Spanish Education System: An Overview of Key Reforms
The School Organization in Spain
Key Elements and Characteristics
School organization refers to the arrangement of various school elements to facilitate student education (Garcia Hoz, 1964). Key elements include individuals, objectives, resources, structure, continuity, and rules. Schools are characterized by their specified nature, mandatory enrollment, standardized difficulty, continuous operation regardless of success, external governance, ambiguous goals, inherent differences, and individualization.
Challenges in Educational Organization
Current educational organizations face challenges such as hierarchy, fragmentation, routinization, disconnection, bureaucratization, centralization, high staff turnover, and lack of time.
Schools as Social Subsystems
Schools operate within broader societal contexts, influenced by educational policies and external actors like other schools, businesses, NGOs, educational administrations, and municipalities.
Overview of Major Spanish Education Laws
Spain has seen five major organic education laws in the past 25 years:
LODE (1985)
The Organic Law Governing the Right to Education (LODE), enacted by the Socialist government, aimed to reform the school system to prevent the reproduction of social inequality and ensure the right to education for all. It established a dual system of public and private education, introduced school concerts, and established participatory governance structures with one-person bodies (director, secretary, director of studies) and collegial bodies (school board, faculty).
LOGSE (1990)
The Organic Law on General Education (LOGSE), also enacted by the Socialist government, focused on improving educational quality after achieving universal access. It created the National Institute for Quality and Education, extended basic education to 10 years, introduced early childhood education, granted universities autonomy, and designed a new open curriculum. While initially achieving broad consensus, it later faced criticism for its perceived egalitarianism and curriculum limitations.
LOPEG (1995)
The Law on the Participation, Evaluation, and Governance of Schools (LOPEG), under the Socialist government, aimed to enhance educational quality through six key areas: education in values, equal opportunities, school autonomy, student and parent involvement, reinforced director authority, and strengthened inspection. It faced opposition from unions and teachers.
LOCE (2002)
The Organic Law on the Quality of Education (LOCE), enacted by the People’s Party government, focused on quality within a neoliberal framework. It emphasized outcomes over learning processes, strengthened assessment and inspection, promoted the “culture of effort,” granted schools greater autonomy, and viewed education as a commodity subject to supply and demand rather than a social right. It also introduced free early childhood education.
LOE (2006)
The Organic Law on Education (LOE) addressed curriculum allocation, guaranteed equal access and school choice, provided for balanced schooling for students with special needs, regulated funding for private schools, and addressed the role of Catholic religion in schools. It also included a plan to increase education spending over ten years to align with EU standards.