Changing economic and social conditions are giving education a central role in the success of individuals and nations. As the final stage of formal education for the majority of students in OECD countries, upper secondary education is a crucial link. How successful are upper secondary schools in meeting the demands of modern societies and what are the main obstacles that they perceive in preparing young adults for life and a longer and increasingly complex transition from education to employment?
The publication “Completing the Foundation for Lifelong Learning – An OECD Survey of Upper Secondary Schools” provides, for the first time, internationally comparable data from schools on these issues. It sheds light on how upper secondary schools are managed and financed, on their approaches to securing qualified teachers and the difficulties they face with this, and their efforts to support the professional development of teachers. It also compares student admission policies and how upper secondary schools support students in their transition to the world of work as well as the extent to which schools are successful in integrating information and communication technologies into the instructional process.
The report is based on OECD’s International Survey of Upper Secondary Schools that was conducted in 2001 in Belgium (Flemish Community), Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. While the primary objective of the survey was to develop insights into the functioning of upper secondary school systems, it has also served to pilot new methodologies that allow for cross-country comparisons at the level of educational institutions. The further development of these methodologies will allow international comparisons to increasingly look beyond aggregate country performance and incorporate variations in the provision and processes of education within countries. This, in turn, will allow for better insights into issues of equity in the provision of education.
Tables
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- Table 2: Managing upper secondary education as a stage of student transition
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Table 2.1a - Admission and placement policies in upper secondary education as reported by school principals (2001)
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Table 2.1b - Indices of admission and placement policies related to students' performance (2001)
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Table 2.2a - Frequency of using various criteria in grouping students in upper secondary schools as reported by school principals (2001)
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Table 2.2b - Index of selective grouping policies within schools as reported by school principals (2001)
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Table 2.3 - Keeping record of students' progress and teachers' access to student records (2001)
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Table 2.4a - Frequency of use of different career guidance and counselling methods in upper secondary schools as reported by school principals (2001)
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T2.4b - Frequency of use of career guidance and counselling methods in different programme types (2001)
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T2.5 - Indices of variety of career guidance and counselling methods in upper secondary schools (2001)
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T2.6 - Percentage of upper secondary students who received individual career guidance in the final year of their programme, by type of programme (2001)
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T2.7 - Feedback on school functioning as reported by school principals (2001)
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T2.8 - Standardised frequencies of feedback from various groups of stakeholders as reported by school principals (2001)
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T2.9 - Index of variety of feedback from various stakeholders (2001)
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Table 3.1a - Ratio of students to school staff (2001)
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Table 3.1b - Ratio of students to school staff by school size (2001)
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Table 3.1c - Ratio of students to school staff by size of the community in which the school is located (2001)
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Table 3.1d - Ratio of students to school staff in publicly and privately managed schools (2001)
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Table 3.2a - Distribution of school staff by personnel category (2001)
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Table 3.2b - Distribution of school staff by personnel category and school size (2001)
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Table 3.2c - Distribution of school staff by personnel category and size of the community in which the school is located (2001)
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Table 3.2d - Distribution of school staff by personnel category in publicly and privately managed schools (2001)
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Table 3.3 - Percentage of temporary teachers, teachers who do not fully meet qualification requirements (2001)
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Table 3.4 - Methods used to cover teacher vacancies (2001)
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Table 3.5 - Teacher absenteeism (2001)
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Table 3.6a - Perceived difficulty of hiring teachers who fully meet qualification requirements (2001)
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Table 3.6b - Index of difficulty of hiring fully qualified upper secondary teachers across countries by study area (2001)
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Table 3.7 - Introduction of information and communication technology in schools (2001)
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Table 3.8 - Computers available for students and teachers (2001)
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Table 3.9 - Computers connected to the Internet or to local area networks (2001)
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Table 3.10 - Schools supporting professional development activities (2001)
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Table 3.11a - Teacher participation in professional development by type of activities (2001)
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Table 3.11b - Index of variety of professional development activities (2001)
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Table 3.12 - Teacher participation in professional development activities in upper secondary education (2001)
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Table 3.13 - Teachers' use of computer technology in schools (2001)
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Table 3.14a - Computer use for different educational purposes (2001)
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Table 3.14b - Index of variety in educational computer use (2001)
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Table 3.15a - Computer-related activities in upper secondary education (2001)
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Table 3.15b - Index of variety of computer-related student activities (2001)
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Table 3.16a - Perceived obstacles to reaching school goals related to development of information and communication technology (2001)
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Table 3.16b - Indices of obstacles to reaching school goals related to development of information and communication technology (2001)
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Table 3.17 - Scope of upper secondary schools' co-operation in information and communication technology (2001)
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T4.1a - Eleven benchmark indicators of upper secondary school characteristics
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T4.1b - Country profiles according to eleven benchmark indicators
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T4.2 - Indicators of upper secondary education and PISA results
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Table A2.1 - List of upper secondary programmes included in the ISUSS study
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Table A2.2 - Mainstream upper secondary programmes and enrolments of upper secondary students in different programmes (2001)
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Table A2.3 - Programme levels provided in the schools of upper secondary students (2001)
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Table A2.4 - Upper secondary providers by combination of programme types offered (2001)
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Table A2.5 - Enrolments in upper secondary education by type of provider and size of the school site (2001)
Figures
- Figure 2: Managing upper secondary education as a stage of student transition
- Figure 2.1 - Admission and placement policies in upper secondary education (2001)
- Figure 2.2 - Index of performance-related admission and placement policies (2001)
- Figure 2.3 - Criteria for grouping students in upper secondary schools (2001)
- Figure 2.4 - Differences between schools in grouping students within the school (2001)
- Figure 2.5 - Performance-related admission policies and selective grouping policies (2001)
- Figure 2.6 - Indicators of differentiation and equity before, during and after upper secondary education (2000 and 2001)
- Figure 2.7 - Keeping central records of students' progress (2001)
- Figure 2.8 - Frequency of using various career guidance and counselling methods (2001)
- Figure 2.9 - Indices of variety of career guidance and counselling methods (2001)
- Figure 2.10 - Percentage of upper secondary students who received individual career guidance by type of programme (2001)
- Figure 2.11 - Country profiles of feedback on school functioning (2001)
- Figure 2.12 - Index of variety of feedback from various stakeholders (2001)
- Figure 3.1: Quality and adaptability:inputs and processes that help schools meet changing demands
- Figure 3.1 - Ratio of upper secondary students to professional personnel (2001)
- Figure 3.2 - Distribution of school staff by personnel category (2001)
- Figure 3.3 - Not fully qualified teachers (2001)
- Figure 3.4 - The school's responsibility in hiring teachers in publicly and privately managed institutions (2001)
- Figure 3.5 - Methods used to cover teacher vacancies (2001)
- Figure 3.6 - Percentage of class periods cancelled or covered by another teacher because of the absence of the assigned teacher (2001)
- Figure 3.7 - Average difficulty of hiring qualified teachers across countries by study areas (2001)
- Figure 3.8 - Perceived difficulty of hiring qualified teachers in various study areas (2001)
- Figure 3.9 - Index of difficulty for hiring teachers who fully meet qualification requirements (2001)
- Figure 3.10 - Introduction of information and communication technology (ICT) in schools (1980 - 2000)
- Figure 3.11 - Ratio of students to computers and ratio of teachers to computers in upper secondary schools (2001)
- Figure 3.12 - Percentage of school computers connected to the Internet or to local area networks (2001)
- Figure 3.13 - School budget for professional development activities (2001)
- Figure 3.14 - Average frequency of various types of professional development activities across countries (2001)
- Figure 3.15 - Teacher participation in different professional development activities (2001)
- Figure 3.16 - Differences between schools in the variety of professional development activities (2001)
- Figure 3.17 - Percentage of upper secondary students attending schools where different proportions of teachers have participated in professional development activities (2001)
- Figure 3.2:(continuation of Figure 3.1) Quality and adaptability: inputs and processes that help schools meet changing demands
- Figure 3.18 - Percentage of upper secondary students attending schools where more than 60 per cent of teachers use standard computer applications, Internet and e-mail (2001)
- Figure 3.19 - Teacher participation in ICT-related professional development (2001)
- Figure 3.20 - Computer use for different educational purposes in upper secondary schools (2001)
- Figure 3.21 - Index of variety in educational use of computers (2001)
- Figure 3.22 - Average frequency of computer-related student activities in upper secondary schools as reported by school principals (2001)
- Figure 3.23 - Relationship between the variety of educational computer use and the variety of computer-related student activities (2001)
- Figure 3.24 - Perceived obstacles to reaching school goals related to development of information and communication technology (2001)
- Figure 3.25 - Most serious obstacles to using ICT in teaching in upper secondary schools (2001)
- Figure 3.26 - Schools which have co-operation in key areas of information and communication technology (2001)
- Figure 3.27 - The scope of school co-operation in ICT development (2001)
Technical Report
Database
Miscellaneous