A global education race now pits countries and school systems against one another. The race is being run in a couple of influential international testing programs and fear of being left behind haunts policy-makers and school leaders around the world. But how do we know if we are running in the right direction? It is crucial to have the right information and to know how to interpret it. This book provides educators, parents and policy-makers with an accessible introduction to the most influential international test, the Organisation for Economic Development's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Drawing on studies of education policy and assessment, the authors show how PISA shapes education debates around the world, with implications for policy and practice in schools. The discussion covers many different aspects of the assessment; from analysis of the headlines it makes every three years to clear discussions of how the test works. International testing is an increasingly influential and controversial phenomenon that should be understood by, and open to challenge from, all who have a stake in schooling.