Based on research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)'s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI), this publication examines different aspects of the concept of "demand"-led educational systems. It works to clarify the concept of demand and brings forward international evidence to reveal attitudes and expectations. The evidence reviewed is from Austria, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Denmark, England, Finland, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Spain, and the United States.

Some of the questions this publication asks and attempts to answer include: Whose demands should be considered? Do we know what the evidence reveals about the attitudes and expectations of parents and students, who are arguably those with greatest stake in what goes on in schools? How well do schools currently recognise these demands? Is the promotion of responsiveness to the wishes of students, parents and their communities a democratic norm or a sign of rampant educational consumerism?

This publication is one of the volumes in the "Schooling for Tomorrow" series.

Table of contents
Chapter 1: Exploring the Concept of Demand
Chapter 2: Public and Parental Perceptions of Schooling
Chapter 3: Parental Choice and Diversity of Provision
Chapter 4: Parent and Community "Voice" in Schools
Chapter 5: What do the Students Say?
Chapter 6: The Demand Dimension: Concluding Issues and Directions
Annex: The framework of questions for the country reports

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