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The Global Decline in Students' Skills: Trends, Causes, and Policy Responses

The Global Decline in Students' Skills: Trends, Causes, and Policy Responses

Does acquiring basic digital skills improve your professional situation? New evidence from Poland

Does acquiring basic digital skills improve your professional situation? New evidence from Poland

A new study using panel data from Poland tests whether acquiring basic digital skills leads to better labor market outcomes — and finds that, for most adults, it does not. The reasons may surprise you.
TEACHER KNOWLEDGE SURVEY TALIS 2024—results of the new study

TEACHER KNOWLEDGE SURVEY TALIS 2024—results of the new study

On April 22, the results of the OECD’s international study on teachers’ knowledge about the education profession were announced. Portugal achieved the highest average score. Poland ranked second alongside Croatia and the United States.
Seminar by Dr. Rolf Strietholt on shaping education policy

Seminar by Dr. Rolf Strietholt on shaping education policy

“As researchers, we must take action: consider new evidence, analyse studies, apply different approaches, and then gather the best available data using the largest international datasets,” says Dr. Rolf Strietholt, a world-class...

Poland at the Skills Summit 2026 in Istanbul. Reform26 at the centre of the OECD debate

Poland at the Skills Summit 2026 in Istanbul. Reform26 at the centre of the OECD debate

How can we prepare young people for the labour market of the future? This question dominated the Skills Summit 2026 in Istanbul. Deputy Minister Katarzyna Lubnauer and IBE PIB Director Dr. Maciej Jakubowski participated in the OECD summit.

A stadium as a classroom? In Poland, it’s already happening. The “Playing for Success” programme has launched at all 8 WOW centres—and the initial feedback is clear: children and teens are engaging, opening up, and eager to return.

The Playing for Success in Poland program, implemented by the Educational Research Institute – National Research Institute, has reached an important milestone: classes have already begun at all 8 planned WOW centres. The goal of the pilot is to assess to what extent the model developed in the Netherlands by the Playing for Success project can be effectively adapted to the Polish educational context and how effective it is within the Polish education system.

The programme is implemented by IBE PIB together with its partner—the Playing for Success Foundation from the Netherlands—in cooperation with the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy and under the patronage of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism.

Children and youth are thriving in this format

The first sessions in various locations are yielding promising results. Reports from the WOW centres paint a consistent picture: participants arrive with curiosity, groups gradually open up, and the atmosphere fosters engagement in shared activities.

WOW Centres play a key role in the program—they are places where the combination of group work, tutoring, and the inspiring environment of the stadiums creates unique conditions for development. The programme focuses on strengthening relationships, building motivation to learn, and developing the social–emotional and educational competencies of young people.

WOW Centres are already operating at the following clubs:

An important milestone for research and the organisation

The launch of classes in all planned locations is significant not only from an organisational perspective but also for research. The data and observations necessary to evaluate the model’s effectiveness and plan its further development in Poland will be collected during the coming months of the programme’s implementation.

You can find more information about the programme on the project’s official website.

The “Playing for Success in Poland” project is funded by the European Funds for Social Development 2021–2027 programme.