Education policy in Norway has been shaped by data more than by doctrine. As a result, education reforms in the country have been supported by various governments across a broad political spectrum for more than a decade.
Norway is one of the few countries that has managed to sustain its program of education reform over multiple years, despite changes in political leadership. Since 2000, when Norway performed well below expectations on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)—an event now known as the “PISA shock”—leaders across the political spectrum have collaborated and focused on data-driven policies to improve education outcomes.
