The OECD and Educational Policy Reform: International Surveys, Governance, and Policy Evidence

Over the past 50 years, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has increasingly influenced the nature and scope of education policies in primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors around the world. Policy suggestions in these sectors primarily stem from the results of their various international surveys such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), and the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). This paper discusses the etiology, key developments, and policy discussions associated with OECD's international surveys in compulsory and higher education settings within Canada and abroad. The authors examine the influence of the OECD on educational governance and the contested nature of international policy evidence in the educational policy sphere.