Securing quality and equity in education: Lessons from PISA.

Results from PISA show that strong educational performance, and indeed significant improvement over short periods of time, is possible. Whether in Asia (e.g., Japan and Korea), in Europe (e.g., Finland) or in North America (Canada), many countries display strong overall learning outcomes; equally important, they show that poor performance in school does not automatically follow from a disadvantaged socio-economic background. Furthermore, some countries show that educational success can become consistent and predictable, with very little variation in performance across schools. These countries set the goals to which others can aspire. This article sets out some of the key policy levers that are associated with high levels of quality in students’ learning outcomes as well as an equitable distribution of learning opportunities as measured by PISA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]