Response to the “Leader Profile” interview by John Walshe with Andreas Schleicher in Leader Quarterly, Winter 2022

“The Irish school system has helped most people to succeed and has created a high level of equity with very strong outcomes”. These are the words of Andreas Schleicher in his interview with John Walshe in the Winter 2022 edition of Leader Quarterly. Andreas Schleicher is probably one of the most influential educators in the world. Whether one agrees or disagrees with him, one must recognize that his influence with policy makers throughout the OECD is unrivalled. A German born mathematician and statistician, he is an expert on global education systems and is head of the OECD’s Directorate of Education and Skills. He was the mastermind behind Pisa and other assessment tools for comparing education systems across the world.