Preschool and school

The foundations of formal learning are laid in primary and secondary school, but they can easily be undermined by social disadvantage and language barriers. OECD aims to help countries foster quality teaching in preschools and schools to ensure all students - regardless of circumstances - lay the grounds for a lifetime of learning. Find out more.

What's new

"Tackling inequity" by Barbara Ischinger, Director - OECD Directorate for Education

09-Feb-2012

What struck me most about the international roundtable on early childhood education and care that I attended late last month in Oslo was the simple fact that this topic attracted such intense interest. It probably wouldn’t have happened a decade ago. The fact that it’s happening now, even as most of the countries represented at the meeting are in the midst of an economic crisis, is an encouraging sign. It shows that more governments understand that equity of opportunity has to begin in the first years of life in order to give everyone a fair chance to succeed later on.

Education: Reduce school failure to boost equity and growth, says OECD

09-Feb-2012

09/02/2012 - Governments should invest more in disadvantaged schools and students to ensure that everyone gets a fair chance, according to a new OECD report. Equity and Quality in Education: Supporting Disadvantaged Students and Schools says that helping those in need would reduce school failure, boost economic growth and contribute to a fairer society.

2012 International Summit on the Teaching Profession, New York City

from 14-Mar-2012 to 15-Mar-2012

The U.S. Department of Education, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Education International (EI), the global federation of teacher unions, will again join U.S.-based education partners—the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Asia Society, the Council of Chief State School Officers(CCSSO), the National Education Association (NEA), and public broadcaster WNET—to hold the second International Summit on the Teaching Profession: Preparing Teachers and Developing School Leaders.

Improving equity in education: a critical challenge

31-Jan-2012

by Ben Levin, Professor University of Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Education Leadership and Policy

Improving equity in student outcomes remains a critical challenge for every country in the OECD.  Even those countries with the lowest levels of inequity must still be concerned with gaps in outcomes that are not related to students’ motivation and capacity, while in other countries the inequities are so large as to pose a fundamental challenge to ongoing security and prosperity.

OECD Reviews of Evaluation and Assessment in Education: Czech Republic

30-Jan-2012

The country reports in this series provide, from an international perspective, an independent analysis of major issues facing the evaluation and assessment framework, current policy initiatives, and possible future approaches. This series forms part of the OECD Review on Evaluation and Assessment Frameworks for Improving School Outcomes.

Education: quality standards essential to boost child learning and development, says OECD

23-Jan-2012

Governments should establish quality standards and goals in early childhood education and care in order to boost child learning and development, according to a new OECD report.

"Early Childhood Education and Care: a priority investment" by Kristin Halvorsen, Minister of Education, Norway

23-Jan-2012

As Minister of Education in Norway I am happy to be hosting the OECD roundtable conference Starting Strong: Implementing policies for high-quality Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). Providing all children with high quality early childhood education and care is an investment in the future and provides a great benefit for both the individual and society

Starting Strong III: A Quality Toolbox for ECEC - online version

20-Jan-2012

The Quality Toolbox is intended to present "practical solutions" for anyone with a role to play in encouraging quality in ECEC. It presents five policy levers that are likely to enhance quality, underpinned by the international research base and country experience.

PISA: Are boys and girls ready for the digital age?

19-Jan-2012

'PISA in Focus N°12' compares the performance of 15-year-old girls and boys in digital reading tests.

Starting Strong: The people helping to raise young children

17-Jan-2012

The concept of a stay-at-home parent seems outdated. Who can afford not to work these days? So what are kids up to during those precious, formative early years after their parents go back to work and before compulsory school begins around age 5 or 6? Who are the people we turn to for help in the immensely important role of raising our young children? And can we value them as much as we depend on them?

Making education reform happen

03-Jan-2012

This is the time of year when a lot of us resolve to commit ourselves to self-improvement plans of greater or lesser magnitude. Spend more time reading? On the list. Eat better? Ditto. Reform the education system? Whoa—nice idea; but isn’t that a bit too ambitious? What is it about education reform that all-too-often turns resolve into sighs and resignation? If countries really want to keep that resolution, here’s a suggestion: invite teachers to get involved

Starting Strong: what should children learn?

10-Jan-2012

While it is important for children to be just children, the early years are also especially formative and important for children to develop skills and competencies. The importance and value of good quality care and education for children is becoming increasingly clear, and have shown to impact things as diverse as creativity and life-time earnings.

PISA 2009 results for 10 additional economies - released by ACER

16-Dec-2011

Ten additional economies participated in the PISA 2009 assessment in 2010. Consult the full report released by ACER here  (13MB)

PISA: Has discipline in school deteriorated?

20-May-2011

'PISA in Focus' N°4 examines the relationship between performance of 15-year-olds in PISA and the disciplinary climate in class.

PISA 2009 at a Glance

08-Apr-2011

 PISA 2009 at a Glance is a companion publication to PISA 2009 Results, the six-volume report on the 2009 survey conducted by the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

See more news and events… Top of page

Focus

This new publication focuses on quality issues: it aims to define quality and outlines five policy levers that can enhance it in ECEC.

Starting Strong III - A Quality Toolbox for Early Childhood Education and Care

What is PISA? Find out on YouTube

PISA - Measuring student success around the world

Focus

This report aims to help education authorities understand and strengthen lower secondary education.

Reviews of National Policies for Education: Improving Lower Secondary Schools in Norway 2011

Focus

This book looks at the students who excel in PISA surveys despite a disadvantaged background.

Against the Odds: Disadvantaged Students Who Succeed in School

Focus

This report provides advice for designing, planning, implementing and evaluating policies and practices on educational assessment, standards and evaluation.

Establishing a Framework for Evaluation and Teacher Incentives: Considerations for Mexico