This policy paper examines teacher support for students in mathematics lessons, drawing on data from PISA 2022 and previous cycles. It highlights key trends and explores how school contexts, teacher practices, and student characteristics influence the level of support students receive. Over the past decade (2012–2022), teacher support has declined in most participating education systems. This paper addresses the critical question of how education systems can reverse this trend and strengthen teacher support. Understanding the conditions and practices that enable teachers to effectively meet students’ diverse learning needs is essential. Through this analysis, the paper provides insights and policy recommendations to help foster supportive learning environments, guide education reform, and mitigate the decline in teacher support observed since 2012.

This policy paper examines the distribution and relevance of students’ growth mindset beliefs, drawing on data from the 2022 cycle of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). It highlights a drop in the prevalence of a growth mindset —the belief that intelligence can develop through feedback, effort and effective strategies—between 2018 and 2022. Nevertheless, it shows that students with a growth mindset generally achieve higher scores in mathematics, reading and science, than their peers with a fixed mindset. This paper shows that a growth mindset is most common among high performers, yet the strongest performance differences linked with it appear among mid-performing students. Among low performers, the associations with achievement are weaker or inconsistent. A growth mindset also aligns positively with self-efficacy, curiosity, persistence and lower mathematics anxiety, though these associations vary by performance level. Moreover, at the classroom level, when teachers support students and cognitively challenging instruction is prevalent, the performance gap between growth- and fixed-mindset students is wider. But this pattern is not observed among struggling learners. At the school level, growth mindset clusters mirroring socio-economic disparities. These analyses highlight the importance of policies that pair mindset-supportive practices with equitable access to quality teaching and learning environments.

This country policy profile on education in Korea is part of the Education Policy Outlook series. Building on the first policy profile for Korea (2016), it offers a concise analysis of where the education system stands today and how this compares to other OECD systems. The profile analyses the evolution of ongoing and emerging related policy efforts in Korea. It also offers relevant international policy examples that may serve as possible inspiration as policy makers work to address Korea’s key challenges and priorities, particularly in the context of digitalisation, demographic change and the green transition. The report brings together over a decade's worth of policy analysis by the Education Policy Outlook, as well as recent OECD data, relevant thematic and country-specific work, and other international and national evidence. It also benefits from the Education Policy Outlook's ongoing comparative analysis of resilience and responsiveness in education policy.

This policy paper examines how much time 15-year-old students dedicate to digital leisure outside of school and explores the relationship between digital leisure and students’ learning outcomes and well-being at school. The paper finds that when digital leisure takes place outside school hours, it is only after 4 hours a day that the relationships between time spent on digital leisure and students’ mathematics scores and sense of belonging at school are negative. Students who balance a moderate use of digital devices for leisure with a moderate time spent on learning outside of school have both higher academic and well-being outcomes than their peers.

This paper examines the Tailored Work Experience (TWE) programme in Wales, an initiative launched in 2022 to re-engage students aged 14–16 at risk of becoming Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET). Drawing on international research, stakeholder perspectives, and new analysis of data from the 2022 OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the paper explores how extended work experience placements can influence student engagement, academic outcomes, and future aspirations. The analysis situates the TWE within broader theories of human, social and cultural capital, and compares it to similar programmes in OECD countries. It finds that while work experience can contribute positively to student motivation and long-term employment prospects, its effectiveness depends heavily on quality, student preparation, and integration with wider career development activities. The paper offers five key considerations for enhancing the TWE programme and highlights the importance of thoughtful design in maximising benefits for socially disadvantaged and low-performing students.

This paper presents findings from a pilot study conducted in seven countries to assess the feasibility and perceived effectiveness of an accessible PISA form for students with moderate difficulties seeing, specific difficulties reading, and difficulties focusing and controlling behaviour. The pilot involved administering a one-hour test form that included adapted PISA Science items, accessibility tools, and flexible test scheduling with breaks. Data from log files, questionnaires, and focus groups were collected to examine student engagement, use and perception of the accommodations, and their perceived impact on performance. Results show that students were engaged and found the tools helpful — particularly the read-aloud and contrast features — with differences in tool use and perceived usefulness across needs. The study offers promising evidence that students with special education needs can meaningfully participate in PISA when appropriate accommodations are provided. The paper concludes with recommendations for their future implementation in PISA.