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Novice teachers bring new energy and ideas to schools and classrooms that could improve the learning environment of students, if harnessed correctly. At the same time, novice teachers are, by definition, inexperienced in some aspects concerning classroom practices and schoolwork. As is the case for any other profession, novice teachers need time, support and guidance to improve their skills and adapt to the tasks they are confronted with on a regular basis. Thus, providing novice teachers with adequate support in their initial years is a key challenge of developing teaching as a profession.
The slowdown of economic activity caused by the COVID-19 outbreak and related emergency measures implemented to tackle the health crisis have led to severe difficulties for companies to meet their financial obligations. Many of the fixed costs, such as rents and interest payments, remain due while the cash flow destined to meet these obligations has vanished. As a result, many otherwise sound companies are facing acute liquidity constraints that eventually might become solvency problems.
This working paper discusses strategic foresight initiatives and methodologies that support decision making and process design. It highlights case studies, international benchmarks, and best practices, as well as methodological recommendations and options for promoting the adoption and use of strategic foresight in government. The paper has four sections, each centred on a critical action to improve decision making through strategic foresight: (i) framing strategic foresight, (ii) building its fundamental components in governments, (iii) fine-tuning foresight interventions to specific contexts, and (iv) undertaking concrete activities to solve specific policy challenges. Given its exploratory nature, this working paper and its proposals should be seen as contributing to ongoing debates about the use of strategic foresight for decision making in government. The ultimate purpose of this paper is to help governments become more proactive and prospective.
Early childhood education and care (ECEC) staff are central to promoting young children’s development, learning and well-being. Novice staff, defined as staff with up to three years of experience, account for 27% of staff in TALIS Starting Strong 2018. Novice staff are generally less educated than experienced staff in terms of the level of educational attainment and education or training with a focus specifically on working with children. More novice staff than experienced staff report a strong need for additional professional development in several areas, including “classroom/playgroup/group management” and “working with parents or families”. Policy approaches to support novice staff in ECEC can include ensuring that initial education prepares novice staff for their jobs by providing relevant knowledge specifically on working with children, supporting novice staff to engage in ongoing professional development, and clarifying how novice staff can progress professionally.
Informal carers – family and friends who perform care - are the first line of support for older people. About 60% of older people who receive care at home report receiving only informal care across OECD countries.
While informal carers help to contain public costs, those costs are borne elsewhere. Women perform the majority of informal care, posing a barrier to their labour market participation. It is generally impacted when caring over 20 hours per week. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased pressures on carers.
Making informal care a choice without constrains requires a comprehensive set of policies. Countries have taken steps, though more could be done. While access to information has improved, counselling and training depends heavily on the voluntary sector and respite typically remains insufficient. About two-thirds of OECD countries provide direct or indirect cash benefits to informal carers. Nearly two-thirds also mandate paid or unpaid care leave entitlements.
One year after the outbreak of the COVID‑19 crisis, the future looks certainly brighter but it is not yet time to withdraw policy support for people and companies. Even if the headline labour market figures in many countries look better than in Q2 2020, millions of workers are still on job retention schemes and millions of others are unemployed or underemployed. In the coming months, while countries prepare for the implementation of their recovery plans, it is essential to continue supporting families and companies still deeply affected by the crisis, while providing the right incentives for job creation and resuming work. Without these measures, the recovery would start from an even worse economic and social starting point. The short-term costs are high but they are much lower than the costs of mass bankruptcies, layoffs and a depressed economy and labour market. Furthermore, the short-term costs can be reduced by enhancing the targeting of support to the most vulnerable sectors, companies and households, while fostering start-ups and job creation.
This policy brief discusses the measures countries have taken to support the livelihoods of those who cannot access unemployment benefits or short-term work schemes. It examines the raft of new programmes introduced across the OECD and beyond, including means-tested assistance, new cash transfer schemes, and direct support for those struggling to meet their expenses. It also discusses how to close social protection gaps beyond the crisis to ensure inclusive growth post-COVID-19.
The unfolding COVID-19 crisis is challenging people, households and firms in unprecedented ways. Many affected countries introduced or announced bold measures over the last days and weeks, often with a focus on supporting the most vulnerable who are bearing a disproportionate share of the burden. This note, and the accompanying policy table, contributes to evidence-sharing on the role and effectiveness of various policy tools.
This policy brief, prepared by the OECD and European Commission, explores the potential of entrepreneurship policy to support the labour market participation of people with disabilities. Disabilities vary widely in type, severity, stability, duration and time of onset, and these characteristics influence individual capacities and willingness to be active in the labour market. Self-employment can be appropriate for some in this population because it can provide more flexibility than paid employment in terms of workload, work schedule and work location, which can allow for better management of disability and lifestyle. This brief provides an overview of the policy rationale for entrepreneurship support for people with disabilities and provides a brief overview of the scale and nature of self-employment activities by people with disabilities and suggests potential actions for governments.
Given the unprecedented number and unique profile of Ukrainians fleeing their country in a short time following its invasion by Russia, as 50% of refugees are children, host country schools are facing challenges to increase their capacity and address the needs of the new refugee students. For children, returning to school can provide a sense of security and stability, while ensuring that they can have appropriate opportunities of developing their skills and do not suffer even larger losses later in life. Beyond the short-term integration of refugee students in schools and classrooms, host countries will have to deal with the promotion of the inclusion of students that will remain in the countries on a longer term. Early assessments, individualised curricula, language learning support and more will be key elements in the education of Ukrainian refugee students. Due to considerable uncertainty regarding the length of stay of refugee students from Ukraine in host countries, education systems will need to be flexible in meeting the needs of refugee students and providing opportunities to develop skills needed to prepare them for career paths after their return to Ukraine. Moreover, coordinated exchanges with Ukrainian policy makers and the provision of opportunities for students to stay connected with Ukrainian curriculum, language and culture are also important as many refugees may wish to return to Ukraine in the future. In sum, a holistic approach will be needed to address all the needs of Ukrainian refugee students, from a learning, social and emotional perspective.
This document presents nine innovation policy initiatives from different OECD countries that support research and innovation for sustainable development by embracing systemic solutions to address the challenge. The three types of initiatives reviewed include: i) grant schemes that support the development of environmental technologies; ii) programmes that foster research collaborations to address environmental challenges; and iii) smart city initiatives that support sustainable development in urban areas often by leveraging the use of digital technologies. The nine policy initiatives, which were selected based on an overview of initiatives gathered by the EC-OECD STIP Compass database, are described with regards to their main features, including policy objective, policy instrument(s) implemented, target groups, selection criteria and procedures, implementation challenges faced as well as their impact.
School systems across the world are working to make the classroom more inclusive for all children, regardless of their origin and capacities, so that they have equal opportunities for quality learning. It has become essential to integrate students with special needs into mainstream formal education and they are, increasingly, enrolled in regular schools and classes in primary education. Inclusive classrooms exert more and particular demands on teachers, however. TALIS 2018 data alerts us to the pressing need to support teachers with students with special needs in primary schools. Support for students with special needs is a policy priority for principals and teachers in primary schools. Modifying lessons to support students with special needs is a particular cause of stress for teachers. And a significant proportion of teachers request further training in teaching children with special needs.
School systems around the world are making efforts to enhance and make education more efficient with information and communications technology (ICT). This has become especially urgent due to the current pandemic. Because of its rapidly evolving nature, ICT places unique demands on teachers, requiring a certain level of digital literacy and specialised pedagogical knowledge to integrate it into the classroom.
Teacher training in ICT usage and instruction at the collective and official level is key to a successful transition from an old to a new educational system. But efforts and careful analysis will be needed to ensure that the training actually increases teacher preparedness and meets their educational demands. Without proper implementation, ICT use may not only be ineffective but have a negative impact on teaching and learning.
The COVID-19 pandemic has wide implications for the socio-economic fabric worldwide. In addition to health fears, citizens are facing a host of financial uncertainties stemming from the temporary closure of businesses, schools, public facilities and quarantines, as well as instability in the stock market and retirement income uncertainties. These can result in lost income, trouble paying bills, and meeting other financial obligations, as well as the risk of falling victim to scams and fraud. Policy makers worldwide need to increase the awareness of citizens about effective means to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential long-term consequences for their financial resilience and well-being. Taking domestic contexts into account, governments could consider the following initial measures.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the largest forced displacement crisis in recent history, with a high proportion of those fleeing being children and young people. The stressful and traumatic experiences Ukrainian refugees may have encountered can lead to a variety of mental health issues, which, if unaddressed, may have lasting impacts on their development. Schools in host countries play a vital role in addressing refugee learners’ needs, providing a space where they can feel safe, continue their learning, and access psychosocial support services. Schools can also serve as sites for social and emotional learning, which is essential for helping students navigate the challenges associated with adjusting to a new culture and for facilitating their inclusion in education and society. This brief discusses how education systems in host countries can support the social and emotional well-being of Ukrainian students, drawing on existing examples of policies and practices.
This policy brief documents how bi- and tri-partite social dialogue at different levels, including collective bargaining, is shaping and implementing measures that support a job-rich recovery – both by assisting workers in moving from declining to expanding job sectors in response to structural change and by retaining experienced workers when needed, so that production responds to increases in demand.
It is increasingly recognised that women and girls tend to be disproportionately impacted by climate change and other environmental challenges, especially in developing countries. Yet, little research or policy action has focused on how gender equality and environmental goals can be mutually reinforcing. This policy paper examines linkages and synergies between these two policy agendas and explores the role of green policies, finance and infrastructure in supporting women’s empowerment and gender equality. The paper finds that while the interlinkages that shape the gender-environment nexus are starting to be acknowledged, further efforts are needed to foster synergies between gender and environmental goals in policy design, sustainable finance approaches as well as in infrastructure planning and implementation.
The mental health of young people has been significantly impacted by the COVID‑19 crisis. Prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression has risen dramatically among young people and remains higher than pre‑crisis levels even with the partial re‑opening of the economy, and compared to other age groups, even as economies partially re-open. The worsening of mental health can be attributed to disruptions to access to mental health services, the wide‑ranging impacts of school closures, and a labour market crisis that is disproportionately affecting young people. With adequate support and timely intervention, young people experiencing mental distress may be able to bounce back as we recover from the COVID‑19 crisis. This will require a scaling up of existing mental health support in education systems, workplaces and health systems, and comprehensive policies to support young people to remain in education, or to find and keep a job.