DOCUMENT RESUME Making Education Count: Developing And
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 411 322 TM 027 391 TITLE Making Education Count: Developing and Using International Indicators. INSTITUTION Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France). Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. ISBN ISBN-92-64-14050-6 PUB DATE 1994-00-00 NOTE 368p. AVAILABLE FROM OECD Washington Center, 2001 L Street, N.W., Suite 650, Washington, DC 20036-4922; phone 1-800-456-6323 ($58, plus $4.50 shipping and handling). PUB TYPE Collected Works General (020) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC15 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Academic Achievement; Context Effect; Educational History; Educational Policy; *Elementary Secondary Education; Evaluation Methods; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; *International Education; International Studies; *Outcomes of Education; *Policy Formation; Political Influences; Public Policy IDENTIFIERS *Educational Indicators; Organisation for Economic Cooperation Development ABSTRACT The chapters in this book were prepared during the second phase of a study conducted by the Organisation for. Economic Cooperation and Development to develop a set of International Indicators of Education Systems (INES). They were among the many studies presented at the General Assembly of the INES Project in Lugano (Switzerland), September 16-18, 1991. Taken together, these papers present what is currently known about the organization, development, measurement, and uses of international education indicators. Attention is given to the political contexts within which education indicators are used for informing policy-makers. The 18 chapters deal mainly with conceptual and analytical issues in the organization of education indicators. They are grouped thematically into four parts. Part I, "History and Definition of Indicators," presents a framework for the other contributions. Part II, "Development of Indicators," discusses issues in the development and implementation of different types of indicators. Part III, "Indicators of Outcomes of Education," is concerned with indicators of learning, student achievement, and other educational outcomes, such as labor market destinations. The five chapters in Part IV, "Interpreting Indicators for Policy," focus on the uses and abuses of reporting and interpreting international education indicators. Each chapter contains references. (Contains 10 tables and 16 figures.) (SLD) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** M Centre for Educational Research and Innovation Making Education County Developing and Using International Indicators PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL Office of Educational Research and Improvement IN OTHER THAN PAPER COPY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION HAS BEEN GRANTED BY CENTER (ERIC) cieThis document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization 12%. v\fSr originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES Points of view or opinions stated in this INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. ti O OECD CICDE PARIS FAT COPY AVAULARLE Centre for Educational Research and Innovation Making Education Count Developing and Using International Indicators ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT Pursuant to Article 1 of the Convention signed in Paris on 14th December 1960, and which came into force on 30th September 1961, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shall promote policies designed: to achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and a rising standard of living in Member countries, while maintaining financial stability, and thus to contribute to the development of the world economy; to contribute to sound economic expansion in Member as well as non-member countries in the process of economic development; and to contribute to the expansion of world trade on a multilateral, non-discriminatory basis in accordance with international obligations. The original Member countries of the OECD are Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The following countries became Members subsequently through accession at the dates indicated hereafter: Japan (28th April 1964), Finland (28th January 1969), Australia (7th June 1971), New Zealand (29th May 1973) and Mexico (18th May 1994). The Commission of the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD (Article 13 of the OECD Convention). The Centre for Educational Research and Innovation was created in June 1968 by the Council of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and all Member countries of the OECD are participants. The main objectives of the Centre are as follows: to promote and support the development of research activities in education and undertake such research activities where appropriate; to promote and support pilot experiments with a view to introducing and testing innovations in the educational system; to promote the development of co-operation between Member countries in the field of educational research and innovation. The Centre functions within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in accordance with the decisions of the Council of the Organisation, under the authority of the Secretary-General. It is supervised by a Governing Board composed ofone national expert in its field of competence from each of the countries participating in its programme of work Publid en fransais sous Is titre EVALUER L'ENSEIGNEMENT De l'utilite des indicateurs internationaux Reprinted 1994 ei OECD 1994 Applications for permission to reproduce or translate all or part of this publication should be made to: Head of Publications Service, OECD 2, rue Andre-Pascal, 75775 PARIS CEDEX 16, France Foreword The chapters in this volume were prepared by consultants and the CERI Secretariat during the second phase of the OECD study designed to develop a set of International Indicators of Education Systems (INES). They were among the many studies presented at the General Assembly of the INES Project held in Lugano, Switzerland, 16-18 Septem- ber 1991 at which all the participants in the Project met to take stock of the achievements and the options for work to be undertaken during the third phase. Taken together, these papers present what is currently known about the organisation, development, measurement and uses of international education indicators. Much attention is given to the political contexts within which education indicators are used for informing policy-makers. The eighteen chapters deal mainly with conceptual and analytical issues in the organisation of education indicators. They are grouped thematically into four parts. Part I presents a framework for the other contributions. Part II discuss issues in the development and implementation of different types of indicators. Part III is concerned with indicators of learning, student achievement and other educational outcomes, such as labour market destinations. The five chapters in Part IV focus on the uses and abuses of reporting and interpreting international education indicators. While voicing a number of cautionary notes on the difficulties besetting indicator construction and interpretation, the distinguished authors of the various chapters are generally supportive of the OECD initiative to develop a coherent set of reliable and policy-sensitive education indicators. Their support was an essential factor in the decision to publish the thirty-six indicators that resulted from the second phase of the INES Project. That publication, Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators, was released on 24 September 1992, one year almost to the day after country delegates and experts attending the Lugano Assembly received the recommendation to proceed. By working with Member governments and invited experts, the OECD has demonstrated in Education at a Glance that it is possible to produce reliable indicators of education systems. Moreover, the interest taken by policy-makers as well as the broad press coverage given to the publicationshows that the OECD indicators succeeded in addressing the demand for internationally comparative information on education. Whereas the scope of the first edition of the indicators report is still limited, future editions will expand the range of indicators and improve their reliability and comparability. This volume was prepared by Albert Tuijnman and Norberto Bottani of the CERI Secretariat and is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. 3 Table of contents Introductory address by Thomas J. Alexander 13 Part One HISTORY AND DEFINITION OF INDICATORS Chapter 1 International education indicators: framework, development and interpretation Norberto Bottani and Albert Tuijnman History and definition of indicators 21 History of a failure 21 Policy priorities and changing research agendas 22 Call for a new concept of accountability 23 Education indicators back on the agenda 25 Development of indicators 26 Indicators in a political context 26 Issues in the measurement of education 27 Specificity in a comparative context 28 The management