International Summit on the Teaching Profession Equity, Excellence and Inclusiveness in Education POLICY LESSONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD Andreas Schleicher Key topics from the 2014 International Summit on the Teaching Profession International Summit on the Teaching Profession Equity, Excellence and Inclusiveness in Education POLICY LESSONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD Andreas Schleicher This work is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Organisation or of the OECD member countries. This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. Please cite this publication as: Schleicher, A. (2014), Equity, Excellence and Inclusiveness in Education: Policy Lessons from Around the World, International Summit on the Teaching Profession, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264214033-en ISBN 978-92-64-21137-7 (print) ISBN 978-92-64-21403-3 (PDF) Series: International Summit on the Teaching Profession ISSN 2312-7082 (print) ISSN 2312-7090 (online) Note by Turkey: The information in this document with reference to “Cyprus” relates to the southern part of the Island. There is no single authority representing both Turkish and Greek Cypriot people on the Island. Turkey recognises the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Until a lasting and equitable solution is found within the context of the United Nations, Turkey shall preserve its position concerning the “Cyprus issue”. Note by all the European Union Member States of the OECD and the European Union: The Republic of Cyprus is recognised by all members of the United Nations with the exception of Turkey. 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All requests for public or commercial use and translation rights should be submitted to [email protected]. Requests for permission to photocopy portions of this material for public or commercial use shall be addressed directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at [email protected] or the Centre français d’exploitation du droit de copie (CFC) at [email protected]. Foreword and Acknowledgements Horace Mann, the 19th century American educator, famously referred to education as “a great equaliser”. At a time when the magnitude of income inequality is threatening to tear the social fabric of many OECD countries, it is well worth reviewing our education systems to see whether and how well they are working to provide all students – not just those whose parents can afford it – a quality education. As results from the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey attest, most countries would get an “incomplete” mark if they were graded on the level of equity in their education systems. Without equity in education opportunities, only some students will be able to progress through school having acquired basic knowledge and skills, only some will be able to fulfil their potential, only some will be able to fully participate in society later on. In other words, without equity in education, inequality in society is reinforced and perpetuated. The fourth International Summit on the Teaching Profession, held in March 2014 in New Zealand, was devoted to the issues of excellence, equity and inclusiveness in education. Few subjects could be more timely. This report details the state of equity in education today and provides numerous examples of the innovative policies and practices that some countries have adopted to ensure that the widest possible population of students gets the best possible education. The report was prepared by Andreas Schleicher, in consultation with the Summit co-sponsors – the New Zealand Ministry of Education and Education International. It is mainly based on data and comparative analysis from several OECD publications: PISA 2012 Results (Francesco Avvisati, Francesca Borgonovi, Miyako Ikeda, Guillermo Montt, Sophie Vayssettes and Pablo Zoido, authors; Simone Bloem and Giannina Rech, statistical support); Equity and Quality in Education: Supporting Disadvantaged Students and Schools (Francisco Benavides, Pauline Musset, Anna Pons Vilaseca and Beatriz Pont, authors); and Teachers Matter: Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers (Phillip McKenzie and Paulo Santiago, authors). Marilyn Achiron edited the text, and Célia Braga-Schich and Elisabeth Del Bourgo co-ordinated production of the report, with the assistance of Meredith Lunsford. EQUITY, EXCELLENCE AND INCLUSIVENESS IN EDUCATION: POLICY LESSONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD © OECD 2014 3 Table of Contents PREFACE...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................9 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................11 CHAPTER 1 CHARTING A WAY TOWARDS EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE ....................................................................................................................13 • The 2014 International Summit on the Teaching Profession .................................................................................................................................14 • Defining equity, excellence and inclusiveness ..............................................................................................................................................................17 Excellence ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................18 Equity ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................19 Inclusion .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................21 • The benefits of investing in equity ..........................................................................................................................................................................................21 CHAPTER 2 DEVELOPING HIGH-QUALITY TEACHERS FOR THE SCHOOLS WITH THE GREATEST NEED ...............................................23 • What the results from PISA 2012 show ...............................................................................................................................................................................24 Financial resources ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................24 Teachers...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................26 • Pointers for policy and practice................................................................................................................................................................................................29 Provide adequate resources to address disadvantage ..........................................................................................................................................29 Create a teaching force that reflects student demography and secure high-quality teaching in disadvantaged schools .........................................................................................................................................................................................................32 Prepare teachers for work in disadvantaged schools ............................................................................................................................................32 Provide mentoring to teachers in disadvantaged schools ..................................................................................................................................32