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By Anne J. MacLachlan. In: Isolde von Bülow, ed. Nachwuchsförderung in der Wissenschaft. Best-Practice-Modelle zum Promotionsgeschehen—Strategien, Konzepte, Strukturen.  [Supporting the Next Generation of Scholars. Best Practice Models of Doctoral Education—Strategies, Concepts, Structures] Heidelberg, SpringerMedizin, 2014, pp. 79-90. Download PDF Document. This paper examines the origins and current system of doctoral education in both Germany and the United States emphasizing the extent to which each country has mythologized the contribution of the other.  In the United States it is widely believed that “the” German university in the 19th century was the model for the creation of US doctoral programs.  Today in Germany under the Bologna Agreement and the Excellence Initiative it is believed that both of them are modeled on the American higher education system, particularly on the research university.  The argument made here is that there is a broad lack of real knowledge about the systems in the model country as well as significant historical, legal, and social reasons why the ability of either to copy from the other is limited.  The discussion is comparative including the different origins of the research university, home of the doctoral degree, a short summary of the post World War II period, how and why doctoral education developed in both countries up to now, and significant current issues.  Greater weight is given to discussing the US, however, because of its diverse universities, the variety of doctoral programs, and the way they are run. Emphasis is given to internal evaluation of the success of US doctoral training by doctoral students versus how it seems to be viewed in Germany. More...

By Andreas Schleicher, Deputy Director for Education and Skills and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the OECD's Secretary General. There has been much discussion on the extent to which the performance of nations on tests like PISA is shaped by the socio-economic context of families, schools and nations. Surely, economic, social and cultural capital are always an advantage. Owing to advantaged families’ greater capacity to reinforce and enhance the effects of schools, as students from these families attend higher-quality schools and schools are simply better-equipped to nurture and develop children from advantaged backgrounds, school systems tend to reproduce social disadvantage. And that is what the data from PISA have shown. Read more...

By Andreas Schleicher, Deputy Director for Education and Skills and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the OECD's Secretary General. The well-being of individuals and nations depend on nothing more than on what people know and what they can do with what they know. And if there’s one lesson the global economy has taught us over the last few years, it’s that we cannot simply bail ourselves out of a crisis, that we cannot solely stimulate ourselves out of a crisis and that we cannot just print money our way out of a crisis. Investing in high-quality education is the gateway to better skills, better jobs and better lives. And yet, the 2014 Global Monitoring Report, the world’s most authoritative source to track progress towards the ‘Education for All’ goals, paints a bleak picture. Read more...

By Dirk Van Damme, Head of the Innovation and Measuring Progress division, Directorate for Education and Skills. One of the most decisive decisions taken in the course of a person’s life is choosing the field of study when entering higher education. This decision may be influenced by a variety of factors: family, social and economic background; cultural preferences among peers; values and belief systems; or even moral, political or ideological viewpoints. Preceding choices made during transitions in secondary school, have gradually narrowed the options available. Conflicting messages from employers, labour market agencies, governments and intermediary advisory bodies can impact the choices students make as well. Read more...