Dr. Barbara Ischinger took up the post of Director for Education and Skills for the OECD on 1 January 2006. She has held a range of senior international positions for almost 20 years in the fields of international co-operation and education, with a focus on Europe, the United States and Africa.

Before joining the OECD, Dr. Ischinger was Executive Vice-President for International Affairs and Public Relations at Berlin Humboldt Universität (2000-2005).

Between 1992-1994, she was a Director at UNESCO heading the Division of International Cultural Co-operation, Presentation and Enrichment of Cultural Identities. From 1994 to 2000, she was Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission for Educational Exchange between the United States and Germany.

In her present capacity, Dr Ischinger is responsible for the Directorate for Education and Skills which helps member countries to improve the quality, equity and efficiency of their educational systems. The work is mostly done through the Education Policy Committee in charge of the reviews of country educational systems and the development of international indicators (Education at a Glance) and through the Center for Educational Research and Innovation. The Directorate leads the horizontal OECD Skills Strategy, analyses national education and skills policies and develops comparative assessments of learning outcomes at the school level (PISA), at the university level (AHELO) and at the adult level through the OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC).