Highlights from Education at a Glance

Centre for Educational Research and Innovation

Frequency :
Annual
ISSN :
2076-264X (online)
ISSN :
2076-2631 (print)
DOI :
10.1787/2076264x
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Highlights from Education at a Glance offers a reader-friendly introduction to the OECD’s collection of internationally comparable data on education. As the name suggests, it is derived from Education at a Glance, the OECD’s flagship compendium of education statistics. However, it differs from that publication in a number of ways, most significantly in its structure, which is made up of five sections that explore the following topics: education levels and student numbers; the economic benefits of education; paying for education;  the school environment; and  TALIS,  OECD's internationally comparative data on conditions of teaching and learning.

In general, this publication uses the same terminology employed in Education at a Glance. However, in one or two places terminology has been simplified. Readers who wish to find out more should consult the Reader’s Guide. Tables and charts in this volume are all accompanied by a dynamic hyperlink, or StatLink, that will direct readers to an Internet site where the corresponding data are available in Excel® format.

Also available in: French
 
Highlights from Education at a Glance 2010

Highlights from Education at a Glance 2010 You or your institution have access to this content

Authors:
OECD
Publication Date :
07 Sep 2010
Pages :
96
ISBN :
9789264087705 (HTML) ; 9789264087699 (PDF) ; 9789264084698 (print)
DOI :
10.1787/eag_highlights-2010-en

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Highlights from Education at a Glance 2010 is a companion publication to the OECD’s flagship compendium of education statistics, Education at a Glance. It provides easily accessible data on key topics in education today, including: education levels and student numbers, economic and social benefits of education, education spending, the school environment (hours of instruction, class size, etc.) and school choice and parent voice.

Each indicator is presented on a two-page spread. The left-hand page explains the significance of the indicator, discusses the main findings, examines key trends and provides readers with a roadmap for finding out more in the OECD education databases and in other OECD education publications. The right-hand page contains clearly presented charts and tables, accompanied by dynamic hyperlinks (StatLinks) that direct readers to the corresponding data in Excel™ format. Highlights from Education at a Glance 2010 is an ideal introduction to the OECD’s unrivalled collection of internationally comparable data on education and learning. 

Also available in: French
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Expand / Collapse Hide / Show all Abstracts Table of Contents

  • Expand / Collapse Hide / Show all Abstracts Education levels and student numbers

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    • To what level have adults studied?
      Education is important for both the present, giving individuals the knowledge and skills to participate fully and effectively in society, and for the future, as it helps expand scientific and cultural knowledge. This spread shows the level to which adults have studied, a measure that is often used as a proxy to illustrate human capital, or the skills available in a population and labour force.
    • Who participates in education?
      A well-educated population is essential to economic and social development, so societies have a real interest in ensuring that children and adults have access to a wide range of educational opportunities. This spread examines access to education, and its evolution, from 1995 to 2008, focusing on the number of young people who continue studying once compulsory education has ended.
    • How many secondary students go on to tertiary education?
      This indicator shows how many students finish secondary education and then make the transition into tertiary education. Completing upper secondary education does not in itself guarantee that students are adequately equipped with the basic skills and knowledge necessary to enter the labour market or tertiary studies. However, research has shown that young people in OECD countries who do not finish secondary education face severe difficulties when it comes to finding work.
    • How many young people graduate from tertiary education?
      Tertiary education serves as an indicator of the rate at which countries produce advanced knowledge. Countries with high graduation rates at tertiary level are also those most likely to be developing or maintaining a highly skilled labour force. Graduation rates from tertiary education (the structure and scope of which varies widely between countries) are influenced both by the degree of access to tertiary programmes and by the demand for higher skills in the labour market.
    • How many students graduate outside the normal age?
      Students typically graduate from upper secondary education in their late teens and from tertiary education by their mid-20s. However, in a number of countries some students study well beyond these age ranges. While some governments are taking measures to encourage students to make the most of their capacities by moving more rapidly into and through tertiary education, there is also value in ensuring that opportunities exist for people to complete their studies later in life so that they can equip themselves to compete in the labour market.
    • How many students drop out of tertiary education?
      This spread looks at the proportion of students who begin tertiary education but do not complete a first degree. Non-completion is not necessarily an indication of failure: in some countries, even a year of tertiary- level education may significantly improve a student’s job-market prospects, while in others students may be able to retain credits from an initial period of study and then complete their studies later. However, high dropout rates may indicate problems in educational systems: courses may not be meeting students’ educational expectations or their labour market needs, and may run for longer than students can justify being outside the labour market.
    • How successful are students in moving from education to work?
      This spread looks at the number of years young people can be expected to spend in education, employment and non-employment. All OECD countries are experiencing rapid social and economic changes that make the transition to working life more uncertain for younger individuals. In many cases, the challenges are especially severe for young people from an immigrant background. In the wake of the economic crisis, long-term unemployment among young adults is likely to rise in most countries.
    • How has the crisis affected the transition to work?
      The recession that followed the financial crisis of 2008 has led to a big increase in unemployment in OECD countries. By the end of 2011, OECD countries will need to create 15 million jobs to return to pre-crisis employment levels. This spread looks at how the jobs crisis has affected young people’s transition from education to employment.
    • How many adults take part in education and training?
      Continuing education and training for adults is essential to upgrade workers’ skills and increase an economy’s overall level of skills. This is especially the case as economies cope with trends like globalisation, changing technologies, the shift from manufacturing to services and more flexible management practices that increase the responsibility of lower-level workers. Changing demographics are also a major challenge: As societies age, people will need to go on working for longer, so developing the skills of older workers will be essential. Against that background, this spread looks at the extent to which the working age population is participating and investing in education and training.
    • How many adults investigate training opportunities?
      As noted on the preceding pages, education and training for adults are key to expanding the workforce’s skills. However, in most countries, substantial numbers of adults – especially those with relatively low levels of education – do not take part in further learning. Information, guidance and counselling services can provide a first step to increasing adult participation by helping to create accessible learning environments, supporting learning at all ages and in a range of settings, and empowering citizens to manage their learning and work. This spread looks at the number of adults who make use of such information and guidance systems.
    • How many students study abroad?
      This spread looks at the extent to which students are studying abroad. One way for students to expand their knowledge of other cultures and languages, and to better equip themselves in an increasingly globalized labour market, is to pursue their higher-level education in countries other than their own. Some countries, particularly in the European Union, have even established policies and schemes that promote such mobility to foster intercultural contacts and help build social networks.
    • Where do students go to study?
      This indicator describes students’ preferred destinations and subjects they study. As well as its social and educational effects, international study has a substantial economic impact. Some OECD countries already show signs of specialisation in the sort of education programmes they offer, and the internationalisation of education is likely to have a growing impact on countries’ balance of payments as a result of revenue from tuition fees and domestic consumption by international students. There are financial benefits, too, for educational institutions; international students can also help them to reach the critical mass needed to diversify the range of their educational programmes.
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  • Expand / Collapse Hide / Show all Abstracts The Economic and social benefits of education

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    • How much more do tertiary graduates earn?
      This spread examines the relative earnings of workers with different levels of education. Differences in pre-tax earnings between educational groups provide a good indication of supply and demand for education. Combined with data on earnings over time, these differences provide a strong signal of whether education systems are meeting the demands of the labour market.
    • How does education affect employment rates?
      This spread examines the relationship between education and the labour force. OECD countries depend upon a stable supply of well-educated workers to promote economic development. Data on employment and unemployment rates – and how they evolve over time – can thus carry important information for policy makers about the supply, and potential supply, of skills available to the labour market and about employers’ demand for these skills.
    • What are the incentives for people to invest in education?
      The efforts people make to continue education after compulsory schooling can be thought of as an investment with the potential to bring rewards in the form of future financial returns. People invest in education in two ways (these are the "costs"): directly, through the payment of tuition fees, for example, and indirectly, by sacrificing potential income when not in work and studying. As with any investment, a rate of return can be calculated. In this case, it is driven mainly by the reality that people with higher levels of education earn more and are more likely to be in work ("benefits"). Where the rate of return is high, it implies a real financial incentive for people to continue their education.
    • What are the incentives for societies to invest in education?
      The economic benefits of education flow not just to individuals but also to governments through additional tax receipts when people enter the labour market. These public returns, which take into account the fact that providing education is also a cost to governments, offer an additional perspective on the overall returns to education. Of course, they must also be understood in the much wider context of the benefits that economies and societies gain from increasing levels of education.
    • How expensive are graduates to hire?
      The skills of a country’s workforce provide a substantial advantage that can bring economic benefits over the long term. But the extent of this advantage will be determined by the cost – in other words, how expensive is it to hire skilled workers? To answer that question, this spread looks at the relative cost of hiring workers with different levels of education across OECD countries.
    • What are the social benefits of education?
      Raising people’s standard of health and improving social cohesion are major concerns for OECD governments. There is general agreement on the important role education can play in attaining both these outcomes, but far less certainty over how exactly this can be achieved. Against this background, this spread looks at the relationship between educational attainment and social measures of well-being for 27 countries. It focuses on three outcomes that reflect the health and cohesiveness of the society: selfassessed health, political interest and interpersonal trust.
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  • Expand / Collapse Hide / Show all Abstracts Paying for education

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    • How much is spent per student?
      This spread shows the levels of combined public and private spending on education. In debates about learning, demand for high-quality education, which may mean spending more per student, is often tempered by the desire not to raise taxes. While it is difficult to determine the level of spending needed to prepare a student for work and life, international comparisons can provide reference points for comparisons of education resources.
    • Has spending per student increased?
      This spread looks at whether spending on education has risen or fallen in recent years. Policy makers are under constant pressure to find ways of improving the quality of educational services while expanding access to educational opportunities, notably at tertiary level. Over time, spending on educational institutions does indeed tend to rise, in large part because teachers’ salaries rise in line with general earnings. However, if the cost of schooling each student is not accompanied by improvements in educational outcomes, it raises the spectre of falling productivity levels.
    • What share of national wealth is spent on education?
      This spread shows the proportion of a nation’s wealth that is invested in education. In other words, it shows to what extent a country, which includes the government, private enterprise and individual students and their families, prioritises education in relation to overall spending.
    • What share of public spending goes on education?
      Public spending on education, as a percentage of total public spending, indicates the importance placed on education relative to that of other areas of public spending, such as health care, social security and national security. Since the second half of the 1990s, most OECD countries have sought to consolidate public budgets, and education has had to compete with a wide range of other areas for public financial support. This spread evaluates the change in spending on education both in absolute terms and relative to changes in the size of public budgets.
    • What is the role of private spending?
      This spread shows how the financing of educational institutions is shared between public and private entities, particularly at tertiary level. Public funding provides a very large part of investment in education, but the role of private sources has become more important. Some stakeholders are concerned that this balance should not become so tilted that it discourages some potential students from attending tertiary education. Thus, it is important to look at changes in public/private funding shares to determine if they are influencing patterns and levels of student participation.
    • How much do tertiary students pay?
      This spread examines the relationships between annual tuition fees, direct and indirect public spending on education, and public subsidies for student living costs. Governments can address issues of access to and equality of education opportunities by subsidising tuition fees and financially aiding students and their families, particularly students from low-income families. But how this aid is given – whether through grants, scholarships or loans – is a subject for debate in many countries.
    • What are education funds spent on?
      This spread shows how OECD countries spend their funds for education, including the split between capital expenditure, which is one-off spending on things like school buildings, and current expenditure, which is recurring spending on things like teacher salaries. How spending is apportioned, both between current and capital outlays and within these categories, can affect the quality of services, the condition of facilities, and the ability of education systems to adjust to changing demographic and enrolment trends.
    • What accounts for variations in spending on salary costs?
      The relationship between resources devoted to education and outcomes has been the focus of much interest in recent years, as governments seek to ensure value for money in public spending while satisfying the education needs of society and the economy. Indeed, various reforms have been implemented during the last decade in primary and secondary education which have had important impacts in this area (see Box B7.2 in Education at a Glance 2010). Consequently, there is considerable interest in international comparisons of how various school systems allocate resources. This spread examines these questions from the perspective of salary cost per student – a calculation based on four factors: hours students spend in the classroom, teachers’ teaching hours, estimated class size and teachers’ salaries. Salary cost per student is calculated for each country and then compared with the OECD average.
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  • Expand / Collapse Hide / Show all Abstracts The school environment

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    • How long do students spend in the classroom?
      This spread examines the amount of time students spend in formal education between the ages of 7 and 15. The choices that countries make about how much time should be devoted to education and which subjects should be compulsory reflect national education priorities. Since a large part of public investment in education goes to instruction time in formal classroom settings, the length of time students spend in school is an important factor in determining the amount of funding that should be devoted to education.
    • How many students are in each classroom?
      This spread examines the number of students per class at the primary and lower secondary levels, and the ratio of students to teachers at all levels. Class size is a hotly debated topic in many OECD countries. While smaller classes are often perceived as enabling a higher quality of education, evidence on the impact of class size on student performance is mixed.
    • How much are teachers paid?
      This spread shows the starting, mid-career and maximum statutory salaries of teachers in public primary and secondary education. Since teachers’ salaries are the largest single cost in education, teacher compensation is a critical consideration for policy makers seeking to maintain both the quality of teaching and a balanced education budget.
    • How much time do teachers spend teaching?
      This spread examines the time teachers spend teaching and doing non-teaching work, such as preparing lessons and assessing students. Although working time and teaching time only partly determine teachers’ actual workload, they do provide valuable insights into differences in what is demanded of teachers in different countries and so may be related to the attractiveness of teaching as a profession. The amount of time teachers spend teaching is also one of the factors that affect the financial resources countries need to allocate to education.
    • Who are the teachers?
      This spread presents a profile of the teaching workforce. Getting a better understanding of the teaching workforce means countries can anticipate teacher shortages and work to improve the teaching profession’s attractiveness as a career choice.
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  • Expand / Collapse Hide / Show all Abstracts Special section: School choice, parent voice

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    • How much school choice do parents have?
      This spread looks at the scope and nature of choice available to parents. It looks first at the alternatives to public schools that are available and, second, at the extent to which parents can choose their child’s school from among public and private alternatives. The issue of school choice has been hotly debated in a number of countries. Proponents argue that, among other benefits, it can allow parents to "vote with their feet" when a school is failing and allows schools to better match their services to students’ needs. Opponents argue that it can encourage a two-tier education system, with the benefits being enjoyed mostly by better-off families.
    • Are schools highly regulated or autonomous?
      This spread looks at schools’ autonomy – the extent to which they are free to design their own curricula, promote a religious viewpoint and set their hiring rules, and the requirement for students to take national exams, among other factors. For true school choice to exist, schools must differ so that parents can make meaningful decisions on the basis of school profiles or pedagogical practices. If all schools are identical, or very similar, choice is less attractive and less meaningful. More heavily regulated schools are assumed to be more similar to each other. On that basis, the nature and scope of regulation can be seen as influencing the amount and significance of school choice.
    • Do parents have a say in schooling?
      This indicator looks at "parent voice" – or the extent to which parents can influence schools and how they may do so. It focuses on three formal types of parent voice: actual participation in governance; providing advice but not directly participating in governance; and the ability to make complaints or register grievances. Like school choice, parent voice can play an important role in signalling problems in the education system.
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  • Statistical Note
    Although a lack of data still limits the scope of the indicators in many countries, the coverage extends, in principle, to the entire national education system (within the national territory) regardless of the ownership or sponsorship of the institutions concerned and regardless of education delivery mechanisms. With one exception described below, all types of students and all age groups are meant to be included: children (including students with special needs), adults, nationals, foreigners, as well as students in open distance learning, in special education programmes or in educational programmes organised by ministries other than the Ministry of Education, provided the main aim of the programme is the educational development of the individual. However, vocational and technical training in the workplace, with the exception of combined school and work-based programmes that are explicitly deemed to be parts of the education system, is not included in the basic education expenditure and enrolment data.
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