Transitions to K-12 Education Systems

With more than 140 countries currently offering or in transition to a kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12) school education system, this study explores the experiences of four countries—Mongolia, the Philippines, Poland, and Turkey—and one Canadian province, Ontario, in preparing and implementing K–12 systems. Lessons learned from the five diverse jurisdictions are (i) align the education system with macropolicies, (ii) view transition to K–12 as part of a package of reforms, (iii) prioritize student learning improvement, (iv) consider teacher development as critical, (v) avoid high-stakes examinations, and (vi) focus on higherorder curriculum and assessments.