PISA in Focus

PISA in Focus is a series of concise monthly education policy-oriented notes designed to describe a PISA topic.

N°37: Do students have the drive to succeed?

How many times have you heard successful people, in all walks of life, credit their triumphs to hard work and perseverance? Now PISA adds to the chorus with some hard evidence: when students believe that working hard will make a difference in their studies, they score significantly higher in mathematics. This month’s PISA in Focus examines how students’ perseverance and belief that hard work yields positive results are clearly linked to better performance.

N°36: Do parents’ occupations have an impact on student performance?

Also available: français (lisez le blog)

N°35: Who are the school truants?

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N°34: Who are the strong performers and successful reformers in education?

Strong performers and successful reformers in education share some key characteristics: a belief in the potential of all their students, strong political will, and the capacity of all stakeholders to make sustained and concerted efforts towards improvement.

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Also available: français

N°33: What can immigrant students tell us about education systems?

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N°32: Do students perform better in schools with orderly classrooms?

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N°31: Who are the academic all-rounders?

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N°30: Could learning strategies reduce the performance gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students?

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N°29: Do immigrant students' reading skills depend on how long they've been in their new country?

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N°28: What makes urban schools different?

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N°27: Does it matter which school a student attends?

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N°26: Grade Expectations

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N°25: Are countries moving towards more equitable education systems?

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N°24: What do students think about school?

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N°23: What do students expect to do after finishing upper secondary school

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N°22: How do immigrant students fare in disadvantaged schools?

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N°21: Do today's 15-year-olds feel environmentally responsible?

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N°20: Are school vouchers associated with equity in education?

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N°19: Is there really such a thing as a “second chance” in education?

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N°18: Are students more engaged when schools offer extracurricular activities?

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N°17: Are large cities educational assets or liabilities?

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N°16: Does performance-based pay improve teaching?

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N°15: How green are today's 15-year-olds?

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N°14: What kinds of careers do boys and girls expect for themselves?

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N°13: Does money buy strong performance in PISA?

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Also available: Deutsch, español, français, italiano, Japanese, português

N°12: Are boys and girls ready for the digital age?

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Also available: Deutsch, español, français ,italiano, Japanese, português

N°11: How are school systems adapting to increasing numbers of immigrants students?

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Also available:Deutsch, español, français, italiano, Japanese, português

N°10: What can parents do to help their children succeed in school?

Also available: Deutsch, español,français, italiano,Japanese, português

N°9: School autonomy and accountability: Are they related to student performance?

Also available: Chinese, Deutsch, español, français, italiano, Japanese, português

N°8: Do students today read for pleasure?

Also available: Chinese, Deutsch, español, français, italiano, Japanese, português

N°7: Private schools: Who benefits?

Also available: Chinese, Deutsch, español, français, italiano, Japanese, português

N°6: When students repeat grades or are transferred out of school: What does it mean for education systems?

Background information: esimation of costs for grade repetition: notes, data tables

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N°5: How do some students overcome their socio-economic background?

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N°4: Has discipline in school deteriorated?

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N°3: Does investing in after-school classes pay off?

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N°2: Improving performance: leading from the bottom

Also available: Chinese, Deutsch, español, français, italiano, Japanese, polski, português

N°1: Pre-primary education and performance in PISA

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See also: Education Indicators in Focus and Teaching in Focus