Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education Lessons from PISA for Japan For decades Japan has remained at or near the top of international assessments of student learning; and in the past decade, students in Japan have become more engaged in learning. However, the government Strong Performers and aspires to improve learning outcomes even further. Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education: Lessons from PISA for Japan focuses on how Japan is reforming its education system not only to produce Successful Reformers in Education better learning outcomes, but to equip students with the skills they need to navigate through the unpredictable labour market of the future and to participate in society as active citizens. This is the second in a series of reports examining how education systems are handling the challenge Lessons from PISA for Japan of preparing their students for a world of interconnected populations, rapid technological change, and Japan Strongfor Performers PISA Successfulfrom Lessonsand Education Reformers in instantaneous availability of vast amounts of information. Like the fi rst volume, Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education: Lessons from PISA for the United States, this report presents examples from other countries with consistently high-performing education systems or countries that, by redesigning policies and practices, have been able to improve their education outcomes, as measured by the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the world’s most comprehensive and rigorous survey of students’ skills and attitudes towards learning. Contents Chapter 1. How is Technology Changing Demand for Human Skills? Chapter 2. Viewing Education in Japan through the Prism of PISA Chapter 3. Finland: A Non-Competitive Education for a Competitive Economy Chapter 4. Singapore: Thinking Ahead Chapter 5. Ontario: Harnessing the Skills of Tomorrow Chapter 6. Shanghai and Hong Kong: Learning to Learn Chapter 7. Policy Lessons from and for Japan Please cite this publication as: OECD (2012), Lessons from PISA for Japan, Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264118539-en This work is published on the OECD iLibrary, which gathers all OECD books, periodicals and statistical databases. Visit www.oecd-ilibrary.org, and do not hesitate to contact us for more information. ISBN 978-92-64-11851-5 98 2011 06 1 P -:HSTCQE=VV]ZVZ: 982011061cov.indd 1 22-Feb-2012 9:05:42 AM Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education LESSONS FROM PISA FOR JAPAN 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 governments of its 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: OECD (2012), Lessons from PISA for Japan, Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264118539-en ISBN 978-92-64-11851-5 (print) ISBN 978-92-64-11853-9 (PDF) Photo credits: Fotolia.com © Ainoa Getty Images © John Foxx Corrigenda to OECD publications may be found on line at: www.oecd.org/publishing/corrigenda. © OECD 2012 You can copy, download or print OECD content for your own use, and you can include excerpts from OECD publications, databases and multimedia products in your own documents, presentations, blogs, websites and teaching materials, provided that suitable acknowledgment of OECD as source and copyright owner is given. 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 The Great East Earthquake in March 2011 brought human tragedies and unparalleled destruction over Japan. But it also revealed the unmatched commitment and capacity of the Japanese people to address the challenges and to build a new future for the country. Education will be the foundation for this future. The high value Japan has traditionally placed on education and the unwavering belief of its citizens that all children can succeed have fuelled Japan’s rapid economic rise already over many decades. The Japanese success story is based on world class educational standards. But as the demand for skills in Japan’s society is changing, continued success will depend on moving beyond providing more of the same education. Continued reform of the curriculum will be essential, in ways that shift the focus among students from reproducing educational content towards strengthening their capacity to extrapolate from what they know and apply their knowledge in challenging situations. The latest PISA assessment shows that Japan has made a promising start, but the following challenges need to be addressed. First, the quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers and school leaders – and the quality of teachers and school leaders cannot exceed the quality of work organisation, professional development and support provided by and to schools and local communities. Over the last decade, Japan has prioritised reductions in class sizes over investments in teachers, seeking to bring class sizes more in line with those in other OECD countries. In the future, improvements and investments in the quality of teachers can make an additional difference. Second, Japan’s “Basic Guidelines for Reconstruction in Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake” demand that the reconstruction efforts be directed towards “creative futures” instead of reinstating the status quo and they underline the central role that local capacity and initiative play in this. As PISA shows, Japan has already seen a significant shift from one of the more centralised to one of the more decentralised education systems. However, the challenge remains to enable teachers, schools and local communities to actively assume the leadership roles and responsibilities they have been assigned. Greater local responsibility, in turn, will demand greater attention to equity-related issues. PISA shows that Japan’s traditionally high standards of equity are beginning to erode. Devolved responsibilities therefore need to be accompanied with equity-related policies that attract the most talented teachers to the most challenging classrooms and the most capable principals to the schools most in need for effective leadership. Third, learning does not begin in school nor does it end with school. A lifetime approach to education and learning is needed. Japan’s effort to integrate childcare centres and “kindergartens” and to build a coherent educational framework will be central to provide all children with the best possible start in life. Similarly, it is no longer just the school or university attended but actual performance at the workplace that are shaping the economic and social future of Japan’s citizens. Thus, Japan will need to better develop and leverage the skills of its adult population. Last but not least, while Japan can pride itself to have achieved far better educational outcomes than most other OECD countries with fewer resources, the pressure to further improve value for money must not be underestimated. In the short term, the aftermath of the Great East Earthquake is demanding an extraordinary effort from citizens and taxpayers. In the longer term, reducing the public deficit as well as the dramatically changing demographics and their demands on health and social services may even put pressure on investment in education. But education will remain the key to Japan’s future. The comparative evidence produced by the OECD underlines that the long-term economic and social returns of better learning outcomes far exceed any conceivable cost related to their improvement. The OECD stands ready to support Japan in consolidating its position as top performer in education and innovation and making the best out of its investment in education. Angel Gurría OECD Secretary-General STRONG PERFORMERS AND SUCCESSFUL REFORMERS IN EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM PISA FOR JAPAN © OECD 2012 3 Acknowledgements This report is the result of a collaborative effort between the OECD and international experts with extensive expertise in analysing the performance of education systems internationally. The report was prepared under the responsibility of the Indicators and Analysis Division of the OECD Directorate for Education, principally Andreas Schleicher, Francesca Borgonovi and Richard Hopper. The principal authors of the chapters in this report are: (Introduction): Richard Hopper, based on the introduction in an earlier report of this series, OECD; (Chapter 1): Frank Levy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Japan (Chapter 2): Francesca Borgonovi, Richard Hopper, Miyako Ikeda, OECD; Finland (Chapter 3): Pasi Sahlberg, Centre for International Mobility and Co-operation (CIMO), Finland; Singapore (Chapter 4): Vivien Stewart, Asia Society, United States; Ontario, Canada (Chapter 5): Robert Schwartz and Jal Mehta, Harvard University; Shanghai and Hong Kong, China (Chapter 6): Kai-ming Cheng, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Robert Schwartz and Jal Mehta, Harvard University; Policy lessons from and for Japan (Chapter 7): Andreas Schleicher, building on a chapter on Japan from an earlier report of this series and with contributions from Francesca Borgonovi, Miyako Ikeda, Yasuhito Sakurai and Miho Taguma. Vanessa Shadoian-Gersing and Simone Bloem of the OECD compiled background data on each system. Marilyn Achiron edited this report while Elisabeth Villoutreix and Elizabeth Del Bourgo co-ordinated its production. The OECD PISA team provided information and diagrams to support the PISA analysis contained in this report.