This report for Chile forms part of the OECD Review of Policies to Improve the Effectiveness of Resource Use in Schools (also referred to as the School Resources Review, see for further details). The purpose of the review is to explore how school resources can be governed, distributed, utilised and managed to improve the quality, equity and efficiency of school education. School resources are understood in a broad way, including financial resources (e.g. expenditures on education, school budget), physical resources (e.g. school infrastructure, computers), human resources (e.g. teachers, school leaders) and other resources (e.g. learning time).

The education system in Chile has expanded considerably in recent years. Enrolment in pre-primary education has increased considerably and universal access has been virtually reached in lower secondary education. There has also been good progress in retaining students within the school system. However, in upper secondary education, improvements in completion and retention rates have not been sustained in the recent past and about 20% of a cohort does not reach the final year of upper secondary education. In addition, student achievement in international assessments, while at the top within Latin America, remains below the OECD average. However, trend analyses of PISA results have shown some statistical significant improvement in reading literacy while performance in mathematics and science has remained fairly stable. A major concern is the significant proportion of students underperforming in secondary education.

The education system in Chile has expanded considerably in recent years. Enrolment in pre-primary education has increased considerably. In 2014, the enrolment rates were 54%, 84% and 94% at ages 3, 4 and 5 against OECD averages of 71%, 86% and 95% respectively. There has also been good progress in retaining students within the school system but a good share of students still leave the education system too early with low skills. Universal access has been virtually reached in lower secondary education. The proportion of adults who have attained at least upper secondary education grew from 41% for the generation aged 55-64 in 2015 to 80% for the generation aged 25-34 in the same year. However, in upper secondary education, improvements in completion and retention rates have not been sustained in the recent past and about 20% of a cohort does not reach the final year of upper secondary education. Rates of completion within the nominal time (4 years) only reached 59% in 2014. Chile also has high repetition rates in international comparison even if they have decreased in recent years. In addition, student achievement in international assessments, while at the top within Latin America, remains below the OECD average. However, trend analyses of PISA results have shown some statistical significant improvement in reading literacy while performance in mathematics and science has remained fairly stable. A major concern is the significant proportion of students underperforming in secondary education. In PISA 2015, 34.5% of students demonstrated low levels of science proficiency compared to 21.2% on average in the OECD.

The market-oriented education reforms of the 1980s entailed the decentralisation of public school management responsibilities to municipalities and the introduction of a nationwide voucher programme. This is completed by the Ministry of Education’s role as the co-ordinator and regulator of the education system. The Ministry designs policies, develops programmes and quality standards (including the curriculum), officially recognises education providers, and offers technical and pedagogical support to schools. It shares responsibilities for the National System of Quality Assurance with three other institutions: the National Education Council, the Agency for Quality Education and the Education Superintendence. As of late 2015, the government initiated a reform of the administration of public education, which intends to remove the administration and management of public schools from municipalities and create a system of public education, in a process called New Public Education. It involves the creation of Local Education Services, the new providers of public education, which are co‐ordinated by a body within the Ministry of Education. The majority of children attend publicly-subsidised private education. Educational attainment in Chile has considerably improved in recent years. Lower secondary education is now virtually universal and there has been progress in retaining students in upper secondary education even if about 20% of a cohort does not reach the final year of upper secondary education. Student learning outcomes in Chile are considerably below the OECD average but there has been considerable progress in the last decade. Finally, students’ and schools’ socio-economic status have a strong impact on student performance.

This chapter is about the financing of school education. It considers the level and distribution of resources within the education system. It further analyses the operation of the school grants system, incentives for the effective use of school funding, and accountability mechanisms. The chapter places particular emphasis on areas of priority for Chile such as the regulation of the public funding of private providers, the design of the school grants system and sources of inefficiency in the use of school resources. The chapter also reviews the funding for school infrastructure and the monitoring of the use of school resources.

This chapter is about resourcing policies targeted at specific groups of students in view of improving equality of opportunities, in particular: socio-economically disadvantaged students, children and youth living in rural areas, Indigenous students, and students with special needs. It deals with educational outcomes for these groups and analyses the main programmes targeted at them. The chapter places particular emphasis on areas of priority for Chile such as effective ways to use extra resources for disadvantaged students, the monitoring of the learning outcomes of specific student groups, and reflecting Indigenous cultures in the Chilean education system. The chapter also reviews strategies for rural education and the provision and funding of special needs education.

This chapter analyses how school organisation and operation in Chile can contribute to the effective use of resources at the school level. It deals with the distribution of responsibilities for school organisation and operation and analyses school quality assurance and development. Furthermore, it discusses the approach to school leadership and how resources in schools are organised to create environments conducive to effective teaching and learning. The chapter places particular emphasis on areas of priority for Chile such as the approach to external school evaluations, the effectiveness of school improvement plans and the operation of external technical-pedagogical support services for schools. The chapter also reviews the organisation of the school leadership profession, the preparation of school leaders, local capacity to manage and support school leadership and school-community relations.

This chapter is about policies to improve the effectiveness of the teaching workforce. It deals with teacher preparation, recruitment, career development and use of time. Furthermore, it discusses how teachers are incentivised to perform at a high level. The chapter places particular emphasis on areas of priority for Chile such as the low status of the profession, the heavy workload of teachers, shortcomings in teacher preparation and the challenges in addressing teacher underperformance. The chapter also reviews the coherence and consistency of the teacher evaluation framework and the operation of professional development for teachers.