By Marie-Helene Doumet
Senior Analyst, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills
For many in the Northern hemisphere, September means it’s time to head back to school. As students start feeling the excitement of the first day, many parents, policy leaders, and governments are thinking about how to best prepare our children for their future.
One of the most pressing topics on many agendas is how to reduce the achievement gap across populations and ensure that all have access to a quality education. Education serves as the foundation of our progression through life, and policy makers around the world have made it their priority to guarantee that personal and social circumstances – such as gender, socio-economic status or country of origin – do not inhibit personal growth and achievement.
The OECD contributes to the back-to-school debate through the release of its annual flagship publication, Education at a Glance. Set to be published on Tuesday 11 September, the upcoming edition focuses on equity in education through a number of channels such as parents’ education level, gender, immigrant background and geographic location. Through new data and indicators, the publication analyses how these factors influence access to and participation in education, and, in turn, how they impact individuals’ labour market outcomes.
Much has already been achieved in bridging some of the opportunity gaps our children face, but as this edition of Education at a Glance reminds us, there’s still a long way to go to achieving equity in education.
Stay tuned for more on 11 September!
