Bridging the skills gap

by Kathrin HoeckelAnalyst, Skills Beyond Schools Division, Directorate for EducationIf you were to ask someone which countries tend to bear the brunt of a shortage of skills in this era of globalised trade, you couldn't fault them for thinking of developing countries.While this is certainly true, the problem is by no means limited to poorer countries. Indeed, even in countries at the forefront of the developed world and consistently at the top of...

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Women’s outcomes in education and employment: strong gains, but more to do

by Éric Charbonnier and Corinne HeckmannInnovation and Measuring Progress Division, Directorate for EducationThere’s no denying it: when it comes to education and employment, women are on a roll, all over the world.  As described in the latest issue of the OECD’s new brief series Education Indicators in Focus, the achievement gap between boys and girls has narrowed so much at lower levels of education that the focus of concern is now on the...

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Teachers Summit highlights need for collective leadership

by Kristen WeatherbySenior Analyst, Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)Yesterday was the first day of the International Summit on the Teaching Profession in New York City, co-hosted by the US Department of Education, Education International and the OECD. I was lucky enough to be an attendee, along with government and union representatives, teachers and school leaders from 24 countries around the world.The theme of this year’s summit...

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A View from the Teachers’ Summit

By John BangsSpecial consultant on OECD issues forEducation International, the global body for all teachers’ organisationsI have two hopes for this summit: The fact that thenumber of countries and unions participating in the summit this year is up by athird compared with last year reflects the increasing understanding that it isteacher policies that matter. Their ability, their confidence and theirself-efficacy are crucial. I hope that the kind of...

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Lessons in learning, amid the rubble

by Barbara IschingerDirector for EducationA school band played for us. It was the best school band I’ve ever heard—and I’ve heard many. It was the true image of hope, team spirit and positive attitudes. For the students, it was the welcome experience of normality.A brass band playing in the midst of vast devastation; a landscape that reminded me of street scenes from my childhood in Germany after the war. But this was just one week ago, in Japan,...

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Knowledge and skills are infinite – oil is not

by Andreas SchleicherDeputy Director and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the OECD's Secretary-GeneralAs the bible notes, Moses arduously led the Jews for 40 years through the desert – just to bring them to the only country in the Middle East that had no oil. But Moses may have gotten it right, after all. Today, Israel has an innovative economy and its population enjoys a standard of living most of its oil-rich neighbours don't offer....

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How do we keep new teachers teaching?

by Kristen WeatherbySenior Analyst, Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)In many countries, we read stories in the media about large numbers of teachers – up to half in some countries – leaving the teaching profession before their first five years of teaching are finished. This statistic, exaggerated or not, is often followed by questions such as these:Why are new teachers leaving the profession – seemingly in droves?Does...

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