Global Influences on National Definitions of Quality Education: Examples from Spain and Italy

Abstract

There is increasing attention worldwide to advancing quality education. Beyond a rhetorical aim, many international organizations and national education systems have articulated a commitment to promoting measures of quality education through the development of educational indicators. This article broadly explores the global influences on national definitions and measures of quality education through examining select educational issues in Spain and Italy. Through an examination of select educational issues in these two illustrative national examples, there appears to be a connection between the ways in which educational quality indicators are used and defined at the national and international level. These examples provide insight into how the Organisation for Economic and Co-operation and Development (OECD) influences educational policy developments in quality education within the national space, particularly through its own Education at a Glance indicators and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The authors argue that by including key international indicators of quality at the national level, the OECD wields considerable influence in national education policy spaces, and, furthermore, narrows what it means to develop quality education.