Education policy has become a good for sale and purchase, creating a global education policy market that includes a cross-border consulting market. By means of the analysis of the results of standardized assessments such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and national tests, the cost efficiency of each policy for the improvement of education performance is now became comparable, and test scores are becoming ‘buyable’. Local school management policy such as staff allocation, degree of school autonomy, ways of teaching and learning, and various other management actions are being mobilized to improve standardized test scores, in the name of ‘evidence-based’ policy. In recent years, national “flag carrier” educational research institutes experienced independency and entered on an international market to sell their research outcomes as commercial products.

This research intends to clarify the rise and emergence of global education policy market and analyse its character. The market is still not visible, but using the contents written on national educational research institutes website and their annual activity report, the initial stage of rise of the global market becomes visible.

This presentation is intended to help create an arena for discussion of the emerging global education policy market, which European countries are deeply involved, and which European countries face a controversial situation in relation to international assessment, edu-business, and market-oriented school reform.

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