OECD’s International
Window on Education and
Learning
David Istance
Banff, October 2011
Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI)

• The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development set up in early 1960s, education always on the agenda – for different reasons
• Late 1960s – creation of CERI and education integrated into ‘human policies’ Directorate with employment and social policy (not science and technology)
• 2002, separate Directorate for Education

• Education and training policy
• Statistics and indicators
• Research and innovation
• Management of resources
–Educational buildings, HE management
• Non-member countries

• Early Childhood
• Schooling
• Transitions beyond initial education
• Higher education
• Lifelong learning and adults
• Outcomes, benefits and returns
• Equity and equality of opportunity
• Innovation and knowledge management

The main trend – development of international comparative data
• Thirst for comparisons
• Reflection - and motor - of globalisation of education
• What can’t be measured is less important?
(Lifelong learning)
• But international comparisons also offer powerful positive arguments

Some recent titles
• Education at a Glance, annual
• PISA 2006 main and thematic reports, PISA 2009 6 volumes
• Starting Strong
• Teachers Matter
• Improving School Leadership
• Are the New Millennium Learners Making the Grade?
• Connected Minds
• Education for Jobs
• Tertiary Education for the Knowledge Society
• Higher Education to 2030
• Recognising Non-formal and Informal Learning
• Improving Health and Social Cohesion through Education
• No More Failures
• Teacher Education for Diversity
• Evidence in Education: Linking Research to Policy
• The Nature of Learning: Using Research to Inspire Practice
• Trends Shaping Education 2010

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Many more people with higher education
Percentage of population with higher education, in age groups 25-34 and
55-64
55-64 25-34

100+
95-99
90-94
85-89
80-84
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
15-19
10-14
5-9
0-4
0
From “bottom-heavy” to “top-heavy” age structures
Millions per 5-year age group in developed world regions, 1950 and forecast 2050
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
2050
1950
90

60
50
40
30
80
70
20
10
0
The “old-age dependency ratio” set to double by 2050
Population aged 65 years and over per 100 persons aged 15-64 years,
1950, 2000 and 2050
1950 2000 2050

The widening gap between richer and poorer regions
GDP per capita by region, 1980-2008
40000
35000
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
1980
OECD
East Asia & Pacific
1985 1990
Latin America & Caribbean
South Asia
Middle East & North Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
1995 2000 2005 2010

15
10
5
0
25
20
Percentage of people with an income less than 50% of the median income, in the mid-1980s, mid-1990s and mid 2000s
Mid-1980s Mid-1990s Mid-2000s

Marriages and Divorces
Annual number of marriages and divorces per 1 000 population,
1970-2006
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1970 1975
Marriage rate OECD Average
1980 1985 1990
Divorce rate OECD Average
1995 2000 2005

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Growing access to home computers
Households with access to a computer at home (including desktops, portables and handhelds), in 2000, 2005 and 2008
2000 2005 2008

• The learning challenge – knowledge and capacity to live in changing 21 st century world
• The importance of socialisation into shared culture and robust personal values…if anything accentuated in light of trends
• The resource challenge – for many reasons
• Lifelong learning – the implementation challenge

The OECD Schooling Scenarios
1. INERTIA AND INTERESTS MAINTAIN THE STATUS QUO
“Bureaucratic School Systems Continue“ Scenario
2. MOST SCHOOLS REMODELLED AS DYNAMIC LEARNING AND
SOCIAL CENTRES (“Re-schooling”)
"Schools as Focused Learning Organisations“ Scenario
"Schools as Core Social Centres“ Scenario
3. SCHOOL SYSTEMS DISBAND OR DISINTEGRATE (“Deschooling”)
“Radical Extension of the Learning Market” Scenario
“Learning Networks and the Network Society” Scenario
“Teacher Exodus and System Meltdown” Scenario
Original source: What Schools for the Future?, OECD, 2001

Different scenarios, different ages and stages
• A healthy degree of bureaucracy?
• The foundations – re-schooling
• Building on the foundation – re-schooling and de-schooling
• Initial systems and lifelong learning

THANK YOU!
david.istance@oecd.org