EDUCATION March 2013

March 2013

If you cannot view this page please visit
www.oecd.org/edu/newsletter

OECD Education and Skills Newsletter
Bringing you the highlights from the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills

www.oecd.org/edu

	Spotlight on

	The first issue of our newsletter for 2013 brings to you the key education findings and policy directions emerging from recent OECD analysis in a single accessible free source. Teachers for the 21st Century: Using Evaluation to Improve Teaching In some countries the concept – not to mention the use – of teacher appraisal sparks discussion just about wherever and whenever it is mentioned. According to what criteria? Who decides? And what should the results of teacher appraisals be used for? The third International Summit on the Teaching Profession held in Amsterdam on 13-14 March 2013 brought together education ministers, union leaders and other teacher leaders from high-performing and rapidly improving education systems, as measured by the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), to discuss how teacher quality is defined and what standards are set and by whom; what systems are in place for teacher evaluation and how evaluations are conducted; and how teacher evaluation contributes to school improvement and teacher self-efficacy.


	News roundup

	Directorate for Education and Skills In order to capture the growing importance in our work of the acquisition of skills throughout the life cycle, and our contribution to help countries design better skills policies through the OECD Skills Strategy, we are now officially known as the Directorate for Education and Skills. PISA for Development OECD’s contribution on education to the post-2015 framework will provide lessons from PISA in respect of how to set and measure realistic learning goals and targets and the likely pace of progress towards achieving these. Skills beyond School The review of Switzerland was published in January. Reviews to be published in the coming months are: Germany, Austria and the USA (with case studies of Florida, Maryland and Washington State). There will also be commentaries released for Canada and Iceland. OECD Dynamic educational data award Last September, at the launch of annual OECD Education at a Glance, we opened a competition challenge to construct a clear and compelling visualisation on the economic costs and returns on education. The winners were Krisztina Szucs and Mate Cziner from Hungary. OECD Reviews of Evaluation and Assessment in Education The synthesis report from the review, Synergies for Better Learning: An International Perspective on Evaluation and Assessment, will be officially released on 11 April 2013 at the final international conference of the review in Oslo. Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO) A Conference on Measuring Learning Outcomes in Higher Education: Lessons learnt from the AHELO (Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes) Feasibility Study took place in Paris on 11-12 March 2013. The proceedings of the Conference will be included in the third and final volume of the Feasibility Study Report at the end of April. Innovation Strategy for Education and Training Lessons from Asia in designing and assessing education for innovation were discussed in Singapore on 15-16 January 2013 during a workshop co-organised with Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE) and the Ministry of Education (Singapore). Higher Education in Regional and City Development Two new reports in the series Higher Education in Regional and City Development have just been published: Wroclaw, Poland, and Sonora, Mexico. These reviews explore the role universities in the socio-economic development in their cities and regions.


	Just Published

			Trends Shaping Education 2013 This report brings together international evidence to provide a non-specialist source to inform strategic thinking and stimulate reflection on the challenges facing education, whether in schools, universities or programmes for older adults.

			PISA 2012 Assessment and Analytical Framework: Mathematics, Reading, Science, Problem Solving and Financial Literacy This conceptual framework underlies the fifth cycle of PISA. The 2012 assessment covers reading, mathematics and science, with the major focus on mathematical literacy, including problem solving and financial literacy.


			Reviews of National Policies for Education: Tertiary Education in Colombia The report addresses the key challenges confronting tertiary education in Colombia: expanding enrolment and improving equity, increasing quality and relevance, and making governance and finance more responsive.
			See more Education publications


	Forthcoming Events

	22-24 April 2013 21st Century Mathematics: "What should students learn in the 21st Century?", Stockholm, Sweden 28-29 May 2013 OECD annual Forum: How to achieve a sustainable future 25 June 2013 Launch of Education at a Glance 2013 4-5 July 2013 International Conference: “Skilling the Future – VET and Workplace Learning for Economic Success”, Leipzig, Germany (during the WorldSkills Leipzig 2013 event).