In the face of ideologically driven inquiry and advocacy, debates about school choice and public-private-partnerships in education have produced more "light than heat." Although scholars have recently emphasized the need for a greater focus on the particulars of policy design, limitations of existing frameworks have inhibited rigorous…

The year 2015 was significant for the arena of international development, as UNESCO's "Education for All" agenda was replaced by "Education 2030", which would identify minimum standards of education quality. The OECD had been working on extending its existing PISA assessment into low- and middle-income countries through PISA…

This paper applies insights from narrative theory to analyse the OECD's transition to providing humanitarian large-scale assessments under the SDGs, situating this within the evolving dynamics of a global development complex. The perspective is guided by the thematic interests of the special issue, with the goal of enriching understanding of both…

This paper seeks to further conceptualise participation in International Large-Scale Assessment (ILSA) as a global ritual of belonging and apply it to understand the appeal of PISA for Development (PISA-D) in Ecuador and Paraguay. The paper develops the theoretical underpinnings of the global ritual of belonging through policy borrowing and…

"What is important for citizens to know and be able to do?" The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) seeks to answer that question through the most comprehensive and rigorous international assessment of student knowledge and skills. As more countries join its ranks, PISA is evolving to successfully cater for a…

The PISA for Development brief series is a set of concise monthly education policy-oriented notes published by the OECD which are designed to describe a specific PISA for Development topic. In this brief, the role of PISA-D to assesses students' skills and knowledge in three cognitive domains--reading, mathematics and science--and collection of…

Background: A number of countries have had school inspection for many years. The origins of these systems date back to the nineteenth century when mass public schooling was introduced, and education and other emerging public services were required to comply with centrally mandated rules and programmes. In contrast, many countries across the world…

This report provides an overview of key policy developments in education, training, and employment in Algeria. The paper contains sections that review the country's key demographic and economic characteristics; education and training trends, challenges, policy and institutional setting; and labour market and employment trends, challenges, policy…

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is one of the world's leading educational research centres. Since it was established in 1930, ACER has built a strong reputation as a provider of reliable support and expertise to education policymakers and professional practitioners. Each year, ACER is involved in a large number of research…

This report provides an overview of key policy developments in education, training, and employment in Armenia. The paper contains sections that review the country's key demographic and economic characteristics; education and training trends, challenges, policy and institutional setting; and labour market and employment trends, challenges, policy…

This paper provides an overview of key policy developments in education, training, and employment in Armenia. The paper contains sections that review the country's key demographic and economic characteristics; education trends, challenges, policy and institutional setting; and labour market and employment trends, challenges, policy and…

This report provides an overview of key policy developments in education, training, and employment in Georgia. The paper contains sections that review the country's key demographic and economic characteristics; education and training trends, challenges, policy, and institutional setting; and labour market and employment trends, challenges, policy,…

This report provides an overview of key policy developments in education, training, and employment in Lebanon. It contains sections that review the country's key demographic and economic characteristics; education and training trends, challenges, policy and institutional setting; and labour market and employment trends, challenges, policy and…

This report provides an overview of key policy developments in education, training, and employment in Jordan. The paper contains sections that review the country's key demographic and economic characteristics; education and training trends, challenges, policy, and institutional setting; and labour market and employment trends, challenges, policy,…

This report provides an overview of key policy developments in education, training, and employment in Egypt. The paper contains sections that review the country's key demographic and economic characteristics; education and training trends, challenges, policy, and institutional setting; and labour market and employment trends, challenges, policy,…