Teacher unions internationally are organising ahead of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s release of the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results this September, urging governments to treat the findings as a tool for improvement rather than a scorecard.
Unions want teachers' voices at the table
At a recent online workshop convened by Education International, union representatives heard how they can participate in national launches and work alongside education ministries to interpret the more detailed information expected from PISA 2025. Speakers encouraged unions to move debate away from simple league tables and toward discussions about where public funds should be targeted to strengthen education systems.
Workshop speakers stressed that the updated 2025 assessment contains areas designed to capture skills for a changing world — data unions believe can inform policy and investment priorities.
"When you look beyond the rankings, PISA provides some really rich data which, as trade unions, we can use," said Larry Flanagan of the Trade Union Advisory Committee.
What’s new in PISA 2025
PISA 2025 departs from prior cycles by adding and revising domains intended to reflect contemporary learning demands. Two highlighted changes are:
- Learning in the Digital World (LDW) — assessing computational problem-solving and students’ ability to manage and regulate their own learning online.
- Revamped science assessment — emphasising real-world decision-making, including responses to environmental challenges.
OECD senior analyst Miyako Ikeda told participants that modern success requires more than traditional literacy and numeracy skills. The presentation framed digital navigation and self-directed learning as increasingly central to students’ preparedness.
How unions plan to use the data
Speakers at the workshop encouraged national union leaders to:
- Engage early with ministries to co-ordinate national launch messaging;
- Highlight policy implications from sub-domain findings (for example, digital learning readiness or science decision-making);
- Push for targeted investments that respond to the detailed patterns PISA can reveal rather than headline rankings.
| New/Updated area | Focus |
|---|---|
| Learning in the Digital World | Computational problem-solving; self-regulated learning online |
| Science (revamped) | Real-world decision-making, environmental problem solving |
The emphasis from union organisers is that national conversations should use PISA’s richer datasets to inform policy choices — including where to allocate resources for professional development, technology and curriculum adjustments — rather than treating the release as a competitiveness exercise between countries.
As governments prepare for the September release, unions intend to be active participants in national briefings and public discussion, seeking to ensure teachers’ perspectives shape how findings are interpreted and acted upon.
