IEA INSIDER 2025
Supporting Latvian Education Policy and Curriculum Using the Results of the ICCS Study BY IRETA C ˇ EKSE Latvia has participated in ICCS since 1999, when the initial study (CivEd) was conducted. Over this period, the civic education curriculum—and the broader national curriculum—has undergone significant development. In Latvian schools, civic education is taught as a distinct subject (Social Science, sociaˉ laˉ s zinaˉ tnes in Latvian), with the content and focus varying across different grade levels over time. Since the full implementation of the new general education curriculum in 2021, civic participation has been integrated as a transversal competence that may be addressed across all subject areas, in addition to being part of social studies. Since the ICCS 2016 cycle, policymakers and curriculum developers have made greater use of ICCS data.
Given Latvia’s historical context and ongoing geopolitical challenges posed by non-democratic regimes, civic education has consistently been regarded as a critical component of the national curriculum. Since the Russian occupation after World War II, Latvian society has been linguistically and ethnically divided, with Russian-speaking communities and minority schools existing alongside Latvian-language schools. After regaining its independence in 1990, Latvia began developing a new national curriculum, which also influenced the content and structure of civic education. However, the war in Ukraine accelerated political decisions at the national level to transition to a unified school system, phasing out minority schools using Russian as the language of instruction. Since 1 September 2023, this has provided these students with the opportunity to continue their education in Latvian. Latvia’s participation in ICCS has provided valuable insights into the influence of the school environment, students’ levels of civic knowledge, and achievement trends, offering a foundation for the development of civic education content and the refinement of national policy.
education. Multiple policy documents reference the enhancement and expansion of civic education in response to ICCS results. ICCS IN NATIONAL POLICY DOCUMENTS The results of ICCS are referenced in several medium-term education and national policy documents. Specifically, the indicator on students’ achievement in civic education from ICCS is used as a performance measure (RR3.7) in the Education Development Guidelines for 2021–2027. The Latvian National Development Plan 2021–2027 (NAP 2027) is the country’s primary medium-term development planning document. Under the priority “ A united, safe and open society ” and the action line “ Cohesion ,” it references the findings of ICCS 2016. ICCS outcome indicators are used to inform the monitoring and planning of efforts aimed at fostering a cohesive society. The Ministry of Culture’s National Development Plan for 2021–2027 states that performance indicators under the priority “ A united, safe and open society ”—including the action lines “ Cohesion, ” “ Rule of law and governance ,” and “ Security ”—can be assessed using ICCS tools. Similarly, planning documents (result indicator 2.1.4) state that ICCS 2022 will be used to monitor the development of students’ civic knowledge, supporting
In Latvia, several ministries are involved in formulating policies to support the development of civic and citizenship
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