Institute of Education

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International Visiting Committee Discusses IOE’s Development Strategy through 2024

International Visiting Committee Discusses IOE’s Development Strategy through 2024

The first meeting of the IOE Visiting Committee, which includes six international experts in education from five countries alongside three Russian experts, was held on October 19–20. The Committee gave independent assessments with respect to multiple areas of the Institute's academic profile, which will serve as important groundwork for refining and reinforcing IOE’s Development Strategy through 2024.

Setting up International Visiting Committees is common practice among leading universities and research organizations around the world. There are over 50 similar committees at Harvard, and Higher School of Economics has the International Advisory Committee chaired by Eric Maskin, a Nobel Prize winner in economics.

At IOE, the newly created Visiting Committee comprises distinguished Russian and international experts with a deep well of expertise cutting across various realms of educational R&D and academic leadership. ‘Seeking out independent expert advice is crucial to enabling more effective and transparent organizational standards. Drawing upon comprehensive and impartial opinions about which strategies are best appropriate for IOE to pursue in every aspect of our agenda, we will be able to further strengthen our competitive stand and keep developing in line with global best practices and academic trends,’ IOE Head Isak Froumin comments.

During the session, the Committee members reviewed IOE’s research and educational activities and held a series of meetings with the heads of R&D centres, doctoral students, and HSE University administration. Going forward, the Visiting Committee will prepare a report to summarize IOE’s achievements across operational areas and provide expert recommendations on further course of action. These expert opinions will be factored in while finalizing IOE’s Development Strategy through 2024.

‘In six years, the Institute of Education has expanded from three to 16 research centers, says Andrew Brown, former Director of the Institute of Education at the University College London. ‘For IOE to best unleash its potential for sustained competitive growth, more large-scale interdisciplinary projects and global R&D clusters are required.’

‘The Institute of Education is obviously moving from rapid extensive growth to quality development, and thus requires a robust strategic management system dovetailed with its ambition to become a global powerhouse in educational R&D,’ Valery Katkalo, Head of Sberbank Corporate University says.

According to Eric Anderman, Chair and Professor at the Department of Educational Studies at Ohio State University, the success of IOE’s young academic staff has been truly impressive in recent years, and at the current stage it is important to ensure they receive the maximum support in various aspects of their further careers. Marijk van der Wende, Founding Dean of Amsterdam University College, emphasizes that IOE has been able to assemble the most relevant and complete empirical data sets on Russian education that are available to international partners.

‘The Institute is gradually evolving into a multifaceted ‘think tank’ in education,’ says Dmitry Sanatov, Deputy Director of the Center for Strategic Research ‘North-West’. ‘IOE pursues landmark longitudinal studies, plays a major part in promoting more reasoned policymaking at different levels, and advises a range of stakeholders on best practices in education. I think one of the key goals that IOE will need to focus on in seeking to secure a further momentum for its development is fostering high-stake international partnerships and implementing top-notch academic standards.’