2.3.8 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

The OECD annually publishes a report on education indicators in member countries and a number of middle-income partner countries. The most recent edition, Education at a Glance 2014: OECD Indicators (http://www.oecd.org/ edu/ eag.htm [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] ), contains teacher indicators and analysis on:

• Teacher salaries
• PTRs and class size
• Teaching time
• Initial teacher education and professional entry requirements
• Professional development.

The indicators provide very detailed cross-country comparisons, which can help policy-makers assess their country’s performance and progress over time in reaching certain policy goals as measured by the indicators.

Roughly every five years, the OECD also publishes the results of a survey of teachers and school leaders from more than thirty member and partner countries. The most recent publication, Talis 2013 Results: An International Perspective on Teaching and Learning (http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1787/ 9789264196261-en) emphasizes the experiences of teachers and school leaders in areas that research suggests can influence effective teaching, including: teachers’ initial training and professional development; feedback from teacher evaluations; the classroom and school environment; teacher job satisfaction; and teachers’ perceptions of their professional abilities. The report examines more closely than most international reports the intangible factors that influence individuals to choose teaching as a career, remain in the profession throughout the length of their career, stay motivated and perform effectively. It looks beyond statistics and indicators to understand the personal desires and frustrations affecting millions of teachers in their daily work, thereby helping to influence policy measures to create the best teaching and learning environment.