policies (CoP-EP) fosters collaboration between members, sharing good practices and discussing common issues related to causal impact evaluation of education policies.

Customised technical support

Customised technical assistance is available for EU national authorities, offering expertise in all phases of the evaluation process, including intervention selection, design, data collection, analysis, and evaluation methodology.

Building evidence

The Learning Lab translates complex findings into clear and actionable policy-relevant messages, providing policymakers with information on effective education and training measures. It also supports researchers in conducting innovative research on education policy evaluation through Horizon Europe funding.