Center for International Cooperation in Education Development (CICED)

Achieving the fourth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4) on education requires sound evidence and analysis to support policy-making, facilitate the sharing of good practice, and hold those responsible to account for fulfilling their commitments. The Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM Report) is the global public good that serves this purpose.

Established in 2002, the GEM Report is an editorially independent report, hosted and published by UNESCO. At the 2015 World Education Forum, it received a mandate from 160 governments to monitor and report on:

Progress on education in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with particular reference to the SDG 4 monitoring framework

The implementation of national and international strategies to help hold all relevant partners to account for their commitments, as part of the overall SDG follow-up and review process

The annual GEM Report is based on multiple sources of data, which enables it to provide a macro view of education issues. Through multiple communication channels, it reaches all regions of the world. It serves as a foundation for evidence-based advocacy to promote progress towards SDG 4, including by convening dialogue on education issues among key decision makers that can affect policy change.

With 17 editions between 2002 and 2021, the GEM Report is an indispensable part of the global education architecture. Four evaluations, including one carried out in 2018, have found that it successfully fulfils its mandate, providing rigorous, relevant, high quality and authoritative evidence for its broad audiences. Its users include but are not limited to: governments (including leadership and senior civil servants of ministries of education and finance and implementing agencies); experts (including academic researchers, think tanks and consultants); multilateral, international, regional and national development organizations; teachers and their unions; youth, students and their organizations; civil society and non-government organizations engaged in education; and the general public.

The new concept note for the 2024/5 GEM Report, developed based on a think-piece by David Gurr, details how the theme will be explored.

Join our consultation using the comments section on the webpage or by emailing gemreport@unesco.org to provide feedback on this concept note, suggest relevant evidence for the theme or new areas of research to be explored.

The 2024/5 GEM Report will examine the requirements of good leadership in education and how they vary between countries and over time. It will look at the visions and goals that are driving leadership in education and will examine the extent to which – and through what practices – the exercise of leadership contributes to better education outcomes.

External factors, related to society, culture and governance, will be looked at with respect to their impact on effective leadership. Policy levers to develop leadership skills in different contexts will be reviewed.

The report will cover education leaders at three levels:

• Within education institutions
• Outside education institutions, at system level
• Outside the education system

The 2024/5 GEM Report will aim to address the following questions:

• Role: What are the requirements of good leadership in education and how do they vary between countries and over time?
• Influence: What vision and goals drive leadership in education and what are the signs of exercising positive influence?
• Impact: To what extent and through what practices does the exercise of leadership contribute to better education outcomes?
• Context: What social, cultural, governance or other preconditions are needed for the effective exercise of leadership in education?
• Nurture: What policy levers can be used to help develop leadership skills and how do such policies emerge around the world to respond to need?
• Country profiles on laws and policies related to leadership in education will feature in the PEER website and will complement the report.

The concept note presents the early thinking of the team in the preparation of the 2024/5 GEM Report and it is available under this link.