Publications & Documents

As countries seek to draw lessons the COVID-19 crisis and increase their future resilience, evaluations are important tools to understand what worked or not, why and for whom. This report builds on the OECD work on 'government evaluations of COVID-19 responses'. It evaluates Belgium’s responses to the pandemic in terms of risk preparedness, crisis management, as well as public health, education, economic and fiscal, and social and labour market policies. Preserving the country’s resilience in the future will require promoting trust in public institutions and whole-of-government approaches to crisis management, reducing inequalities, and preserving the fiscal balance. The findings and recommendations of this report will provide guidance to public authorities in these efforts.

Smaller, more targeted, and more flexible than traditional education and training programmes, micro-credentials have become a prominent feature of education, training and labour market policy discussions in recent years. Several OECD countries have already started the development of national micro-credential ecosystems, and many others are looking to follow suit. This OECD Education Policy Perspective serves as Part B in a two-part series of summary papers. The first publication, Paper A, examined the evolving landscape of micro-credentials, with a particular focus on the development of public policies that can foster effective utilisation of micro-credentials for lifelong learning, upskilling and reskilling. This publication, Paper B, presents case studies from four European Union Member States – Finland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Spain. The document was authored by Roza Gyorfi and Shizuka Kato from the OECD Higher Education Policy Team and Thomas Weko from George Washington University.

Smaller, more targeted, and more flexible than traditional education and training programmes, micro-credentials have become a prominent feature of education, training and labour market policy discussions in recent years. Several OECD countries have already started the development of national micro-credential ecosystems, and many others are looking to follow suit. This OECD Education Policy Perspective serves as Part A in a two-part series of summary papers. This paper examines the evolving landscape of micro-credentials, focusing on the development of public policies that can foster effective utilisation of micro-credentials for lifelong learning, upskilling and reskilling. The paper also provides a self-assessment tool for micro-credential policy implementation, which identifies a range of policy measures and considerations needed for the establishment and effective operation of national micro-credential ecosystems. This document was authored by Shizuka Kato from the OECD Higher Education Policy Team and Thomas Weko from George Washington University.

This report, linked with the Digital Education Outlook 2023, provides an overview of 29 countries’ (or jurisdictions') digital education ecosystem and governance. Each chapter covers the devolution of responsibilities within countries; how it affects digital education; what digital tools for management and teaching and learning are made publicly available to schools, teachers and students; how they are provided or procured; how countries ensure the security, privacy, equity and effectiveness of this digital ecosystem while keeping incentives for private education technology (EdTech) companies. The information and analysis are based on a survey on digital education infrastructure and governance, interviews with national and regional government officials as well as desk-based research. Providing for the first time a holistic view of 29 countries’ and jurisdictions' digital education ecosystem and governance, this report will be of interest to policy makers, academics and education stakeholders interested in the digital transformation of education at home and internationally.

L'élaboration des politiques a toujours consisté à faire des choix, gérer des compromis et équilibrer plusieurs objectifs et priorités pour la prise de décisions budgétaires complexes. Pourtant, ces dernières années, les décideurs politiques ont été confrontés à un nombre croissant de priorités, d'où une pression plus forte pour améliorer l'efficacité des dépenses publiques. Il existe de solides arguments en faveur d'un investissement public dans une éducation de haute qualité du fait de ses résultats économiques ainsi qu'aux retombées sociales plus générales pour les individus et la société. Mais alors qu'une éducation de haute qualité continuera à permettre aux individus et aux sociétés de prospérer et de se remettre des perturbations, les ministères de l'éducation devront repenser leur façon d'investir dans l'éducation pour garantir l'optimisation de l’utilisation de ces ressources. Après une introduction exposant le contexte, cette publication fait le point sur les rendements économiques et les résultats sociaux plus larges dérivés d'une éducation de qualité, plaidant en faveur de la poursuite des investissements publics. Elle se tourne ensuite vers l'examen des moyens intelligents d'investir dans l'éducation et examine les principaux leviers politiques pour optimiser l’utilisation des ressources: gérer et distribuer le financement des écoles pour tirer le meilleur parti des investissements éducatifs ; parvenir à l’équité parallèlement à une plus grande efficacité ; et la planification, le suivi et l'évaluation de l'utilisation efficace du financement des écoles.

The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) examines what students know in mathematics, reading and science, and what they can do with what they know. It provides the most comprehensive and rigorous international assessment of student learning outcomes to date. Results from PISA indicate the quality and equity of learning outcomes attained around the world, and allow educators and policy makers to learn from the policies and practices applied in other countries. This is one of five volumes that present the results of the eighth round of assessment, PISA 2022. Volume I, The State of Learning and Equity in Education, describes students’ performance in mathematics, reading and science; examines gender differences in performance; and investigates how performance relates to students’ socio-economic status and immigrant background. It also describes how the quality and equity of learning outcomes have evolved since previous PISA assessments.

The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) examines what students know in mathematics, reading and science, and what they can do with what they know. It provides the most comprehensive and rigorous international assessment of student learning outcomes to date. Results from PISA indicate the quality and equity of learning outcomes attained around the world, and allow educators and policy makers to learn from the policies and practices applied in other countries. This is one of five volumes that present the results of the eighth round of assessment, PISA 2022 – which was conducted during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Volume II, Learning During – and From – Disruption, focuses on resilience in education and analyses its relevance for education systems, schools and students. The volume covers: learning during and from school closures; life at school and support from home; students’ pathways through school; investments in education; and school governance. Trends in these indicators are examined when comparable data are available.

In the context of the green transition, universities have much to offer in joint green innovation projects with business, government and citizens. As hubs of diverse expertise, universities are uniquely placed to build interdisciplinary teams and bridge gaps between society and industry. Their regional ties also enable them to engage with the local ecosystem. This paper draws from ten international case studies of university partnerships with industry and society in green mobility, green energy and green products, services and processes. The comparative evidence gathered from interviews with representatives from these initiatives examines universities’ practices for green co-creation. Additionally, the paper outlines policy recommendations crucial to supporting these initiatives, essential for the global success of sustainable development efforts.