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The last edition of the Functional Area 1 (FA1) Learning Series of 2024 took place on November 14, jointly organized by UNESCO and the OECD. The webinar “Evidence in policy formulation: How to use research evidence to construct policy solutions” shed a light on different governance structures and human resources needed for translating research evidence into policy and practice.

Panelists: 

• Borhene Chakroun, Director, Division of Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems, UNESCO

• Andreas Schleicher, Director, Education and Skills, OECD

• Sonia Guerriero, Programme Specialist, Education Policy Section, UNESCO

“The world is off-track in achieving SDG 4 goals and is unlikely to meet them by 2030," warned Borhene Chakroun as he opened the session. He drew attention to critical issues raised at the 2024 Global Education Meeting, including a severe shortage of financial resources and inequalities in education spending. The 2024 Global Education Meeting took place in Fortaleza, Brazil on 31 October and 1 November 2024 and brought together over 50 ministers of education to discuss the state of progress on global education. The 2024 edition of the Global Education Monitoring Report was released at the meeting and further intensifies the alarm, revealing that 251 million children and youth remain out of school, while 70% of children enrolled in school cannot read and comprehend a simple text by age 10. To address these issues, we should acknowledge the problems in quality data collection and its efficient use but also the change management that should happen through leadership and social dialogue. At the end of the meeting, ministers endorsed the Fortaleza Declaration, an outcome document calling the international community to prioritize education as a key lever for a more just and sustainable future.  

Andreas Schleicher highlighted in his opening remarks the disconnect between educational spending and learning outcomes, urging that research evidence should be used more effectively to improve the impact of resources. He called for a shift from linear knowledge dissemination to system-wide knowledge mobilization, which would involve creating incentives, infrastructure, and strategic leadership.  

In Ghana, the Education Evidence and Data Lab (GEEDLab) was introduced to tackle the absence of a national platform for consolidating education research. Kwame Akyeampong explained that while this program addressed evidence gaps, the real challenge is in building a system that responds to the demand for evidence and encourages its use in policymaking.

Similar lessons were shared by Abdoul Aziz Adama of Côte d'Ivoire, where the EdLab initiative sought to create evidence-based policies. He emphasized the need to make research more relevant to policymakers and to foster regular dialogue between researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.  

In another part of the world, Rien Rouw of the Netherlands discussed his role in a specialized government unit aiming to strengthen the link between science and policy within ministries and research institutes. He stressed that building connections takes time and requires a spirit of equality, partnership, and multidisciplinary collaboration. 

In Ireland, Leonora Harty and Dr. Chiara Loda shared how the country’s Research and Innovation Strategy has focused on strengthening the impact of research on policymaking. They highlighted the importance of flexibility and built-in engagement in the research process, ensuring that findings stay relevant and accessible to policymakers throughout while being goal-oriented with flexible methodologies.   

The stimulating Q&A session kicked off with the question: How can we build a system in which policymakers actively demand evidence, and in which this demand is met by accessible, systematic evidence? The panelists emphasized the importance of exposing policymakers to the benefits and impact of research uptake. They suggested organizing events, programs, and workshops to foster greater exchange and capacity-building while also understanding the specific needs of policymakers. The conversation shifted towards the need for a cultural change in policymaking, where evidence use becomes a crucial step in the decision-making process. Panelists discussed setting clear pathways for evidence accessibility and stressed the importance of shifting the paradigm that relevant evidence takes a long time to produce. 

The next question tackled how to effectively collect, categorize, and use evidence to address the specific needs of different regions and education levels. Panelists highlighted the importance of using disaggregated data that is readily available and tailored to the audience. “Fit-for-the-audience” data was mentioned as a critical factor in making evidence relevant to local contexts and grade levels. 

When discussing how to measure the impact of interventions, partnerships, and policies, the panel turned to the confusion often caused by varying findings in impact studies. Experts acknowledged the challenges of interpreting these findings and proposed several solutions. One is to create a high-level evidence committee that could synthesize results from different impact studies for providing clearer, actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners. A second solution emphasizes the necessity of including cost data in impact studies to ensure that financial efficiency is considered when evaluating educational interventions. 

The session concluded with Sonia Guerriero inviting participants to join new Learning Series webinars in 2025, offering an opportunity to continue learning and sharing insights with one another. Details about the 2025 lineup will be shared on the FA1 Learning Series webpage.