The Education Policy Outlook is the OECD's analytical observatory of education policy. It monitors the evolution of policy priorities and policy developments from early childhood education to adult education, mainly among OECD education systems, to provide a comparative understanding of how policies are evolving, and how they can be best implemented or improved over time.
We analyse and document education policy developments from over 40 education systems to help policy makers promote more relevant and impactful education policies. Every year, we identify international priorities for education policy, key ongoing efforts, and lessons to help education systems become more responsive and resilient in a changing world. We help systems move from “agenda setting” to “policy action” through:
• Policy dialogue
• Comparative analysis
• Country-based work
We facilitate exchanges of best practices in education policy, including policy design, implementation, and evaluation across education levels. Starting in 2023, we support countries to follow up on the goals established in the 2022 Ministerial Declaration on Building Equitable Societies Through Education. These are our key activities:
Policy Dialogue:
· The Education Policy Reform Dialogues are the leading OECD forum on education policy. They provide a venue for senior policy makers at Vice-Minister, Permanent Secretary or equivalent level to discuss strategies and actions to meet the goals of the 2022 Declaration. The Dialogues promote honest, evidence-informed conversations about what has worked in education policy and why it has worked in different contexts.
Comparative analysis:
· Grounded in research and data analysis, our annual comparative reports provide evidence-informed insights into thematic areas of specific relevance for international education policy landscapes. They offer perspectives on policy priorities, efforts, and pointers for action, and serve as the substantive background for every edition of the Dialogues.
· Policy briefs and virtual workshops assist policymakers in overcoming specific implementation challenges identified during the Dialogues.
Country-based work:
· The Country Policy Profiles build on the most recent OECD and non-OECD international data available to offer a context-based and comparative diagnosis of education systems’ strengths and challenges, as well as relevant policy initiatives and pointers to move forward. They may also include international examples that could serve as inspiration for specific challenges.
· The Policy Dialogue in Focus initiatives are tailored, practice-oriented seminars, either virtual or in-person, focused on a key policy topic or challenge selected in consultation with a country. Discussions are designed to promote peer learning and reflection, and facilitate the co-construction of policy pointers for action, covering policy design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
· The Diagnostic Country Reviews on Responsiveness and Resilience in Education Policy provide education systems with a diagnosis of related strengths, challenges and possible steps forward.
Follow up on the goals established by the 2022 Ministerial Declaration on Building Equitable Societies Through Education.
Our country-based work consists of:
Our comparative work consists of flagship publications that deliver comparative insights into education policy trends and reform processes.
Our thematic research explores specific education policy issues from the OECD perspective.
An Education Policy Outlook Profile reviews the current context and situation of the country’s education system and examines its challenges and policy responses, according to six policy levers that support improvement:
On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. Education systems across the world have felt the force of the crisis as confinement measures triggered widespread closures, with some gradual reopening of education institutions.
In light of work of the Education Policy Outlook in 2020 in the context of the pandemic, these snapshots compile some analysis undertaken by the OECD Secretariat for some of its Education Policy Outlook country policy profiles published in 2020*, specifically about system readiness in the context of COVID-19. They offer an insight into immediate responses in some education systems to ensure continuity in education delivery during the initial stages of the pandemic.
The information presented in these snapshots is organised according to the Education Policy Outlook’s Framework for Responsiveness and Resilience in Education. This framework is currently under development, in consultation with over 40 participating education systems, with the aim of helping education systems rise to a new- but also a better- normal, with thriving societies. This framework is scheduled for finalisation in the third quarter of 2021.
Czechia | Denmark | Estonia | Finland |
France (English) | France (French) | Greece | Ireland |
Latvia | Norway | Portugal | Türkiye |
(*): With analytical and financial collaboration from the European Commission for some of them.
 | The OECD coronavirus (COVID-19) policy hub The OECD is compiling data, analysis and recommendations on a range of topics to address the emerging health, economic and societal crisis, facilitate co-ordination, and contribute to the necessary global action when confronting this enormous collective challenge. Read more on the OECD coronavirus policy hub. |
For further information about the Education Policy Outlook Project, contact EDU.Policy@oecd.org.
