International organisations, large-scale assessment, and the convergence of global education governance agendas

• Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies
• MPC: Migration Policy Centre

Join this event as Louis Volante examines how international large-scale assessments (ILSAs), particularly the Programme in International Student Assessment (PISA), shape global education governance agendas.

International organisations (IO’s) such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and World Bank, have a long history of promoting large-scale educational reforms. In some respects, they function as a triumvirate that exert significant influence on the design and refinement of education policies around the world. Admittedly, the OECD has traditionally focused much of their policy outreach on industrialised nations in the global north, while UNESCO and the World Bank have emphasised issues related to low- and middle-income developing nations in the global south.

While differences amongst these IO’s remain, there is increasing convergence between their respective policy agendas. Perhaps more importantly, they all promote best practices and policies in relation to immigrant and low socioeconomic status student populations.

This discussion will consider the implications of using ILSA’s to facilitate policy borrowing, learning, and diffusion efforts across economically and culturally distinct educational jurisdictions, particularly for first- and second-generation immigrant student groups.