A new report from the OECD offers a detailed look at 450 education reforms adopted across OECD countries between 2008 and 2014. The (OECD) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s mission is to “promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.”
Of those 450 education reforms, 16 percent focused on ensuring quality and equity in education; 29 percent aimed to better prepare students for the future, in some cases via vocational education or work-based training and apprenticeships; 24 percent focused on school improvement through development of positive learning environments and quality staff; and 12 percent focused on assessment.
Given that the governance of education systems has become increasingly complex, 9 percent of reforms elaborated overarching visions. Eleven percent of all reform measures addressed funding at the system level, the institutional level, and the student level.
For all of this — critically — the report finds that once most new policies are adopted, countries conduct little follow-up. Only 10 percent of policies that the OECD identified had been evaluated for impact. Measuring impact more rigorously and consistently, the report notes, is not only cost-effective in the long run, it is essential for developing useful, practicable, and successful policy options.
As long as one in five 15-year-olds in OECD countries does not acquire the minimum skills necessary to participate fully in today’s society, not enough accountability concerning reforms has been instituted.
For more information, please visit: http://www.oecd.org/edu/education-policy-outlook-2015-9789264225442-en.htm
