IEA is deeply committed to supporting countries during this difficult time and to helping keep all children learning. IEA’s open access data, collected in a systematic and scientific manner, offers insights into effective practices in education that can assist the development of evidence-based policies to strengthen education system resilience.
As a leading entity in the field of educational research, IEA works on improving education quality and equity by contributing to the advancement of evidence-based policies and practices worldwide. Since 1958, IEA has measured students’ progress in subjects such as mathematics, science, and reading (TIMSS and PIRLS); conducted assessments on civic and citizenship education (ICCS); investigated students’ computer and information literacy (ICILS); and researched early childhood and teacher education. These well-established international studies form a meaningful basis for measuring global progress toward SDG4 and provide a wealth of open access data for researchers, policymakers, and members of the UNESCO Global Education Coalition.
In the context of COVID-19, IEA, UNESCO, and the European Commission are launching a joint study, where no international fees will be incurred by countries, which draws a more comprehensive picture of the pandemic’s impact on global education: Responses to Educational Disruption Survey (REDS). The study aims to acquire an overview of the situation caused by the current crisis and to share best practices in a large variety of education systems, so as to provide policymakers, education stakeholders, and coalition partners with valuable data, which has been collected in a systematic and scientific manner, for evidence-based decision-making.