The contribution of major international surveys : key readings from PISA

Now in its 15th year, PISA assesses 15-year-old students in over 70 countries around the world. The results, published every three years, show the progress made by each country in terms of the quality, equity and efficiency of educational services. They also provide a better understanding of how different systems deal with similar problems, and can help define relevant targets in terms of measurable goals achieved elsewhere in the world. In this way, the PISA survey will help decision-makers and practitioners to discover the distinctive features of their own education system, as well as its strengths and weaknesses. In the case of France, many were disappointed by the latest results. Despite having one of the most reputable education systems in the world, with a long and rich history, the attainment and skills of 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics and science are just around the average for students in the industrialized world. What are the reasons for this? What are the main PISA readings in France and other OECD countries?

Éric Charbonnier holds a postgraduate degree in economics and statistics from Paris-Dauphine University. He is an analyst with the OECD's Education and Skills Directorate, which publishes the annual Regards sur l'Éducation and the results of the PISA study every three years. Éric Charbonnier is actively involved in communications with the French-language media on all educational issues. For several years, he directed the OECD's Education Systems Indicators Program (INES), which provides data on the performance of education systems in the 35 OECD member countries and a range of partner countries. He is currently working on new indicators to assess the quality of childcare systems. Éric Charbonnier also advises decision-makers on the implementation of their education policies. Convinced that "a statistic is often more reliable than a received idea", he runs a blog for the newspaper Le Monde entitled "L'Éducation déchiffrée".