Governing Complex Education Systems

Paris, 4 November 2014

Tracey Burns

Governance challenges inincreasingly complexeducation systems

• Central regulation to decentralisation and deregulation

• Increasing school autonomy• Increasing numbers of actors and stakeholders• Parental choice and voice

Trends in Governance

Increasing accountabilityof performance

• Measurable objectives and indicators • Focus on evaluation and quality assurance• Increasing transparency

Trends in Governance

GCES Main Research Questions

What models of governance areeffective in complex education systems?

What knowledge system is necessary to support the effective governance of complex education systems?

GCES Analytical Model

SteeringPriority setting Accountability

ImplementationPolicy Design

Knowledge use

Knowledge production

GCES Core Themes

Accountability systems

Capacity building

Strategic thinking

GCES Main Findings

• There is no one right system of governance. Rather than focussing on structures it is more fruitful to focus on processes.

• Effective governance works throughbuilding capacity, open dialogue, and stakeholder involvement.

• Governance is a balancing actbetween accountability and trust, innovation andrisk-avoidance, consensus building and making difficult choices.

GCES Main Findings

• The central level remains very important(even in decentralised systems) in triggering and steeringeducation reform through strategic vision and clear guidelinesand feedback.

• There are systemic weaknesses in capacity throughout most educational systems which contribute to today’s governance challenges.

• Importance of key principles for system governance (not just agreement on where to go, but how to get there).

GCES Outputs

Thematic conferences

Working papers• Governance and Knowledge• Horizontal Accountability• Complexity• Modes of Governance• Trust

GCES Case Studies

Published:• The Netherlands• Norway• Sweden

Forthcoming:• Poland• Germany

Education Governance: The role of dataTallinn, Estonia, 12-13 February 2015

1) What are innovative ways to collect, use and visualise data for education governance?

2) What are the main challenges arising from use of data (trust, accountability, capacity)?

3) What kinds of supports for the use of data are needed at different governance levels?

Thank you!

www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/gces

Tracey.Burns@oecd.org