Going grey, staying skilled

by Marco PaccagnellaAnalyst, Directorate for Education and Skills, OECDThe population is “greying” in most advanced countries as well as in some developing countries. Many governments are struggling to address the challenges resulting from this demographic transition, from rising costs of healthcare, to worries about the sustainability of pension systems.Increased life expectancy represents one of...

Read More »

How well are teachers doing in solving problems using ICT?

by Dirk Van DammeHead of the Innovation and Measuring Division, Directorate for Education and SkillsIf one were to ask ministers of education what they consider to be the most important factor determining the quality of their education systems, the odds are high that they would refer to the quality of the teaching work force. The saying goes that the quality of an education system can never exceed...

Read More »

Colombia’s moment of truth

by Andreas SchleicherDirector, Directorate for Education and SkillsColombia now has an historic opportunity to end one of the world’s longest-running armed conflicts. Will the country be able to seize this chance and realise its huge economic, social and cultural potential? That depends on nothing more than on what happens in Colombia’s classrooms.Education is the foundation for lasting peace; and,...

Read More »

Making literacy everybody’s business

by Andreas SchleicherDirector, Directorate for Education and SkillsWhile poor literacy skills severely limit people’s access to better-paying and more rewarding jobs, data from the OECD Survey of Adult Skills also shows that individuals with poor literacy skills are far more likely than those with advanced literacy skills to report poor health, to believe that they have little impact on political...

Read More »

Governing complex education systems

by Tracey BurnsAnalyst, Directorate for Education and Skills, OECDFlorian KoesterConsultant, Directorate for Education and Skills, OECDWhat models of governance are effective in complex education systems? How can governments set priorities and design polices that balance responsiveness to local diversity with national education goals? And how do we ensure that there is trust, co-operation and communication...

Read More »

How far from the tree does the leaf fall?

by Antonio VillarThomas J. Alexander Fellow & Universidad Pablo de Olavide High and Low performers in advantaged and disadvantaged students (OECD, PISA 2012 Results)Equality of opportunity is a lofty ideal, but some societies get closer to achieving it than others. Regarding compulsory education, results from PISA show that socio-economically disadvantaged students in the OECD have much higher...

Read More »