oecd report education at a glance 2021

OECD Education and Skills Today

Global perspectives on education and skills

Six key takeaways on equity from Education at a Glance 2021

By Marie-Helene Doumet

Senior Analyst, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills

Key points :

– Internationally comparable education statistics are as critical as ever during the COVID crisis. – Our new Education at a Glance 2021 report contains the latest data from education systems around the world. – This year’s edition has a specific focus on equity in education.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that scars from unresolved societal challenges may run deeper than many may have anticipated.  Inequality. Economic polarisation. The loss of a sense of common good. Broken expectations for a fair future.  A contributor to this growing unrest is the persistent belief that the cards we were dealt at birth determine our future.  Too few adults beat the odds their personal characteristics have fated them to: those from a disadvantaged background are less likely to participate in education, perform well, find suitable employment and pursue lifelong learning. As a result, they are less likely to develop the skills needed to succeed in our changing economy. And they are at a higher risk of transmitting this disadvantage to the next generation.

As education policy makers continue to work around the clock to minimise disruptions to education, particularly towards the most disadvantaged, internationally comparable education statistics are as critical as ever. The 2021 edition of Education at a Glance, released today in a new and interactive version , provides a comprehensive overview of education systems in OECD member and partner countries, including detailed indicators across all levels of education – with a specific focus on equity in education. A supplemental COVID-19 spotlight released jointly with the publication explores the educational response 18 months into the pandemic, analysing the measures implemented to ensure educational continuity and equitable learning despite the crisis.

Here are six key takeaways:

One in five adults still does not have basic education

In 2020, 20% of adults and 15% of youth had not attained an upper secondary education on average across OECD countries. Although fewer children were dropping out of upper secondary education in 2019 than in 2005 across most countries with data, still more than 10% of children leave school early in about a quarter of OECD countries. With less than 10 years left to deliver on the Global Sustainable Development Goals’ promise of education for all, the COVID-19 pandemic risks reversing the progress of recent years.

The higher the education level, the longer schools closed to contain the pandemic

Schools were fully closed for 55 days at pre-primary, 78 at primary, 92 at lower secondary, and more than 100 days at upper secondary and tertiary education on average between January 2020 and May 2021. In about a quarter of OECD countries, upper secondary schools were fully closed for more than 150 days over this period. The shorter duration of school closures in the early years of education underlines their importance in setting the foundations of cognitive, social, and emotional development, and accounts for the lower effectiveness of distance learning strategies for young children. The shift to distance education has also been particularly challenging for disadvantaged children who could not access learning materials or who lacked the supportive learning environment at home. 

Public financial support to education can help reduce inequities in access to education

This is particularly true at levels of education where private provision of education is more common, such as in early childhood education and care or tertiary education where a third or more students enrol in private institutions. For example, in some countries where tuition for a bachelor progamme is higher than USD 4 000, at least 60% of students benefit from a public grant, scholarship or government-guaranteed private loan. However, public-to-private transfers are much less common at pre-primary level where they represent less than 1% of total expenditure.

In response to COVID-19, two-thirds of OECD and partner countries increased funding to education in 2020, and even more did so in 2021. But rising educational spending has not generally led to improved outcomes in the past, and countries must decide how to best allocate available resources for higher impact. Targeting funds to support struggling students recover from learning losses and leveraging the investments made in digital learning and teaching during the pandemic would go a long way in improving learning outcomes.

Rising educational spending has not generally led to improved outcomes in the past, and countries must decide how to best allocate available resources for higher impact

Tertiary-educated foreign-born adults are less likely to be employed than their native-born peers, but the opposite is often observed among those with lower educational attainment

On average across the OECD, foreign-born adults account for 22% of all adults with below upper secondary attainment, 14% of those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education, and 18% of tertiary-educated adults. In most OECD countries, employment rates are lower among tertiary-educated foreign-born adults than among their native-born peers, but the opposite is often observed among those with lower educational attainment. These opposing trends reflect the dynamics of supply and demand for different skills and the challenges foreign-born tertiary-educated adults may face in gaining recognition for qualifications earned abroad.

The rise in educational attainment has benefited men less than women

Boys make up about 60% of upper secondary repeaters on average and are more likely to leave school without completing an upper secondary education. They are also more likely to pursue upper secondary vocational than general education, which may limit their options to enrol in higher education in some countries. In 2019, men made up 45% of new entrants to tertiary education on average. If current patterns continue, it is expected that 31% of young men will graduate with a tertiary degree for the first time before they turn 30, 15 percentage points lower than the share of women. Despite higher attainment, women are less likely to be employed and earn less than men in most OECD countries.

Unlike the 2008 financial crisis, the impact of the pandemic on unemployment has so far been more evenly distributed across different demographic groups

While unemployment increased by one to two percentage points between 2019 and 2020 on average, those with secondary or tertiary education have been affected in often-equal proportions in most countries, although there has been more variation across quarters. Similarly, the rise in unemployment over this period has been comparable across men and women with the same education level. 

With vaccination rates on the rise, recovery from the pandemic may well now be within our sights. For all the human suffering COVID-19 has caused, it has also brought with it a new sense of awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of our societies, and a unique opportunity to redesign stronger, more resilient and inclusive ones.

Join us for a webinar on the key findings of Education at a Glance 2021 on 21 September with OECD Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher DETAILS AND REGISTER

• Full report | Education at a Glance 2021
• Spotlight on COVID | The state of education 18 months into the pandemic
• Explore Education at a Glance 2021 data and compare your country
• OECD Education at a Glance database
• Equity in education on the OECD COVID Hub
• Lessons for education during the coronavirus crisis
• The OECD coronavirus (COVID-19) policy hub

Photo: Shutterstock/Prostock-studio

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One in five adults has no secondary education qualification and unemployment increased by 1-2% between 2019 and 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Research has shown that one in five adults across the OECD countries has no secondary education qualification . Moreover, unemployment increased by 1-2 percent between 2019 and 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis. These are two of the most critical findings published by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in its last report “ Education at a Glance 2021 ”.

Lifelong learning, therefore, is becoming more of a critical and urgent priority for adults to upskill and reskill in such a fast-changing world. Yet, more than half of adults did not participate in adult learning in 2016, and the pandemic further reduced opportunities to do so.

On average across the OECD, foreign-born adults account for 22% of all adults without upper secondary education qualifications, 14% of those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education qualifications, and 18% of tertiary-educated adults.

In 2020, women made up only 45% of adults with a doctoral degree on average across OECD countries. Women are also less likely than men to enter a STEM field of study , although the proportion of women has increased in just over half of OECD countries according to data between 2013 and 2019.

The association between education and life expectancy at age 30 is greater for men than for women. Men with tertiary education qualifications can expect to live around six years longer than those with without upper secondary education qualifications compared to three years more for women.

There is ample evidence to show that the provision of adult learning allows adults, whether employed or looking for a job, to maintain and upgrade their skills, acquire the competencies needed to be successful in the labour market and strengthen their overall resistance to exogenous shocks such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The benefits of adult learning extend beyond employment and other labour market outcomes . In fact, adult learning can also contribute to non-economic goals, such as personal fulfilment, improved health, civic participation and social inclusion.

The OECD report shows that on average participation by low-skilled adults is a staggering 40 percent below that of high-skilled adults across the represented countries. Older adults are 25 percent less likely to train than 25 to 34-year-olds. Workers whose jobs are at high risk of automation are 30 percent less likely to engage in adult learning than their peers in jobs less at risk of automation.

The research has produced other relevant results:

Participation rates in adult learning (formal and/or non-formal education and training) for women increased in almost all OECD countries, on average from 38% in 2007 to 48% in 2016. For men, the average increased from 37% in 2007 to 47% in 2016.

On average across OECD countries 55% of 25-64 year-olds that are employed participated in formal and/or non-formal education and training (more women than men), compared to only 27% of those who are unemployed.

On average across OECD countries 40% of women cited family responsibilities as a barrier to enrolment , compared to 25% of men.

Participation rates in non-formal education do not differ much by gender (45% for women and 44% for men). However, data shows that men and women tend to pursue different fields of training.

Relative to the same quarter, in 2019, the number of adults reporting they participated in formal and/or non-formal education and training in the past month dropped significantly in the second quarter of 2020 in all countries with available data.

What is the situation in the various countries?

On average, about half of the surveyed adults (aged 25-64) had participated in adult learning (formal and/or non-formal education and training) in 2016. Participation rates varied widely, from 30% or less in Greece, Lithuania, Poland and Turkey to more than 60% in the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland.

In countries with high overall participation rates, women participate more in formal education than men. For the majority of other countries, women participate more, but the differences are comparatively smaller. The differences between men and women are also small for participation in non-formal education and training and there is no pattern observed in the participation rate by gender.

In addition, data shows that employed women were more likely to participate in training compared to employed men. In addition, across OECD countries, 25-64 year-old women tend to participate slightly more in adult learning than men of the same age (formal and/or non-formal education and training), regardless of their labour market status.

…and what about the most common reasons for not participating in education and training?

In particular, data suggests that family responsibilities, such as caring for children or the elderly in the household, are a stronger barrier to participation in adult learning (in formal and/or non-formal education and training) for women than for men. On average across OECD countries, 40% of women cited family responsibilities as a barrier to enrolment, compared to 25% of men. Gender differences are particularly evident in Australia, Chile, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Slovak Republic and Turkey. In these countries, the share of 25 to 64-year-old women stating that they wanted to participate in education and training but could not because of family responsibilities is at least 20 percent higher than men who said the same.

A recent OECD brief shows that, according to certain assumptions, COVID-19 induced lockdowns of economic activities decreased workers’ participation in non-formal learning by an average of 18%, and in informal learning by 25% (OECD, 2021).

We can see that, compared to the same quarter in 2019, the number of adults reporting they participated in formal and/or non-formal education and training in the month prior to the survey decreased significantly in the second quarter of 2020. This is particularly evident in Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Latvia, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland, where the number of adults participating in formal and/or non-formal education and training decreased by 30% or more between the second quarter of 2019 and the second quarter of 2020, for both women and men (i.e. during the peak of the first wave of COVID-19 in Europe).

Most likely, the steep drop in participation observed between the second quarter of 2019 and the second quarter of 2020 is a consequence of the widespread lockdown restrictions implemented during the first wave of the pandemic. During this period, non-formal education providers needed some time to adapt to the provision of online-only courses

The majority of adult education and training that takes place is non-formal education and training and is usually organised outside of formal institutions of schools, colleges and universities. On average across OECD countries, 44% of adults aged 25-64 took part in non-formal education and training activities in 2016. About half of them (51%) attended non-formal education programmes in the field of business, administration and law (18%); health and welfare (14%); or services (19%).

Although participation rates in non-formal education do not differ much by gender (45% for women and 44% for men), men and women tend to pursue different fields of training . Data shows that, compared to women, men are more likely to follow training initiatives in the field of information and communication technologies (7% for women and 10% men); engineering, manufacturing and construction (3% and 13%, respectively); and services (15% and 23%, respectively).

On the other hand, compared to men, women are more likely to take part in non-formal and training initiatives in the field of education (4% for men and 10% for women), arts and humanities (7% and 11%, respectively), and health and welfare (9% and 19%, respectively).

Finally, men and women are equally likely to participate in non-formal education and training programmes in the field of social sciences, journalism and information (3% and 4%, respectively) and business, administration and law (18% for both men and women).

Pilnīgi pievienojos

Pilnīgi pievienojos domai, ka pieaugušo izglītības nozīme ir mērāma plašākā kontekstā nekā nodarbinātība un darba tirgus. Diemžēl daudzi pašvaldību deputāti un iestāžu vadītāji tā neuzskata un pieaugušo izglītība tiek iekļauta dienaskārtībā vienīgi īpašos apstākļos. 

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Thank you for sharing! As we…

Thank you for sharing! As we can notice, adult learning is crucial. Yet engaging adults in learning programmes is often tricky. The main reason behind this is that we tend to forget that adults learn much differently than children. I'd like to share this article with you that sheds light on five principles that can help increase engagement:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2021/05/13/fiv…

5 reasons why adults learn differently

Thank you for sharing the link. There is one more crucial point Iwould like to add: whatever adults learn , the learn it for the now and here. Children often learn for a future that they do not know and they learn stuff they most likely will never use (or can you remember all the rivers in England, that is what I had to learn;-))) .

But adults learn often with a view that they want to benefit from their learning in real time. Expierence is important (all learning is re-learning, as Dewey said) and all learning will be incorporated in real life (hopefully)..

Heike 

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Education at a Glance

Education at a glance 2022, oecd indicators.

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OECD Education at a Glance 2021: A much needed focus on equity (ENG/FR)

23 September 2021

(Version française ci-dessous)

On 16 September 2021, the OECD released the Education at a Glance (EAG) 2021 report. The report published annually includes data on educational outcomes and, this time, a specific focus on equity and country progress in achieving the United Nations’ Education Sustainable Development Goals.

With equity as the selected theme for this year´s EAG, the report looks into how access, participation and progression to obtain quality education are available and how personal or social circumstances – such as gender, socio-economical or immigrant background – effect educational potential.

The EAG assesses the socio-economic dimension through an analysis of education indicators by type of educational institution, as well as through the educational finance indicators. The report also includes a new indicator looking at gender equity among the teaching profession.

The report clearly highlights the continued importance in education of socio-economic background and how this has consequences later in life. The report shows that students without a tertiary-educated parent are more likely to enrol in upper secondary vocational programmes than in general programmes. The report also notes that those without upper secondary education face disadvantages later on in the labour market. As such, the report notes that young adult unemployment rate for those who have not completed an upper secondary qualification in OECD countries is twice as high as those with higher qualifications.

The main conclusions of this years’ publication are:

• Achieving basic education and equitable education outcomes remains a challenge with one in five adults across the OECD not having attained upper secondary education
• Lifelong learning remains important and have proven critical for adults to upskill and reskill in a changing world – still more than half of adults did not participate in adult learning in 2016, and the COVID-19 pandemic further reduced opportunities to do so
• The upper secondary completion rate for first- or second generation immigrants is lower than that for students without an immigrant background
• Financial support can facilitate access for disadvantaged families, public-to private transfers are less common at pre-primary than at tertiary level
• Most countries have managed to limit the proportion of upper secondary out-of-school youth in 2019, this proportion still exceeds 10% in about one-quarter of OECD and partner countries ( SDG Indicator 4.1.4 )
• The rise in education of recent decades has not benefited men as much as women, and young men are more likely than young women to lack an upper secondary qualification
• Men are less likely to enter and remain in the teaching profession, and whilst the teaching profession may be more attractive to women than to men, it reflects the persistent gender gap in earnings in the labour market with teachers’ salaries exceeding or just reaching those of similarly educated workers in very few OECD countries.

Overall, the EAG paints a picture of public education remaining resilient. However, it also highlights that the total expenditure on primary to tertiary educational institutions is increasing on average at a lower rate than GDP across OECD countries. This alarming development will expectedly have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic and gives cause for concern. Ensuring equity in education is proving difficult and building on the EAGs own conclusions it should be clear that ensuring quality education for all requires a well-funded educational system with decent working conditions for teachers – including salaries which according to the EAG often lack behind similarly educated workers.

The TUAC welcomes the OECD focus on equity and while the EAG presents useful data for policy makers including how educational attainment affect participation in the labour market, it is most unfortunate that it fails to discuss the importance of social dialogue and collective bargaining when it comes to addressing inequity and in correcting labour market outcomes.

Read the OECD Education at a Glance here .

For further information, see also the comments to the EAG 2021 by Education International (EI) here .

Rapport « Regards sur l’éducation 2021 » de l’OCDE : Une attention particulière à l’équité

Le 16 septembre 2021, l’OCDE a publié l’édition 2021 de son rapport «  Regards sur l’éducation  ». Ce rapport publié chaque année comprend des données sur les résultats des systèmes d’’éducation et, cette fois-ci, met l’accent sur l’équité et les progrès des pays dans la réalisation des Objectifs de développement durable de l’éducation des Nations Unies.

Avec l’équité comme thème choisi cette année, le rapport examine comment l’accès, la participation et la progression pour obtenir une éducation de qualité sont disponibles et comment les circonstances personnelles ou sociales – telles que le sexe, l’origine socio-économique ou l’immigration – affectent le potentiel éducatif.

Le rapport évalue la dimension socio-économique à travers une analyse des indicateurs d’éducation par type d’établissement d’enseignement, ainsi qu’à travers les indicateurs de financement de l’éducation. Le rapport comprend également un nouvel indicateur portant sur l’équité entre les sexes dans le corps enseignant.

Le rapport met clairement en évidence l’importance continue du milieu socio-économique dans l’éducation et ses conséquences plus tard dans la vie. Le rapport montre que les élèves dont les parents n’ont pas fait d’études supérieures sont plus susceptibles de s’inscrire dans des cursus professionnels du secondaire supérieur que dans des programmes généraux. Le rapport note également que les personnes n’ayant pas suivi d’enseignement secondaire supérieur sont désavantagées sur le marché du travail. Ainsi, le rapport indique que, dans les pays de l’OCDE, le taux de chômage des jeunes adultes qui n’ont pas terminé le deuxième cycle de l’enseignement secondaire est deux fois plus élevé que celui des personnes plus qualifiées.

Les principaux résultats de la publication de cette année sont les suivants :

– La réalisation d’une éducation de base et de résultats équitables en matière d’éducation reste un défi, un adulte sur cinq dans l’OCDE n’ayant pas atteint le deuxième cycle de l’enseignement secondaire.

– L’apprentissage tout au long de la vie reste important et s’est avéré essentiel pour permettre aux adultes de se perfectionner et de se recycler dans un monde en mutation – plus de la moitié des adultes n’ont pas accès à la formation professionnelle en 2016, et la pandémie de COVID-19 a encore réduit les possibilités de le faire.

– Le taux de participation à l’enseignement secondaire supérieur pour les immigrants de première ou de deuxième génération est inférieur à celui des étudiants non issus de l’immigration.

– Le soutien financier peut faciliter l’accès des familles défavorisées, les transferts public-privé sont moins fréquents dans le primaire que dans le supérieur.

– La plupart des pays ont réussi à limiter la proportion de jeunes non scolarisés dans le deuxième cycle du secondaire en 2019, cette proportion dépasse encore 10 % dans environ un quart des pays de l’OCDE et des pays partenaires (indicateur ODD 4.1.4)

– L’augmentation de l’éducation au cours des dernières décennies n’a pas profité aux hommes autant qu’aux femmes, et les jeunes hommes sont plus susceptibles que les jeunes femmes de ne pas avoir de diplôme du deuxième cycle de l’enseignement secondaire.

– Les hommes sont moins susceptibles d’entrer dans la profession d’enseignant et d’y rester, et si la profession d’enseignant peut être plus attrayante pour les femmes que pour les hommes, elle reflète l’écart persistant entre les sexes en matière de revenus sur le marché du travail, les salaires des enseignants dépassant ou atteignant tout juste ceux des travailleurs ayant reçu une éducation similaire dans très peu de pays de l’OCDE.

Dans l’ensemble, le rapport donne l’image d’un enseignement public qui résiste bien. Toutefois, il souligne également que les dépenses totales consacrées aux établissements d’enseignement primaire à tertiaire augmentent en moyenne à un rythme inférieur à celui du PIB dans les pays de l’OCDE. Cette une évolution qui est préoccupante et qui devrait s’être aggravée pendant la pandémie de COVID-19. En se basant sur les conclusions du Groupe consultatif d’experts, il devrait être clair que pour garantir une éducation de qualité pour tous, il faut un système éducatif bien financé et des conditions de travail décentes pour les enseignants – y compris les salaires qui, selon le Groupe consultatif d’experts, sont souvent inférieurs à ceux des travailleurs ayant reçu une éducation similaire.

Le TUAC se félicite de l’accent mis par l’OCDE sur l’équité et si le rapport présente des données utiles pour les gouvernements, notamment sur la manière dont le niveau d’éducation influe sur la participation au marché du travail, il est regrettable qu’il n’aborde pas l’importance du dialogue social et de la négociation collective lorsqu’il s’agit de s’attaquer aux inégalités et de corriger les résultats sur le marché du travail.

Lisez le Regards sur l’éducation de l’OCDE ici .

Pour plus d’informations, voir également les commentaires à le « Regards sur l’éducation 2021» par l’Internationale de l’Éducation (IE) ici .

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OECD: Education at a Glance Report Launch

The OECD's Education at a Glance 2024 provides data on the structure, finances and performance of education systems across OECD countries.

The event will take place on Tuesday 10th September 2024 at 10am (BST).

Sir Peter Lampl

Peter founded the Sutton Trust in 1997 to tackle Britain’s low and declining social mobility. He has given over £65 million to the Trust. Sir Peter is also the founder of the Education Endowment Foundation whose mission is to break the link between educational opportunity and family income. Under Sir Peter’s chairmanship, the foundations have together raised an astonishing sum which is approaching £1 billion.

In 1996 Peter funded the successful campaign to ban handguns in the UK in the aftermath of the Dunblane massacre. Before establishing the Sutton Trust, he founded the Sutton Company, a New York leveraged buyout firm, and made £250 million inside a decade.

Peter grew up in Yorkshire and Surrey and now lives in Surrey with his wife Susan.

Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP

Bridget was born and raised in Washington, attending local schools and joining the Labour Party aged 15. After reading Modern History at Hertford College, Oxford – where she was also Co-Chair of the University Labour Club – Bridget returned to the North East. Before becoming an MP, Bridget managed a refuge for women and children fleeing domestic violence.

Since her election in 2010, Bridget has served as an Opposition Whip, and on a number of Parliamentary select committees, including the high-profile Public Accounts Committee. In April 2020 she joined the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, before being appointed Shadow Education Secretary in November 2021. In July 2024, she was appointed Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Nick Harrison

Nick is the CEO at the Sutton Trust. Prior to that, he spent most of his career as a consultant with Oliver Wyman, one of the world’s leading management consulting firms, where he was a partner and global co-lead of the Consumer and Retail Team. Nick also sits on the Social Metrics Commission, which addresses the definition of poverty and its alleviation in the UK and is a trustee of a local charity. Nick lives in Clapham and is a proud father of three teenagers.

Abel Schumann

Abel Schumann leads the Indicators of Education Systems (INES) programme that is responsible for the OECD’s collection of education statistics and its flagship publication Education at a Glance.

Since joining the OECD in 2013, he has led research programmes in multiple policy fields, including public governance and urban policy. He also worked conceptually on the use of indicators in the policymaking process and he has published extensively in academic publications, OECD reports and working papers.

Prior to joining the OECD, Abel Schumann completed a Ph.D. in economics with a specialisation in applied microeconometrics at Stockholm School of Economics.

Felicity Gillespie

Felicity Gillespie is the Chief Executive of Kindred2, a private foundation focused on improving the quality of early childhood development. She is currently a member of the independent expert panel advising Sir David Bell’s Review of Early Years, commissioned by the Labour Party.

Felicity has been an Advisor to the UK Department for Education since 2011and the lead specialist Academy Governance Advisor for six years. A board member of Ofsted, previous roles include establishing the Broadcast Training and Skills Regulator and The National Teaching Awards. As the education and training advisor at the Confederation of British Industry, she represented the UK on EU education and training programme boards.

A former Associate of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit and of the National College of School Leadership, Felicity has served as a National judge of the UK National Training Awards on many occasions and speaks on the British education system at conferences and seminars in the USA, Middle East and UK.

Barry Fletcher

Barry joined Youth Futures Foundation, the What Works centre for youth employment, as CEO in January 2023. Barry’s career has been dedicated to supporting people into work and helping young people fulfil their potential. Prior to joining Youth Futures Foundation Barry spent 3 years as CEO at Career Connect a youth focused Charity based in the North West. He began his career at Ingeus, spending 15 years at this large, health, youth, employment and skills provider, with his final role leading the UK business as Managing Director.

Barry is passionate about increasing social mobility and supporting the most marginalised in society. This is reflected in the non-executive roles he has previously undertaken including serving on the Board of Youth Employment UK, ERSA, Careers England, and Chair of The Way Youth Zone, part of the Onside network.

Chris Paterson

His role includes overseeing the work of our teams most directly related to impact activity: Policy; Mobilisation; Communications; Content and Engagement; and Synthesis – actively maintaining the synergies across these teams, and their links into the EEF’s research work. Chris is also a board member at the qualifications regulator, Ofqual.

Prior to joining the EEF, Chris was Senior Policy Adviser to the Secretary of State for Education for 7 years. Before his time at the DfE, Chris worked at CentreForum thinktank, focused on supporting education policy for equity. And, prior to his career in education, Chris worked as a qualified solicitor at city law firm Slaughter and May.

Carole Willis

Carole Willis is Chief Executive of the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER). NFER is an independent not for profit organisation dedicated to providing research and analysis to help improve outcomes for children and young people. Carole was formerly Chief Analyst and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for Education. Her background is in economics and she has worked in a range of government departments as well as in the private sector.

Livestream viewing will be available for this event. 

For more information or any questions about the event, please contact Sophie Garner ( [email protected] ).

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OECD Education at a Glance 2024: Ensuring Every Student Thrives

• Career and Technical Education
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The annual Education at a Glance report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) delivers a comprehensive view into the state of education around the world. The report gives access to the most recent data through interactive graphics and provides key messages on major issues affecting students, teachers, parents, and policymakers. This year’s edition includes an emphasis on the ways that policy can allow for all students to have the chance to succeed.

On September 20th at 12:00pm ET , join us for a live webinar to discuss highlights from this year’s report and the implications for education in the United States.

Hosted by NCEE’s Vicki Phillips , the webinar will feature an overview of this year’s findings from OECD’s Andreas Schleicher , followed by a panel discussion on lessons and inspiration for U.S. states, districts, and schools.

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PISA in Perspective: Cultivating Creative Thinking

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PISA in Perspective: How Does the U.S. Stack Up?

Education at a Glance 2023: Future-Ready Career & Technical Education

See the Slides Read the Report The annual Education at a Glance report provides comparative…

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Global Education Monitoring Report

Technology in education

2023 gem report.

The 2023 GEM Report on Technology in education: A tool on whose terms? addresses the use of technology in education around the world through the lenses of relevance, equity, scalability and sustainability.

It argues that education systems should always ensure that learners’ interests are placed at the center and that digital technologies are used to support an education based on human interaction rather than aiming at substituting it. The report also provides an assessment of progress towards SDG 4 at the mid-point to 2030 , summarized in a brochure and released at the 2023 SDG Summit. The global launch event can be watched here. 

Download the full report , the summary version , the 2023 regional report for Southeast Asia, the gender version , social media resources and visit the report page for more online resources.  

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All children are #Borntolearn . But so many never do. Visit our website which is dedicated to showcasing the education journeys of four school children in Africa, Godfred, Priscilla , Rougui and Pape . As part of the GEM Report Spotlight Series , this platform offers an exclusive glimpse into the lives of these young learners as they navigate their educational paths in diverse contexts.

Embark on a virtual journey as you explore the unique experiences, aspirations, and accomplishments of these remarkable children.

Leadership and education

Leadership is at the heart of quality education. It has been argued that it is the second most important school factor explaining learning outcomes. Leaders at multiple levels matter, from those within the school, to those outside of the school, and even those outside of education systems.

The new  concept note for the  2024/5 GEM Report , developed based on a  think-piece  by David Gurr, details how the theme will be explored. 

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Exxonmobil global outlook: our view to 2050, the global outlook is exxonmobil’s view of energy demand and supply through 2050..

A foundation of our business plan, the analysis is based on a long-term assessment of:

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Key takeaways

1. All energy types will remain in the mix. 2.

Renewables will grow the fastest.

3.

Coal will decline the most.

4.

Under any credible scenario, oil and natural gas remain essential.

5.

Lower-carbon technology needs policy support to grow rapidly but ultimately must be supported by market forces.

In 2050, the world will be different—vastly different.

To meet critical needs, the world will need to increase access to reliable, affordable energy from a broad set of solutions.

10 billion people by 2050

15% increase in energy use, 25% decline in emissions, >4x increase of solar and wind in the total energy mix, >50% of energy demand still met by oil and natural gas, explore the global outlook.

• Affordable and reliable energy fuels economic development and modern living standards.
• Large energy disparity still exists between developed and developing countries.
• Growing energy consumption supports economic expansion, enabling longer, more productive lives for the growing global population.
• By 2030, carbon emissions are projected to fall for the first time as economic activity expands.
• Hard-to-decarbonize commercial transportation and industrial activity will account for nearly half of the world’s emissions in 2050.
• Reducing emissions to achieve a below 2°C pathway will require supportive policy, technology innovation, and market incentives to drive faster deployment of all available solutions.
• Oil and natural gas remain the largest energy sources.
• Electricity use grows in all sectors, with generation from solar and wind growing the fastest.
• Coal is displaced by lower-emission sources, including both renewables and natural gas.
• Commercial transportation and industrial feedstocks drive continued demand for oil.

By 2050, growing population and rising prosperity in developing nations drives:

• Global electricity demand to nearly double.
• Energy demand for transportation to grow by more than 20%.
• Energy demand for industry to grow by 20%.
• The world’s demand for oil and natural gas remains strong.
• Oil and natural gas supply from existing wells naturally declines over time, making sustained investments more important than ever.
• Growing demand for LNG, driven by the Asia Pacific region, is underpinned by growing North America and Middle East supply.

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The Global Outlook includes Exxon Mobil Corporation’s internal estimates of both historical levels and projections of challenging topics such as energy demand, supply, and trends through 2050 based upon internal data and analyses as well as publicly available information from many external sources including the International Energy Agency. Separate from ExxonMobil’s analysis, we discuss a number of third-party scenarios such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Likely Below 2°C and the International Energy Agency scenarios. Third-party scenarios discussed in this report reflect the modeling assumptions and outputs of their respective authors, not ExxonMobil, and their use and inclusion herein is not an endorsement by ExxonMobil of their results, likelihood or probability. Work on the Outlook and report was conducted during 2023 and 2024. The report contains forward looking statements, including projections, targets, expectations, estimates and assumptions of future behaviors. Actual future conditions and results (including energy demand, energy supply, the growth of energy demand and supply, the impact of new technologies, the relative mix of energy across sources, economic sectors and geographic regions, imports and exports of energy, emissions and plans to reduce emissions) could differ materially due to changes in economic conditions, the ability to scale new technologies on a cost-effective basis, unexpected technological developments, the development of new supply sources, changes in law or government policy, political events, demographic changes and migration patterns, trade patterns, the development and enforcement of global, regional or national mandates, changes in consumer preferences, and other factors discussed herein and under the heading “Factors Affecting Future Results” in the Investors section of our website at www.exxonmobil.com . The Outlook was published in August 2024. ExxonMobil assumes no duty to update these statements or materials as of any future date, and neither future distribution of this material nor the continued availability of this material in archive form on our website should be deemed to constitute an update or re-affirmation of this material as of any future date. This material is not to be used or reproduced without the permission of Exxon Mobil Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Education at a Glance

Education at a glance 2020.

OECD's annual Education at a Glance looks at who participates in education, what is spent on it, how education systems operate and 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. This book includes StatLinks, urls linking to Excel® spreadsheets containing the background data.

English Also available in: French , German , Spanish , Portuguese

• OECD Education Statistics
• ISSN: 19991487 (online)
• https://doi.org/10.1787/19991487
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OECD Indicators

Education at a Glance is the authoritative source for information on the state of education around the world. It provides data on the structure, finances and performance of education systems across OECD countries and a number of partner economies. More than 100 charts and tables in this publication – as well as links to much more available on the educational database – provide key information on the output of educational institutions; the impact of learning across countries; access, participation and progression in education; the financial resources invested in education; and teachers, the learning environment and the organisation of schools.

The 2020 edition includes a focus on vocational education and training, investigating participation in vocational education and training at various levels of education, the labour market and social outcomes of vocational graduates as well as the human and financial resources invested in vocational institutions. Two new indicators on how vocational education and training systems differ around the world and on upper secondary completion rate complement this topic. A specific chapter is dedicated to the Sustainable Development Goal 4, and investigates the quality and participation in secondary education.

08 Sept 2020 476 pages English Also available in: German , French

https://doi.org/10.1787/69096873-en 9789264422155 (EPUB) 9789264382619 (PDF)

Author(s): OECD

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