The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s International Early Learning Study: Opening for debate and contestation

Abstract

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development is initiating the International Early Learning Study, a cross-national assessment of early learning outcomes involving the testing of 5-year-old children in participating countries. The authors use this colloquium to inform members of the early childhood community about this project and to raise concerns about its assumptions, practices and possible effects. The authors also invite readers' comments, to start a process of democratic dialogue and contestation. Keywords Cross-national assessment, early childhood education, early learning outcomes, OECD Anglo-Saxon 'testology' … is nothing but a ridiculous simplification of knowledge, and a robbing of meaning from individual histories. (Malaguzzi, in Cagliari et al., 2016: 378) The very act of ordering and measuring the world also changes the world.

Infant and toddler educare: A challenge to neoliberalism

“…A similar level of neoliberal discourse is evident in the United Kingdom. Moss (2013) highlights the investment narrative that has driven the early childhood sector for many years and points out the strong influence of neoliberalism in the latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) narratives (Moss et al 2016). …”

Power and resistance in early childhood education: From dominant discourse to democratic experimentalism

“…In particular, the dominant discourse is still rolling, like a juggernaut, over the field, deploying ever more powerful technologies to try and ensure those high returns that its economistic rationale calls for, and bringing ever-increasing standardisation and uniformity through its commitment to a narrow range of sanctioned 'early learning outcomes' and its will to govern. New technologies are being added to its already formidable toolkit, the latest being the cross-national assessment of 'early learning outcomes', currently being developed and piloted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, one of the most prominent international actors spreading the story of quality and high returns (Moss et al, 2016).…”

Editorial

“…However, despite the advantages of sharing ideas on the care and education of young children, the increased analysis of early education services by supra-national organisations risks 'global panopticism' (Lingard et al 2013), whereby the global construction of early childhood education services acts a regulatory gaze as to the purpose of services and how they should be delivered and structured. The OECD's proposed International Early Learning Study (IELS) is illustrative of the normative ways of thinking about early childhood education, whereby services are identified as a social good, supporting children's lifelong learning (based on predefined desirable indicators) and offering early intervention to those from socio-economically disadvantaged circumstances (Moss et al 2016). However, advocates of contextualised approaches to early childhood education would caution against a convergence of perspectives (Moss et al 2016), identifying a need to appreciate that culture and history are central to explaining and understanding differences (Oberhuemer 2014;Tobin 2005;Tobin et al 2009).…”

“…The OECD's proposed International Early Learning Study (IELS) is illustrative of the normative ways of thinking about early childhood education, whereby services are identified as a social good, supporting children's lifelong learning (based on predefined desirable indicators) and offering early intervention to those from socio-economically disadvantaged circumstances (Moss et al 2016). However, advocates of contextualised approaches to early childhood education would caution against a convergence of perspectives (Moss et al 2016), identifying a need to appreciate that culture and history are central to explaining and understanding differences (Oberhuemer 2014;Tobin 2005;Tobin et al 2009). Thus whilst considering the 'other' can offer alternative perspectives and open up new possibilities, the transfer of ideas may not always be possible or desirable.…”