NCES plays an active role in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) International Indicators of Education Systems (INES) Project. The INES Project began in 1988 in response to national policy makers' desire for information that would allow them to compare the performance of their education systems with those of other countries and thus better assess and monitor the effectiveness and evolution of their education systems.
The INES Project develops a system of indicators for cross-national comparisons in education. Specifically, it:
The work of INES is carried out by three Networks and a Technical Group, each of which has voluntary membership and is focused on a different charge:
In addition, a Task Force on Teaching and Learning, jointly established by Network A and C member countries, concluded its work to develop a strategy for collecting information on teaching and learning for the INES Project. A first activity is a survey of teachers across different levels of schooling on their working conditions and practices. Additionally, Networks A and C continue to be interested in further developing the long-term components of the strategy, which focused more directly on instructional practices and effectiveness.