PISA results should guide not drive education policy
Commenting on the publication of the OECD's 2012 PISA study, Chris Keates General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers' union said:
“The OECD's PISA 2012 study is an important and rich source of data that can help an education system reflect on its strengths and on areas for further development.
“The evidence from PISA should be used to guide not drive education policy.
“PISA is simply a snapshot of some aspects of learning, not a cast iron conclusion about the effectiveness of schools. PISA is not the be all and end all.
“It is therefore inappropriate for some politicians and commentators to use PISA to denigrate the hard work, commitment and capability of teachers. This was a particularly egregious and unacceptable feature of the public debate following the outcomes of PISA 2009. This must not be a feature of the debate this time.
“Those who choose to use PISA to talk down our public education system should take note that one of the most striking outcomes of the PISA study which is that high performing nations show respect for the dedication and professionalism of highly qualified teachers.
“The PISA study has some strong messages for the Secretary of State. The study is clear that unless structures are put in place to support collaboration between teachers and to involve them in the management of schools, standards are placed in jeopardy. The Coalition's education policies have fragmented the school system and broken up collaborative partnerships.
“The Coalition's ideological belief that competition between schools drives up standards is refuted by the evidence from the PISA study.
“It is deeply disappointing that claims are being made that because England's rankings in the table have not changed, education performance has stagnated and that this is the responsibility of the last government.
“This is another distortion of the PISA information. It may for example be the case that other countries are making similar rates of progress, meaning that their rankings have not changed. The fact that a country has maintained its position doesn't mean there has been no progress in terms of PISA outcomes.
“Claims of stagnation are premised on the view that PISA rankings tell us everything we need to know about the quality of a country's education system. This is not the case.”
