Jo Ritzen – The Conversation

Countries such as Japan and Finland have consistently boasted top scores — and high secondary school graduation rates. (Shutterstock)

November 28, 2019

Global education rankings may overlook poor graduation rates

Louis Volante, Brock University; Francesca Borgonovi, UCL, and Jo Ritzen, Maastricht University

Implementing educational policies that promote long-term achievement and attainment is possible, but requires going beyond news headlines.

Policies that cut school expenditures under the premise of “doing more with less” can also contribute to a decrease in high school graduation rates that could easily cancel out those savings. Shutterstock

May 13, 2019

High school dropouts cost countries a staggering amount of money

Louis Volante, Brock University; John Jerrim, UCL, and Jo Ritzen, Maastricht University

While the purpose of education can’t be reduced to promoting economic growth, every child out of school represents both lost opportunities — and huge economic costs — for countries.

Policy-makers must remember that the social consequences of a test are just as important as the test’s content. (Shutterstock)

April 16, 2019

New global testing standards will force countries to revisit academic rankings

Louis Volante, Brock University; John Jerrim, UCL; Jo Ritzen, Maastricht University, and Sylke Schnepf, Joint Research Centre (JRC)

The stakes could be highest for students around the world as education systems decide how to respond to the changing shape of global standardized testing.

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