In 1989 the Education Ministers of the European Community passed a resolution to combat school failure. This document was prepared by EURYDICE, the information network formed by the Council on European Communities and the Ministers of Education. The document describes the overall situation in which school failure arises in the various education systems in the European Community (EC). The introduction describes the major consequence of failure at school--social exclusion. Part 1 describes the persistence and seriousness of failure at school and discusses assessment procedures used in the education systems of the EC member states. Part 2 provides an overview of the research and theories on causes of educational failure. Part 3 describes actions taken in response to failure at school, including specific measures implemented in the Member States of the European Community. Information sheets describing the education systems of the 12 member states, 7 tables, and 3 graphs are included. Appendices contain a copy of the 1989 resolution and articles 126 and 127 of the Treaty of Maastricht. (LMI)