Opportunity to Learn as a Research Concept and a Policy Instrument

Opportunity to learn (OTL) is rare among the many concepts that education researchers use to depict the complexity of the schooling process. Although designed as a technical concept to ensure valid cross-national comparisons, OTL has changed how researchers, educators, and policymakers think about the determinants of student learning. This article examines the evolution of OTL from a research concept to a policy instrument. It describes OTL’s intellectual origins in the IEA studies and the role of OTL research in education indicator development. The article then outlines OTL’s emergence as a potential policy tool, and assesses its political and technical feasibility.