Globalisation – Is it shaping national curricula?

By Oliver Stacey

Globalisation is usually observed from an economic perspective but has impact in many areas of life – and education and school curricula are not immune from the forces and impact of this international phenomenon. Perhaps the most obvious example of this in education is the influence of large-scale international surveys such as TIMSS (Trends in International, Mathematics and Science and Study) and PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) that have facilitated the evaluation and comparison of different educational systems.

PIRLS 2016 results and the importance of teaching

By Juliet Sizmur

24 November 2010 marked a significant day for education.  As some four and five year olds were settling into their first term of school, it was also the day that former Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, unveiled his plans to overhaul education in England, publishing a new white paper, The Importance of Teaching. 

International school spending – how does the UK compare?

By Maire Williams

Over the last six months, school funding has been an almost constant feature in policy debate, from the proposed introduction of a National Funding Formula to the longer running cuts and freezes schools are facing to their budgets. However, far less has been said on how the UK compares internationally. While there are obviously some ‘health warnings’ around comparing international data, including recognising that different countries may be pursuing different priorities, international comparisons can still give us insight into how outcomes vary (or don’t vary) with expenditure. 

Hot topics from 2016

By Karen Wespieser

This week saw the official start of winter. So with the days set to get colder we take a quick look back at what’s been hot in 2016.

TIMSS and PISA results: Seeing past the headlines

By Ben Durbin

This blog post first appeared on the IEA blog.

Education research does not often make newspaper headlines. Even less often does it make headlines in multiple countries around the world. In just a few weeks time we will see a rare exception.

What is the point of education?

The recently published Pearson Learning Curve report suggests that, overall, the English education system is really rather good.

What lies behind England’s PISA problem-solving prowess?

By guest blogger Rebecca Wheater, Research Manager

NFER’s report on England’s performance in PISA 2012 problem solving was published yesterday to coincide with the release of the international results by OECD. This updates the report published in December on England’s performance in mathematics, science and reading.

Great expectations

By NFER Chief Executive Carole Willis

This is a double first for me… My first blog post, and my first post as a Chief Executive.

PISA: why context is everything

By guest blogger Rebecca Wheater, Research Manager

Around this time, every three years, there is one education story which dominates the hearts, minds and headlines of the sector like no other – PISA, the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment, the results of which were released on Tuesday (3 December).

PISA – leaning tower or architectural marvel?

Reading the recent maelstrom surrounding the PISA rankings, the prophetic words of an NFER colleague echoed in my head:

Probably the greatest risk in the use of large-scale international datasets is the ease with which it is possible to draw overly simplistic – or erroneous – conclusions.