Prioritizing education: The Macao experience since the Millennium
Abstract Macao is globally recognized as a high-performing system according to the latest releases of PISA results. Such recognition comprises two aspects: (1) average performance of all Macao 15-year-olds was among the highest in the world; and (2) there is a considerably weak link between socioeconomic status and learning outcomes in Macao compared with other participating economies. This chapter examines the systemic effort behind these phenomena. A brief history characterizes the special administrative region in two periods. Before 1999, the Macao system had long been criticized for its uncoordinated structure originating from the laissez faire regime under the historical Portuguese colonial bureaucracy. After 1999 and to this date, Macao went through a gradual transition from a loosely coupled system to a re-coupling one. The government’s effort is most evident in elaborating an extant legal framework to regulate schools and teachers. Riding a booming economy, the government consistently prioritized educational development. Its expanding and targeted fiscal policy allowed Macao schools to reduce class sizes while maintaining an engaging variety of extracurricular activities. Due to the absence of a central, standardized examination, the government also made use of international large-scale assessments to monitor school performances. The authors argue that both high- and low-performing students benefited from these policies. The authors close the chapter by discussing the challenges ahead. ...