Resourcing school education for the digital age

Digital technologies are a key resource for OECD education and training systems. If used effectively, they promise to transform teaching and learning practices and help to advance quality, equity and efficiency. Investment in education technology has surged worldwide over the past decade and digital education technologies increasingly permeate schools and classrooms. At the same time, most education systems remain far from providing full and equitable access to high-quality digital technologies and their current use tends to fall short of transforming teaching and learning in the classroom. These developments underline the need for supportive policies to enable education systems to make effective use of digital technologies, reap their full potential and ensure that the teaching profession is ready for the digital age.

The umbrella project Resourcing School Education for the Digital Age: Effective Digitalisation and Future-Ready Teachers was launched in 2023 in order to help countries to build on the current momentum, address these emerging challenges, and develop system-level policies to successfully transform their school systems for the digital age. The project is comprised of three thematic strands that focus on digital education policies, preparing future-ready teachers and ensuring efficient investments in school education respectively, with interactions and synergies between them.

The questions examined by the project under each thematic strand include:

The project’s objectives are threefold:

• Through Strand 1, to support education systems in creating a comprehensive and integrated system-level policy environment and ecosystem that enables an effective and equitable use of digital resources
• Through Strand 2, to support education systems in re-designing their teacher policies to leverage the current digital transformation momentum and advance the profession’s transformation for the future 
• Through Strand 3, to support education systems in more efficiently mobilising and using education resources to foster inclusive growth and to enhance societal outcomes

Launched in 2023, the project will continue throughout 2025-26.

The project’s methodology for Strand 1 and Strand 2 combines desk-based analysis, the development of an analytical framework on digitalisation policies and policies for the preparation of future-ready teachers, a policy survey documenting countries’ policies and practices in the different areas of the project’s analytical framework, and a range of tailored peer learning opportunities.

The methodology for Strand 3 consists of various knowledge mobilisation activities (e.g. conference, webinar, policy paper…) drawing upon earlier OECD work on the use of school resources, in particular:

The School Resources Review  

The Initial Teacher Preparation Study 

The Teacher Professional Learning Study 

In addition, the project proposes country-specific policy advice in the form of policy diagnoses and country reviews. A comparative report will synthesise findings in 2025-26.

The project’s main components are described below:

Reports - thematic

• Shaping Digital Education | OECD

Literature reviews, working papers and policy papers

• Innovating teachers’ professional learning through digital technologies | OECD

Webinars

• Unleashing the potential of digital technologies for education

Reports - thematic

• A Flying Start l OECD
• Working and Learning Together | OECD

Literature reviews, working papers and policy papers

• Not enough hours in the day | OECD
• Innovating teachers’ professional learning through digital technologies | OECD
• Policies to support teachers’ continuing professional learning | OECD
• Learning support staff | OECD

Webinars

• Diagnosis report from the Flemish Community of Belgium 
• Diagnosis report from Wales

Reports – country-specific

• Cultiver l’excellence dans l’apprentissage et le développement professionnel des personnels de l’éducation (available in French only)
• Diagnosis report from the Flemish Community of Belgium
• Diagnosis report from Wales

Reports - thematic

• Value for Money in School Education
• Responsive School Systems | OECD
• The Funding of School Education | OECD

Literature reviews, working papers and policy papers

• Policies on the use of the time resource
  • Not enough hours in the day | OECD
  • More time at school | OECD
  • Student Learning Time | OECD
• Policies on human resources
  • Innovating teachers’ professional learning through digital technologies | OECD
  • Policies to support teachers’ continuing professional learning | OECD
  • Learning support staff | OECD
• Policies on infrastructure resources, school facilities and school networks
  • Learning in rural schools | OECD
  • School Size Policies | OECD
• Policies on financial resources, school funding and value for money
  • Regulating Publicly Funded Private Schools | OECD
  • Budgeting and Accounting in OECD Education Systems | OECD

Webinars

• Solving the value for money equation in education 

Reports – country-specific

• OECD Reviews of School Resources: Portugal 2018 | OECD
• OECD Reviews of School Resources: Colombia 2018 | OECD
• OECD Reviews of School Resources: Chile 2017 | OECD
• OECD Reviews of School Resources: Uruguay 2016 | OECD
• OECD Reviews of School Resources: Denmark 2016 | OECD
• OECD Reviews of School Resources: Czech Republic 2016 | OECD
• OECD Reviews of School Resources: Austria 2016 | OECD
• OECD Reviews of School Resources: Estonia 2016 | OECD
• OECD Reviews of School Resources: Lithuania 2016 | OECD
• OECD Reviews of School Resources: Slovak Republic 2015 | OECD
• OECD Reviews of School Resources: Flemish Community of Belgium 2015 | OECD

For further information about the Resourcing School Education for the Digital Age project, please contact Karine Tremblay and EDU School Resources Review.