Education is often the subject of intense debate in society. How large should our schools be? What should the maximum class size be? Education usually enjoys a generous budget from the state, but is this money always wisely spent?
Let us be clear: we have great respect for policy-makers at all levels in the education system, from ministers to head teachers, and everyone in between. We know that they all need to take account of many, often conflicting, interests.
The following themes deal with questions that often occupy the minds of the educational policy-makers. But we start with an explanation of something that these policy-makers love to do: compare different countries.