The OECD Improving Schools Reviews follow the OECD’s increasing efforts to strengthen education reform capacity across OECD and partner countries through different components: Tailoring comparative analysis and recommendations, engaging key stakeholders, and developing a reform action plan through the OECD Seminar for Leaders in Education Improvement.

1. Improving Schools: Reviews of National Policies for Education
Tailored
Tailored OECD advice
international for your
analysis and
recommendations
country’s
education
reforms
Consultation Capacity
and building in
engagement policy design
with key actors and
for a shared implemen-
vision of tation of
reforms reforms

2. Tailored education policy country reviews
3.
2.
Benefits for
Some countries and
examples conclusions…
1. of tailored
advice
The key
elements of
this review
2
www.oecd.org/edu/improvingschools

3. The key
elements of
this review
1.
www.oecd.org/edu/improvingschools

4. Education policy implementation
challenges across countries
Reforms needed to improve school outcomes
Need to prioritise and focus on key policy levers
Need for capacity, alignment and consensus to progress
OECD can support this process through the Improving Schools
Reviews

5. Today, education policy decision making is more
participative…
2003 1998 2007
% 100
90 More than 50% of decisions
80 taken by schools/local level
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Portugal
Hungary
Norway
England
Finland
Iceland
Denmark
Korea
New Zealand
Austria
Netherlands
Germany
Sweden
Spain
France
Czech Republic
Greece

6. High performers combine quality with equity
Strength of the relationship between performance and socio-economic background above the OECD average impact
Strength of the relationship between performance and socio-economic background not statistically significantly different from the OECD average impact
Strength of the relationship between performance and socio-economic background below the OECD average impact
560
Shangai-China
Above-average performance Above-average performance
Above-average impact of Below-average impact of
540 socio-economic background Korea socio-economic background
Finland
New Zealand Canada
520 Japan
Australia
Belgium Netherlands
Norway
Poland
United States Switzerland
500 Hungary Germany Sweden Estonia Iceland
Mean score in reading
France Denmark Ireland
United Kingdom
Portugal Italy
Slovenia Greece
480 Spain Czech Republic
Slovak Republic
Luxembourg Israel
Austria
Turkey
460 Russian Federation
Chile
440
Mexico
420
Below-average performance Below-average performance
Above-average impact of Brazil Below-average impact of
socio-economic background socio-economic background
400
Percentage of variance in performance explained by the PISA index of economic, social and cultural
30 25 20 15 status 10 5 0

7. Key policy levers for education reform
Students Curriculum
and structure
Quality in
education
Teachers Schools

8. Improving schools: The OECD process
Comparative Key actors Country visit
Starting
analysis of reform Capacity
point building Final
objective
2.
Country Consultation 3. OECD Seminar A strategy
1. OECD for Leaders in Ed
Specific Recommendations and for
Improvement
needs engagement implemen
tation
Review visit Discussing Team work
key issues Consensus

9. Improving schools: The OECD process
Comparative Key actors Country visit
Starting
analysis of reform Capacity
point building Final
objective
2.
Country Consultation 3. OECD Seminar A strategy
1. OECD for Leaders in Ed
Specific Recommendations and for
Improvement
needs engagement implemen
tation
Review visit Discussing Team work
key issues Consensus

10. By drawing upon the OECD’s vast knowledge
of international best practices…

11. …We provide tailored advice in policy design
Knowledge from international Review visit: contextualization to Recommendations, considerations
evidence country’s needs and specific proposals

12. Improving schools: The OECD process
Comparative Key actors Country visit
Starting
analysis of reform Capacity
point building Final
objective
2.
Country Consultation 3. OECD Seminar A strategy
1. OECD for Leaders in Ed
Specific Recommendations and for
Improvement
needs engagement implemen
tation
Review visit Discussing Team work
key issues Consensus

13. ...Engaging with key stakeholders is vital
Teachers Students
Local authorities Academia
Legislators
Parents Working together
with education
stakeholders to define a Civil society
Private sector
clear course of action Unions
Head teachers
National authorities

14. Improving schools: The OECD process
Comparative Key actors Country visit
Starting
analysis of reform Capacity
point building Final
objective
2.
Country Consultation 3. OECD Seminar A strategy
1. OECD for Leaders in Ed
Specific Recommendations and for
Improvement
needs engagement implemen
tation
Review visit Discussing Team work
key issues Consensus

15. Capacity building in policy design and implementation of reforms:
The OECD Seminar for Leaders in Education Improvement
Action
Plan
Guidance
General and learning
conferences
First hand Working
Site visits
accounts together
Visit to a country
with good and
Team work relevant practices

16. In words of our participants…
“The Seminar combined excellent lectures by some of the
leading educational researchers in the world, with first-hand
accounts from central actors in the administration in Ontario,
and we visited schools and talked to students, teachers and
school leaders and saw for ourselves the impact of policies in
schools and classrooms. We also had time to discuss and reach
conclusions...”
Kirstin Halvorsen, Minister of Education of Norway

17. Some examples of
tailored advice
2.
17
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18. Different projects for different needs…

19. The OECD understands that 19
different challenges need REFORM:
specific responses… TAILORING POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
Mexico Norway Iceland
• 222 350 schools • 3 000 schools • 483 schools
• 1 156 500 teachers • 66 520 teachers • 9 650 teachers
• 25 603 600 students • 615 900 students • 88 850 students
The Improving Schools Project
Contexts differ, but quality is the main objective…

20. Benefits for
countries and
conclusions
3.
20
www.oecd.org/edu/improvingschools

21. Benefits for a country
•Knowledge from evidence and country
In the short practices on support for school improvement
term… •Evidence based, tailored recommendations
for the reform to be implemented
In the mid
• Implementation of reforms
term...
• Policy implementation capacity: the OECD
Over the Seminar for Leaders in Education Improvement
long run… • A long-term shared perspective of reform
among actors

22. To conclude…
The 3 key points about
this project…
1. Tailored international
analysis to your needs
Supporting countries’
potential through 2. Consultation and
engagement with key
education reforms… education stakeholder:
ownership of reforms
3. Capacity building in
implementation of
education reforms

23. Thank you!
For further information:
Beatriz.Pont@oecd.org
Diana.Toledofigueroa@oecd.org
www.oecd.org/edu/improvingschools