Developed as one of the resources within the context of the OECD /Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI)ERI project entitled "Fostering and assessing students' creative and critical thinking skills in higher education", this paper focuses on ways in which students' creativity and critical thinking can be fostered in higher…

The first five years of a child's life is a period of great opportunity, and risk. The cognitive and social-emotional skills that children develop in these early years have long-lasting impacts on their later outcomes throughout schooling and adulthood. The International Early Learning and Child Well-Being Study was designed to help countries…

Over the last few years, social and emotional skills have been rising on the education policy agenda and in the public debate. Policy makers and education practitioners are seeking ways to complement the focus on academic learning, with attention to social and emotional skill development. Social and emotional skills are a subset of an individual's…

The horrendous impact of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues to unfold. One of the consequences has been the systematic destruction of Ukraine's education system. This OECD publication aims to support Ukrainian policymakers in the twin challenge of ensuring high-quality education can continue and to aid the remodeling of an education…

Creativity and critical thinking are key skills for complex, globalised and increasingly digitalised economies and societies. While teachers and education policy makers consider creativity and critical thinking as important learning goals, it is still unclear to many what it means to develop these skills in a school setting. To make it more…

Lifelong learning is key if individuals are to succeed in labour markets and societies shaped by megatrends such as increases in life expectancy, rapid technological changes, globalisation, migration, environmental changes and digitalisation, as well as sudden shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic. In a fast-changing and uncertain world, lifelong…

This report analyses twelve quality assurance systems that cover non-formal adult learning to identify the quality areas and criteria typically included in these systems, as well as the evidence that training providers can submit to prove compliance with them. The different quality areas, criteria and indicators are analysed and structured in the…

The OECD's new Study on Social and Emotional Skills aims to provide policy makers, educators, families and communities with a comprehensive set of tools to foster students' social and emotional learning. The Study's assessment framework -- presented in this paper -- is a result of an extensive literature review of previous research, existing…

The first years of life lay the foundations for a child's future development and learning. Many countries have increased their financial support for provision of early childhood education and care (ECEC) over the past years. More recently, the focus of debate has been shifting from expanding access to affordable ECEC to enhancing its quality. A…

This research paper has the objective of providing a comprehensive overview of Dutch education policy approaches to the integration of children with a migration background, with a particular focus on those who have recently arrived in the country. After mapping the current population characteristics of children with a migration background and…

Economies and societies are undergoing digital transformations that bring both opportunities and challenges and countries' preparedness to seize the benefits of a digital world is largely dependent on the skills of their population. This edition of the "OECD Skills Outlook aims" to understand how policies, and in particular those that…

In an increasingly fast-changing, complex and diverse world, social and emotional skills are becoming ever more important. In this paper we present an overview of literature on social and emotional skills, describing the nature and structure of these skills, their development, malleability and factors that influence them, their cross-cultural…

The countries of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) -- an initiative between the Member States of the European Union and Eastern European and South Caucasus countries -- are navigating significant challenges while striving for sustainable economic growth and social cohesion. Education plays a crucial role in unlocking the potential of digitalisation…

This report identifies effective strategies to tackle skills imbalances in South Africa. It provides an assessment of practices and policies in the following areas: the collection and use of information on skill needs to foster a better alignment of skills acquisitions with labour market needs; education and training policies targeting skills…

The experience of children under age 3 with early childhood education and care (ECEC) is crucial for their learning, development and well-being and for parents' return to work. Despite increasing recognition of the importance of ECEC for the youngest children, little is known about this sector. The OECD Starting Strong Teaching and Learning…