Our new report, The Gender Gap in Educational Outcomes in Norway, offers some possible explanations for this persistent gap, and outlines potential strategies that Norway and other countries could use to mitigate gender disparities. The report, published today, uses an international comparison analysis to paint a comprehensive portrait of academic gender disparities in Norway and select OECD countries, accounting for gender gaps in achievement, attainment, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. More...

This month’s Education Indicators in Focus brief takes a closer look at how the various entry requirements of university admission systems impact enrolment. As the figure below makes clear, countries with the highest share of rejected applicants are also those with highly selective admission systems. Less than 10% of applicants are rejected in Australia and France, for example, compared to more than 60% in Finland and Sweden. More...

Today is World Teachers' Day! Established by UNESCO in 1994, World Teachers' Day is an annual initiative dedicated to "appreciating, assessing, and improving the educators of the world". This year's celebration also marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognises education as a key fundamental right, and seeks to guarantee equal access to education for all children. And as this year's theme reminds us, "the right to education means the right to a qualified teacher". More...

It is a shared international understanding that access to education is a human right that must be guaranteed for all children. Yet barriers to access and quality have made education elusive for the world’s 93 million students with special needs. More...

As parents and citizens, we expect students to leave schools not only with a solid foundation in reading, mathematics and other subjects; we also expect students to leave school as lifelong learners, with the ability to think critically about complex issues, and the will to constantly adapt to change. And we expect schools to contribute to the well-being of our children, and to strengthen the fabric of our societies. More...

A mannequin dressed in a spacesuit is seated in the driver’s seat of an electric sports car. Within minutes, the car escapes Earth’s gravity, crosses the orbit of Mars, and becomes a satellite of the Sun. It may sound like a scene from a sci-fi movie, but this actually happened earlier this year. And although it was little more than a publicity stunt, the event still underscores how fast our world is changing. More...

Changes and improvements in writing technologies have occurred at several points in human history. Our instruments of handwriting have evolved from imprints in clay to brushes and ink, to the now-ubiquitous ballpoint pen (a surprisingly difficult device to perfect). Print and digital reproduction have allowed texts to be mass produced and distributed to audiences numbering in the billions; and smartphones have given us new ways to express ourselves in writing, as evidenced by the widespread use of emoji. More...

One of the most pressing topics on many agendas is how to reduce the achievement gap across populations and ensure that all have access to a quality education. Education serves as the foundation of our progression through life, and policy makers around the world have made it their priority to guarantee that personal and social circumstances – such as gender, socio-economic status or country of origin – do not inhibit personal growth and achievement. More...

During the 1970s researchers observed that the amount of ozone in the atmosphere was decreasing moderately and an ozone “hole” was visibly expanding around the polar regions. The idea of a rapidly-growing hole in the atmosphere – which could have fatal consequences for humanity – caught on with the public so strongly that people reduced their use of chlorofluorocarbons and other ozone-depleting substances, and compelled companies and governments to take action. In 1987 the Montreal Protocol was signed, phasing out the use of some of these substances in industry. More...