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There is broad and strong political support within Norway for lifelong learning as a next logical step for a highly developed country with a highly educated population to address challenges including economic restructuring, an ageing workforce, the contradictions of labour shortages and increased leisure time, and an increasingly diverse society. However, the institutional arrangements and policies in Norway do not yet constitute a systemic approach to lifelong learning. Major difficulties relate to the governance and financing of adult learning and leadership based on concerted action by several ministries as well as the social partners. Conflict between the objectives of choice, equity and quality also need to be resolved. This study is divided into two parts: the background report (which was prepared by the Norwegian authorities) and the OECD Examiners' Report. The background report presents the Norwegian definition of lifelong learning and describes the national context in which lifelong learning is currently being implemented. It also provides an overview of the different arenas within which lifelong learning occurs and the challenges to be met. The OECD Examiners' Report examines the following areas: the social, economic, political and institutional context within which Norway’s vision of lifelong learning has been articulated; the goals and objectives of lifelong learning in Norway, who it is intended for and who is involved; unfinished aspects of the lifelong learning agenda in Norway with a focus on integration of learning and working life; the issue of implementation of lifelong learning across many public policy areas and in cooperation with the social partners; and overriding principles to guide formulation and implementation of further policies of lifelong learning. A list of recommendations is included in Annex II.A. Show less

In many OECD countries, tertiary education systems have experienced rapid growth over the last decade. With tertiary education increasingly seen as a fundamental pillar for economic growth, these systems must now address the pressures of a globalising economy and labour market. Within governance frameworks that encourage institutions, individually and collectively, to fulfil multiple missions, tertiary education systems must aim for the broad objectives of growth, full employment and social cohesion. In this context, the OECD launched a major review of tertiary education with the participation of 24 nations. The principal objective of the review is to assist countries in understanding how the organisation, management and delivery of tertiary education can help them achieve their economic and social goals. The Netherlands is one of 14 countries which opted to host a country review, in which a team of external reviewers carried out an in-depth analysis of tertiary education policies. This report includes: an overview of the Netherlands' tertiary education system; an account of trends and developments in tertiary education in the Netherlands; an analysis of the strengths and challenges in tertiary education in the Netherlands; and recommendations for future policy development.

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The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) assesses the extent to which 15-year-old students have acquired key knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in modern societies. The assessment, which focuses on reading, mathematics, science and problem-solving, does not just ascertain whether students can reproduce what they have learned; it also examines how well they can extrapolate from what they have learned and apply that knowledge in unfamiliar settings, both in and outside of school. This approach reflects the fact that modern societies reward individuals not for what they know, but for what they can do with what they know.

Around 510,000 students (representative of about 28 million students overall) from all 34 OECD member countries and 31 partner countries and economies participated in PISA 2012, representing more than 80 per cent of the world economy. For the first time, PISA 2012 also included an assessment of the financial literacy of young people. The findings presented in this report will allow policy makers to gauge the knowledge and skills of students in their own countries in comparison with those in other countries, set policy targets against measurable goals achieved by other education systems, and learn from policies and practices applied elsewhere.

This is one of six volumes that present the results of the 2012 PISA survey, the fifth round of the triennial assessment. The chapters are as follows: Defining and measuring equity in education; Equity in outcomes; The challenge of diversity; Equity in opportunities to learn and in resources; Policy implications of equity in education. Show less

The Czech Republic has been undergoing a period of great change during its transition to a democratic, advanced-market economy country. As the transition proceeds, education and training will be expected to assume central roles in meeting the needs of the economy, the society, and the individual citizens. This report analyses the difficulties encountered thus far in the transformation of education in the Czech Republic and identifies changes in policies and structures which could stimulate further reform in the needed directions. Particular attention is given to quality and equity in education and priorities in the development of vocational and technical education. Show less

Israel’s education system is complicated by multiple streams at the primary and secondary levels and by military conscription. Population growth and economic expansion have brought a massive increase in demand for all levels of education. Educational attainment statistics are impressive, but results show high-school students have poor basic skills. Reform efforts to tackle this are underway, including increased teachers’ pay in combination with more contact hours and increasing the length of compulsory education. As in other socio-economic spheres, there are significant gaps between Arab-Israelis and the rest of the population. Also, the Ultra-orthodox community’s independent education system presents specific concerns and challenges. In tertiary education, progress has been hindered by the collapse of a reform package that envisaged increased state funding combined with increased student tuition fees, expansion of government-backed student loans and a range of other structural reforms.

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The 2009 edition of ‘Education at a glance: OECD indicators’ enables countries to see themselves in the light of other countries’ performance. It provides a rich, comparable and up-to-date array of indicators on the performance of education systems and represents the consensus of professional thinking on how to measure the current state of education internationally. The indicators look at who participates in education, what is spent on it and how education systems operate and at the results achieved. The latter includes indicators on a wide range of outcomes, from comparisons of students’ performance in key subject areas to the impact of education on earnings and on adults’ chances of employment. New material in this edition includes first results from the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) on teacher practices [see report indexed at TD/TNC 96.632] as well as teacher appraisal and feedback; an analysis of the social benefits of education; information on long-term unemployment and involuntary part-time work among young adults; a review of trends in attainment; data on the incentives to invest in education which show the benefits of education in dollar amount across OECD countries; and a picture of excellence in education for 15-year-olds, based on findings from the PISA study.

Excerpt from published abstract.

‘Highlights from Education at a Glance 2009’ is indexed at TD/TNC 97.781. Show less

This report is the companion to the 1997 'Education at a glance: OECD indicators' (indexed at TD/INT 53.65), and seeks to analyse the data from those indicators as it relates to a few key policy areas. The report is divided into five chapters: 'Expenditures on education' which compares economic factors such as countries' overall spending per pupil and teachers' salaries; 'Lifelong investment in human capital' which examines education and earnings, and rates of return to education; 'Literacy skills: use them or lose them' which discusses the 'organic' nature of literacy and how it changes and develops over the life span; 'Failure at school; patterns and responses' which examines factors such as social background and gender that continue to influence student achievement, and emphasises the need for policy makers to review their education systems with regard to under-achievement; 'Responding to new demand in tertiary education' which discusses recent developments in tertiary education such as the widening of vocational or professional studies, and the creation of alternative pathways to tertiary study. The report includes a statistical annex. Show less

The main purpose of the OECD's 'Thematic review of tertiary education' is to provide policy makers with information and analysis to assist them in formulating and implementing policies to achieve national social and economic objectives through tertiary education. Its key objectives are to: synthesise research-based evidence on the impact of tertiary education policies and disseminate this knowledge among participating countries; identify innovative and successful policy initiatives and practices; facilitate exchanges of lessons and experiences among countries; and identify future policy options. The review, which involved 24 countries (Australia, Belgium - Flemish Community, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Japan, Mexico, Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom), 'examines how the organisation, management and delivery of tertiary education can help countries achieve their economic and social objectives'. As part of the review, each of the participating countries was asked to prepare a country background report. This document is the country background report for Korea. Its contents are: National context of Korean tertiary education; Background of tertiary education system; Link between tertiary education and the labour market; Link between tertiary education and community; Role of tertiary education in R&D; Industry-academia linkage; Balance in tertiary education; Resourcing tertiary education (HR); Securing tertiary education; Planning, governance and regulation of tertiary education system; Quality assurance of tertiary education; Internationalisation of tertiary education; Conclusion and suggestions.

Documents from this thematic review are indexed from TD/TNC 89.551 to TD/TNC 89.585. Show less

In 1996, the OECD's Education Committee launched the 14-country 'Thematic review of the transition from initial education to working life'. Within a lifelong learning framework, the review had two key goals: to describe how young people's transition to work changed during the 1990s; and to describe the education, labour and social policies, and the interaction between these, that lead to successful youth transitions. Participating countries prepared a background report describing the general context of youth transitions and noting key policy concerns. The review team that visited each country prepared a country note to summarise its observations and suggestions. This country note outlines the key features of Portuguese society that influence the transition of young people to employment, including the economy and labour market. It identifies major aspects of the education and training system associated with the transition process and recent changes in them. Using this societal and institutional background, the report identifies the major problems apparent in young people’s transition to work and the relationship between education and the wider society. This analysis is drawn upon to suggest how existing policies could be strengthened and new directions considered. Throughout the report, innovative and effective policies and programs are described. The review team emphasises the particular importance of ensuring that education and training is more responsive to individual and social needs, and that a more decentralised approach takes place within a coherent national framework of qualifications and accountability.

The background report for Portugal is indexed at TD/TNC 77.105. The final report of the OECD review is indexed at TD/TNC 62.156. Show less

This report presents a secondary analysis and an enlarged interpretation of the results on teachers' professional development from the OECD's Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). TALIS is the first international survey to focus on the working conditions of teachers and the learning environment in schools. Its aim is to help countries to review and develop policies that foster the conditions for effective schooling. The chapters are: European political context; Conceptualizing teacher professional development as a means to enhancing educational effectiveness; State of affairs with respect to teacher professional development in Europe; results from earlier studies; Professional development of teachers: a snapshot from TALIS of lower secondary education; Explaining teachers' perceived impact of professional development; Teachers professional development in countries which did not take part in TALIS; Executive summary and main conclusions.

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