Publications & Documents

The 'OECD Review of Resourcing Schools to Address Educational Disadvantage in Ireland' provides an independent analysis meant to support Irish authorities in identifying ways to strengthen the resources and supports provided to students at risk of educational disadvantage in both DEIS and non-DEIS schools. The report serves three purposes: i) to provide insights and advice to Irish education authorities; ii) to help other countries understand the Irish approach to equitable education; and iii) to provide input for comparative analyses of the OECD Education for Inclusive Societies project. The scope for the analysis in this report covers primary and post-primary education. The focus areas of the review in Ireland are: i) governance, ii) resourcing; iii) capacity building; iv) school-level interventions and v) monitoring and evaluation. This report will be of interest in Ireland and other countries looking to improve the equity of students at risk of educational disadvantage in their education systems.

This analytical report, the last in a series of four, was prepared by the OECD Higher Education Policy Team as part of the Education and Innovation Practice Community (EIPC), an action of the European Union’s New European Innovation Agenda, flagship 4 on 'Fostering, attracting and retaining deep tech talent'. EIPC seeks to bring together peers from policy and practice to advance understanding of the competencies that can trigger and shape innovation for the digital and green transitions, and the mechanisms through which higher education can contribute to their development across three stages of education: secondary education; higher education; and adult upskilling and reskilling. Drawing on module B of the Higher Education Policy Survey 2022 and case studies, this report examines how public authorities can promote upskilling and reskilling in higher education to contribute to the green and digital transitions. It first offers a typology of the higher education-based upskilling and reskilling offer observed in OECD countries before describing four key action areas: setting system-wide strategies; supporting provision; attracting and supporting learners; and securing industry and employer engagement.

Africa’s Development Dynamics uses lessons from Central, East, North, Southern and West Africa to develop policy recommendations and share good practices across the continent. Drawing on the most recent statistics, its analysis of development dynamics aims to assist African leaders in reaching the targets of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 at all levels: continental, regional, national and local. This edition explores how African governments, firms and educational institutions can increase the supply of quality skills, in line with current and future demand, to create jobs and increase productivity. Global trends, like the digital and green transitions, Africa’s demographic growth, and the regionalisation of international trade are shaping future skills demand. The report's two continental chapters examine the gaps in foundational, soft and technical skills and identify policy solutions to develop a skilled workforce. Five regional chapters offer recommendations for skills development in strategic areas including mining, digital technologies, renewable energy and agri-food. Africa’s Development Dynamics feeds into a policy debate between the African Union’s governments, citizens, entrepreneurs and researchers. It proposes a new collaboration between countries and regions, focusing on mutual learning and the preservation of common goods. This report results from the partnership between the African Union Commission and the OECD Development Centre.

The global challenge of the green transition, aimed at achieving net-zero emissions, is expected to reshape the labour market significantly. This shift presents both economic and redistributive challenges, with a particular concern for young people entering the job market. Education plays a crucial role in preparing students with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values needed for green careers. However, there is a gap in how well schools are preparing students for these opportunities. Effective career guidance systems are essential to serve as bridges between students' interests and labour market demands. This study examined 87 programmes within primary and secondary education across 20 OECD countries, aimed at enhancing students' understanding of and progression towards green careers. These programmes, though not exhaustive, provide valuable insights into the conceptualisation and implementation of green guidance programmes, which are expected to become increasingly important in the future.

Over the past two decades, the use of research in educational practice has emerged as a policy imperative in many OECD countries. However, concerns about the significant gap between research evidence and practice are persistent. This working paper delves into the role of research-practice partnerships in bridging this divide. It critically evaluates common assumptions associated with such partnerships through an overview of research, insights from recent OECD data, and importantly, through in-depth case studies. These illustrate partnerships between education researchers and school practitioners in three countries: Norway, the United States, and Germany. They examine the conditions under which these can achieve an impact on both research and practice, and illuminate challenges and open questions associated with these collaborations. The paper aims to inform policy makers and researchers alike on the potential and limitations of research-practice partnerships.

This volume presents the financial literacy results of the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 and examines 15-year-old students’ understanding of money matters in 20 countries and economies. It explores the links between their financial literacy and their competencies in mathematics and reading, and differences across socio-demographic groups. It also offers an overview of their experiences with money, their financial behaviour and attitudes, and their exposure to financial literacy at home and in school.

The results of the PISA 2022 financial literacy assessment show that many 15-year-olds should be better prepared for their financial future, as they are not able to apply their financial knowledge to real-life situations. In every participating country and economy, students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds performed significantly worse than their advantaged peers. PISA data also show that students who discuss money matters with their parents, and those who make autonomous decisions about how to spend their money, achieve higher levels of financial literacy. This PISA in Focus examines the proportion of students who do not achieve baseline financial literacy and explores the links between socio-economic backgrounds, parental interactions and financial literacy performance.

Inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the six Western Balkan (WB6) economies depends on greater economic competitiveness. Although the gap is closing gradually, the standards of living in WB6 are well below those of the OECD and EU. Accelerating the rate of socio-economic convergence will require a holistic and growth oriented approach to policy making. This is the fourth study of the region (formerly under the title 'Competitiveness in South East Europe') and it comprehensively assesses policy reforms in the WB6 economies across 15 policy areas key to strengthening their competitiveness. It enables WB6 economies to compare economic performance against regional peers, as well as EU-OECD good practices and standards, and to design future policies based on rich evidence and actionable policy recommendations. The regional profile presents assessment findings across five policy clusters crucial to accelerating socio-economic convergence of the WB6 by fostering regional co-operation: business environment, skills, infrastructure and connectivity, digital transformation and greening. Economy-specific profiles complement the regional assessment, offering each WB6 economy an in-depth analysis of their policies supporting competitiveness. They also track the implementation of the previous 2021 study's recommendations and provide additional ones tailored to the economies’ evolving challenges. These recommendations aim to inform structural economic reforms and facilitate the region’s socio-economic convergence towards the standards of the EU and OECD.

Recent AI technological advances, particularly the rise of generative AI, have raised many data governance and privacy questions. However, AI and privacy policy communities often address these issues independently, with approaches that vary between jurisdictions and legal systems. These silos can generate misunderstandings, add complexities in regulatory compliance and enforcement, and prevent capitalising on commonalities between national frameworks. This report focuses on the privacy risks and opportunities stemming from recent AI developments. It maps the principles set in the OECD Privacy Guidelines to the OECD AI Principles, takes stock of national and regional initiatives, and suggests potential areas for collaboration. The report supports the implementation of the OECD Privacy Guidelines alongside the OECD AI Principles. By advocating for international co-operation, the report aims to guide the development of AI systems that respect and support privacy.