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Thematic Research Report series

Thematic Research Reports

241 complete publications covering the years 2005 to 2026.

Showing 12 of 241 results

241 publications in this series

ICEQC-R-2026-11

Thematic Research Report

High-Risk Artificial Intelligence in Education: Regulatory Readiness after 2 August 2026

A European Union policy synthesis on educational use, risk classification, institutional duties and rights

Regulatory readiness after 2 August 2026 requires education authorities and institutions in the European Union to identify where artificial intelligence is used, for what educational purpose, by which actor and with what consequence. Classification under Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 depends on the system, intended purpose and applicable provisions; the presence of software alone does not establish a high-risk use.

Research category
Industry Policy and Regional Regulatory Analysis
Report archetype
Policy and Regulatory Synthesis
Geographic scope
European Union
ICEQC-R-2026-10

Thematic Research Report

Designing Balanced Policy Packages for Enrolment, Progression and Completion

A quality-improvement study of coherent instruments, learner pathways, equity, finance and correction

Balanced policy packages connect entry, continued participation, progression, learning and completion. A measure that expands enrolment without sufficient teachers, curriculum, finance, accessibility or support can shift a barrier to a later stage. Improvement should therefore examine the learner pathway and the interaction among policy instruments.

Research category
Quality Improvement Methods
Report archetype
Quality Improvement Study
Geographic scope
Global
ICEQC-R-2026-09

Thematic Research Report

Completion Rates as a Global Monitoring Measure: Strengths, Limitations and Use

A global standards interpretation of cohort definitions, completion windows, coverage, equity and public reporting

A completion rate is meaningful only when the education level, entry cohort or reference population, qualifying end point, elapsed time, coverage and treatment of transfer, repetition and interruption are defined. Different definitions answer different questions. Global comparison should establish conceptual and operational alignment before interpreting a numerical difference.

Research category
Standards Interpretation
Report archetype
Standards Interpretive Study
Geographic scope
Global
ICEQC-R-2026-08

Thematic Research Report

Post-Secondary Participation, Graduation and the Limits of Gross Enrolment Ratios

A comparative indicator study of participation denominators, programme diversity, graduation and responsible comparison

The gross enrolment ratio for post-secondary or tertiary education relates total enrolment, regardless of age, to a population associated with the official age range for the level. It is useful for describing the scale of participation, but it is not a cohort entry rate, a probability of access or a graduation measure. Values can exceed one hundred where enrolment includes older learners, repeated study, delayed entry or participation across several programme types. Interpretation must therefore state the level classification, numerator coverage, reference population and cross-border treatment before comparison.

Research category
Data and Indicator Research
Report archetype
Comparative Indicator Study
Geographic scope
Global
ICEQC-R-2026-07

Thematic Research Report

Interpreting Wealth, Location, Disability and Gender Disparities without Overreliance on Parity Indices

A global standards interpretation of group levels, gaps, ratios, intersections, coverage and public action

Parity indices express one group value relative to another, but they do not disclose the level attained by either group, the number of learners affected, the distribution within each group or the public action required. Interpretation of wealth, location, disability and gender disparities should therefore place every ratio beside group-specific levels, absolute gaps, population shares, uncertainty and coverage. A value close to one can describe equality at an unacceptably low level; movement away from one can accompany rapid improvement among a previously excluded group when the reference group also changes.

Research category
Standards Interpretation
Report archetype
Standards Interpretive Study
Geographic scope
Global
ICEQC-R-2026-06

Thematic Research Report

Evaluating whether Equity-Oriented Policies Reach Intended Learners

A quality-improvement study of eligibility, take-up, service, experience, outcomes and correction

An equity-oriented policy should be evaluated through the pathway from intended population and eligibility to awareness, application, receipt, usable service, learner experience and result. Policy adoption and aggregate expenditure do not establish that intended learners were reached.

Research category
Quality Improvement Methods
Report archetype
Quality Improvement Study
Geographic scope
Global
ICEQC-R-2026-05

Thematic Research Report

Access and Equity in Education: Comparative Progress from Unequal Starting Points

A comparative indicator study of participation, progression, learning, distribution and responsible comparison

Comparative progress should be interpreted from unequal starting points without treating a low baseline as either an excuse or an automatic source of apparent success. Levels, absolute change, relative change and distance to an agreed target answer different questions and should be reported together where possible.

Research category
Data and Indicator Research
Report archetype
Comparative Indicator Study
Geographic scope
Global
ICEQC-R-2026-04

Thematic Research Report

Equity-Oriented Education Financing: Transfers, Student Support and Public Provision

A global policy synthesis on allocation, fiscal incidence, learner costs and service obligations

Equity-oriented financing should direct sufficient and predictable resources to the services and learners facing the greatest barriers. Equal nominal allocation is not necessarily equitable where costs, needs and starting conditions differ. Formulae, grants, student support and public provision should be assessed through actual distribution and learner-facing service.

Research category
Industry Policy and Regional Regulatory Analysis
Report archetype
Policy and Regulatory Synthesis
Geographic scope
Global
ICEQC-R-2026-03

Thematic Research Report

The Final Years to 2030: National Targets, Policy Credibility and Public Accountability

A policy synthesis on national ambition, implementation evidence, financing, distribution and correction

The final years to 2030 require national targets that are publicly intelligible, evidentially grounded and connected to authorised action. Ambition remains necessary, but credibility depends on a defined baseline, population, measure, policy instrument, responsible authority, finance and review date.

Research category
Industry Policy and Regional Regulatory Analysis
Report archetype
Policy and Regulatory Synthesis
Geographic scope
Global
ICEQC-R-2026-02

Thematic Research Report

The Humanitarian Data Gap in Global Estimates of Out-of-School Children

A comparative indicator study of population coverage, displacement, insecurity, missing observations and uncertainty

Global estimates of out-of-school children depend on population denominators, enrolment and attendance evidence, age definitions and the observation of people outside ordinary household and administrative frames. Humanitarian conditions can weaken every component at once. Conflict, displacement, inaccessible territory, institutional closure and rapid movement create missingness that is not random.

Research category
Data and Indicator Research
Report archetype
Comparative Indicator Study
Geographic scope
Global
ICEQC-R-2026-01

Thematic Research Report

Improving Transition from Access to Completion through Early Identification and Support

A quality-improvement study of pathway evidence, timely support, equity and institutional correction

Access becomes meaningful when learners can progress through an intelligible pathway to completion. Early identification should reveal a barrier while there is still time to act; it should not label a learner or predetermine an adverse decision. Institutions should examine curriculum sequence, attendance, assessed work, finance, disability accommodation, language, wellbeing and administrative delay together.

Research category
Quality Improvement Methods
Report archetype
Quality Improvement Study
Geographic scope
Global
ICEQC-R-2025-12

Thematic Research Report

Aligning Basic Skills Improvement with Curriculum, Assessment and Teacher Support

A quality-improvement study of progression, curriculum, support, equity and institutional correction

Tertiary completion is shaped by the coherence of the programme learners encounter and the timeliness of support when progression becomes uncertain. For alignment of basic skills, curriculum, assessment and teacher support, this proposition directly informs the issue under review within Executive summary: whether the institutional elements reinforce coherent learning progression; the competent body should identify the population, decision authority and review point. Entry alone does not constitute opportunity if requirements are opaque, essential modules are unavailable, assessment is poorly sequenced, credit decisions are delayed or support arrives after a learner has disengaged. Improvement should therefore examine the pathway from admission to award as an institutional responsibility rather than treating non-completion as an unexplained individual deficit.

Research category
Quality Improvement Methods
Report archetype
Quality Improvement Study
Geographic scope
Global