The CES Model - Education systems comparison
The CES Model is designed to build a rich picture of education systems and policy instruments across multiple jurisdictions, comparing approaches and outcomes, and how policies can interact. Through comparative education policy reviews, we will provide digestible summaries and accessible information to support more effective decision-making in education policy.
"CES synthesis focuses on system design, particularly the models or typologies that can be identified in the different structures of education policy and their pros and cons in varying circumstances. This higher-level thinking can provide policy makers with a range of approaches and ultimately a system architecture can be used to identify the best means of change, innovation and investment."
—Sam Freedman
An Overview of the CES Model
The Centre for Education Systems is a hub and spoke partnership helping all of those engaged in the policy making process to better achieve their objectives.
With academics and analysts, CES is building a rich picture of education systems, by describing policy instruments and their effects across the four UK jurisdictions and ten others worldwide. CES describes each education system and its context and draws upon reports using different research methodologies. For example, CES uses descriptive, academic and expert work to explore the relationships between context, mechanisms and outcomes, we review quantitative data (where available), characterise different approaches or typologies for each policy area and how policies can interact. Ultimately, we wish to develop system architectures and the most effective means of achieving change.
CES uses a common framework for research questions. Information is compiled from existing policy documents and academic literature. Stakeholders and experts are engaged throughout the process.
CES studies draw on a range of methods, including systematic and pragmatic reviews as well as quantitative syntheses of experimental and quasi-experimental studies. We have a particular interest in exploring the relationship between context, mechanisms and outcomes since this 'realist' approach is well suited to international studies of complex phenomena like policy systems. Our approach is intended to provide a nuanced and rigorous understanding of how and why policies and interventions have the effects they do.
All output is summarised across jurisdictions and wherever possible, the hub team provides synthesis, system modelling and insight.
A significant part of CES investment is taken up in disseminating outputs, through roundtables, conferences, articles and training. Our sole aim is to have impact by supporting others in the decision making process.
Hover over the diagram below for further details on the CES Model
Research Questions
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What is the purpose of accountability/curriculum?
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What is the structure of the accountability/curriculum (and, for curriculum, what is the level of control?)
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How is accountability/curriculum policy made and introduced?
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How is accountability/curriculum policy evaluated?
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How does context shape accountability/curriculum policy and reform?
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What is the evidence about the effects of the accountability/curriculum system?
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CES Hub
The Hub oversees research activity and ensures comparability of research questions, methods and outputs. The hub facilitates sharing of practice, insights and learning among spoke partners. It also establishes standards for future CES studies by codifying methods and learning from different approaches.
Distillation and synthesis
Synthesis and insight aims to outline the range of policy approaches that can be taken; their alignment with education purpose; how they are perceived by different stakeholders within countries that use them; how they appear to engender outcomes and what national or international level evidence there is for this causality.
Detailed descriptions
The primary objective of the study is to build a detailed descriptive understanding of policies by jurisdiction. These will create an authoritative reference for our CES comparative summaries, syntheses and insight, as well as an open resource for everyone interested in thoroughly understanding particular policies.
Stakeholder and expert engagement
There are scheduled stakeholder engagements within the studies. These include expert interviews at the latter part of the descriptive work where “policy makers, experts, representatives of those affected by policies, will be interviewed”. Similarly, configurations “will be validated and where possible extended with three stakeholders from each jurisdiction” (policy makers, senior civil servants and school leaders). There are also further opportunities to refine research questions with key stakeholders, such as the DfE, equivalents and representative groups.
Academic reviews
CES tests a range of different methodologies including realist syntheses, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and qualitative comparative analysis (QCA); evaluate the appropriate time window for evidence gathering; refine the incorporation of stakeholder input; and confirm the interplay between English and foreign language desk research.Using systematic reviews, CES consolidates academic literature and investigate causal relationships, but these will necessarily be partial and tentative.
Cross Jurisdiction reports and relationships
Descriptive reviews generate policy reports for each jurisdiction, cross jurisdiction summary reports and typologies of policy approaches. Thereafter, systematic reviews (typically by jurisdiction) are used to create thematic summaries, various forms of synthesis and a conceptual framework.
Impact and outcomes
CES’s route to impact is via decision makers, influencers and advocates. The accumulating knowledge base built by the CES, has the capacity to create a virtuous circle. Policy changes are more likely to achieve intended purpose, leading to fewer policy initiatives; policy instruments will work together more coherently and points of dissonance will be reduced. This will create a more stable environment and in so doing, for example, will remove important factors that contribute to poorer teacher retention, quality and delivery (see DfE’s retention surveys).
Mediation and dissemination
CES is appointing a “knowledge broker” to achieve wide and deep engagement with the education ecosystem. The CES theory of change outlines different approaches to elicit interest, engage and educate: through a mixture of briefings, training, roundtables, videos, conferences, and op eds.The CES does not recommend the “right” answer (as often there is not one), but aims to change policy makers' behaviour by making them aware of multiple policy approaches.
Alternatives and typologies
CES studies use inductive and deductive methods to identify patterns within and between jurisdictions in the structure of policy areas and in their interaction. One formal approach is to create ‘CMO configurations’ where there are similarities in systems. These configurations are validated, where possible, through engagement with the experts from each jurisdiction.CES is appointing a “knowledge broker” to achieve wide and deep engagement with the education ecosystem. The CES theory of change outlines different approaches to elicit interest, engage and educate: through a mixture of briefings, training, roundtables, videos, conferences, and op eds.The CES does not recommend the “right” answer (as often there is not one), but aims to change policy makers' behaviour by making them aware of multiple policy approaches.
Mediation and dissemination
CES is appointing a “knowledge broker” to achieve wide and deep engagement with the education ecosystem. The CES theory of change outlines different approaches to elicit interest, engage and educate: through a mixture of briefings, training, roundtables, videos, conferences, and op eds.The CES does not recommend the “right” answer (as often there is not one), but aims to change policy makers' behaviour by making them aware of multiple policy approaches.
Multiple studies (areas of interest)
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Curriculum
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Assessment
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Accountability
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Teacher Policy
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Pedagogy
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Funding
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Support Services
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InterventionSchool Improvement
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Leadership
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System Shape and use of technology
Criteria for selecting jurisdictions:
Studies focus on fourteen jurisdictions, chosen to constitute a sample in which:
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In population size and GDP per capita they are similar to one or more of the UK four jurisdictions
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Their education administrative structure (central, middle and local) is of relevance
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Most jurisdictions share other contextual similarities to the UK home nations to generate meaningful comparisons
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Jurisdictions are - or have been, reasonably successful based on PISA scores and/or their “direction of travel is of interest
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The UK home nations are the jurisdictions in which CES will, at least initially, concentrate its efforts to inform policy-making.
Impact
CES’s route to impact is via decision makers, influencers and advocates of change. CES will work hard to create an objective, non-partisan and trusted evidence base for all of those people who want to see improvements in the education system. We hope this will help those decision-makers and influencers to gain a deeper understanding of particular policy areas, to develop a better appreciation of alternative courses of action, to understand the interdependence between policy instruments and to become more distrusting of the assumptions behind simplistic policy initiatives. With more careful deliberation, policy initiatives can become accretive, with a greater likelihood that new policies achieve their intended outcome.
CES does not have a specific agenda for change around certain recommendations. CES's mission is to enable policy makers and the eco-system around them to be more effective in meeting their objectives and desired outcomes.
"The combination of international research* and CES’s subsequent synthesis, has been invaluable in identifying where future policy improvements across the UK can be made".
—David Gregson, Founder, #BeeWell
(*the #BeeWell review of Children and Young People’s wellbeing policy across 12 jurisdictions commissioned from the University of Manchester research team)
Theory of change
The CES research programme is grounded in an understanding of the many policies and contextual factors that interact to form and influence each education system. These are being systematically and thoroughly reviewed. From the academic and analytical work, CES develops summaries and synthesis which provide usable and digestible insight for policy makers, influencers and advocates. A significant proportion of our resources are focused on distilling the available learning and its presentation to the policy ecosystem. This includes briefs, op-eds, presentations, conferences, training and discussion groups. The experience of the CES exec team and Advisory Board will help CES's mission to be embedded in the policy making process. Success is measured by the use of CES resources, the uptake of its insights and the change in the effectiveness of our education systems.
Complex Systems and System Mapping
