IEA is delighted to announce the release Volume 14 of the IEA Research for Education series and the second publication in the Northern Lights series.
Effective and Equitable Teacher Practice in Mathematics and Science Education A Nordic Perspective Across Time and Groups of Students was launched on Tuesday, 23 April in Reykjavik, Iceland at a conference organized by the Ministry of Education and Children, Directorate of Education, and the Nordic Group of Evaluation Experts.
The IEA Research for Education series researches critical questions concerning educational policies and educational research using secondary analysis from IEA studies. Northern Lights is a connected series of publications. Nordic countries are analyzed comparatively based on international research data on a specific theme within education and is financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers. Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, Karen Elleman says,
Qualitative international comparable data is essential for evidence-based policy making. Nordic Council of Ministers has been running Northern Lights series with Nordic comparisons based on large-scale international studies on school performance and teaching in order to nourish and support the development work with educational policies in the whole Nordic region.
This volume investigates inequality in student achievement across socioeconomic status, language backgrounds, and teaching practices in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden using data from TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) and develops methods for examining large-scale assessment across cycles, countries, and groups of students.
Throughout the conference, the authors presented key takeaways from each chapter of the book. Executive Director at IEA, Dirk Hastedt shared how TIMSS has developed since 1995 and the key uses of the studies' data. IEA was delighted to participate in the conference and collaborate with the Ministry of Education and Children in Iceland. Dirk Hastedt reflects,
It has been a pleasure to see the release of this anticipated publication and discuss the impacts International Large-scale Assessments have in understanding education systems. Thank you to the Ministry of Education and Children of Iceland, Directorate of Education, Nordic Group of Evaluation Experts, the Nordic Council of Ministers for supporting this book and its release.
The accompanying IEA Compass: Briefs in Education focuses on the importance of teachers’ support for student learning, teachers' instructional quality, and how these factors impact student achievement in diverse and changing classrooms. Author of both publications and Associate Professor of Science Education at the University of Oslo, Nani Teig comments,
Students arrive with diverse needs and boundless potential. To unlock their potential, we must recognize the immense challenges teachers face and give them the support they deserve. Teachers hold the key to our future. Investing in teachers isn't an option – it's our best hope for securing a brighter future for every student.
Effective and Equitable Teacher Practice in Mathematics and Science Education and the IEA Compass: Briefs in Education are available open-access for researchers, policymakers, teachers practitioners, and education stakeholders.