Andreas Schleicher

Andreas Schleicher is director for education and skills, and special adviser on education policy to the secretary-general at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). He initiated and oversees the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and other international instruments that create a global platform for policymakers, researchers, and educators to innovate and transform educational policies and practices. He has worked for more than 20 years with ministers and educational leaders around the world to improve quality and equity in education. Former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said about Andreas in the Atlantic (July 2011) that “[Schleicher] understands the global issues and challenges as well as or better than anyone I’ve met, and he tells me the truth.” UK Secretary of State Michael Gove called Andreas, who is German and lives in France, “the most important man in English education.” Andreas is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Theodor Heuss prize, awarded in honor of the first president of the Federal Republic of Germany, for “exemplary democratic engagement.” He holds an honorary professorship at the University of Heidelberg.