In February, the OECD issued the 2019 edition of the Trends Shaping Education. This book, published every two to three years, is designed to give policy makers, researchers, educational leaders, administrators and teachers a source of international comparative trends (economic, political, social and technological) affecting the future of education. The aim is to stimulate reflection on the challenges facing education and on how education can influence these trends.
The 2019 publication covers various topics such as globalisation, citizenship and democracy, security, ageing and modern cultures. The report explains for example that education can play a role in helping to prevent or diminish security risks and better prepare citizens to tolerate adversity; or that education, while adapting to new technologies, should also address their misuse (fraud, identity theft or cyberbullying). Each chapter of the report concludes with possible but unexpected ways in which current trends may evolve.