PISA 2009 results. Vol. 4, What makes a school successful? : resources, policies and practices.

This volume of PISA 2009 results examines how human, financial and material resources, and education policies and practices shape learning outcomes. Following an introduction to PISA and a Reader's Guide explaining how to interpret the data, Chapter 1 presents a summary of features shared by "successful" school systems. Chapter 2 details how resources, policies and practices relate to student performance. Chapter 3 provides detailed descriptions and in-depth analyses of selected organisational features (how students are sorted into grades, schools, and programmes, school autonomy, etc.) of schools and systems and how those aspects affect performance. Chapter 4 describes and analyzes key aspects of the learning environment (behaviours, discipline, parental involvement, school leadership, etc.) and how they affect performance. The final chapter discusses the policy implications of the findings. Annexes provides detailed statistical data and technical background.