The Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Giorgi Amilakhvari, inaugurated the "Research in Support of Education Policy" conference. At this event, the National Center for Educational Research unveiled the findings of extensive research into general education to stakeholders. 

Minister Amilakhvari, in his address, emphasized the critical importance of grounding policy decisions at all levels of education in robust evidence. This principle underpinned the establishment of the National Center for Educational Research, which spearheads comprehensive educational research across various dimensions. 

Minister Amilakhvari stated - "Our objective is to align the education policy planning process entirely with research, following international best practices. The National Center for Educational Research, an integral part of the Ministry, undertakes in-depth internal studies addressing key challenges in our education system, which form the foundation of our policy decisions. This approach ensures that our educational reforms and the interests of all participants in the education system are served first and foremost. 

Today’s conference will share with the public and education professionals two completed studies pertaining to the national curriculum's execution in schools and the teacher professional development and remuneration strategies. Additionally, we are previewing preliminary insights from an ongoing textbook study, with the full report to follow shortly.

We are committed to collaboratively addressing system challenges and formulating solutions through research and stakeholder engagement. This methodology, I believe, will substantially enhance the quality of education in Georgia." 

The conference featured presentations by the National Center for Educational Research’s team, detailing the findings from three investigative strands: 

• The evaluation of the third generation national curriculum's implementation process aimed to capture the experiences and challenges faced in executing Georgia's latest curriculum. This research consolidated views from a broad spectrum of education experts, curriculum creators, reform team members, support groups, educational system units, donor agencies, NGOs in education, as well as from school leaders, teachers, parents, and students. Over the summer of 2023, more than 100 individuals were interviewed, and preliminary insights were further validated by engaging over 10,000 teachers and 600 school principals.

• The assessment of the teacher professional development and career progression framework sought to gauge its effectiveness, pinpoint strengths and areas for improvement, and offer solutions to existing challenges for stakeholders, thereby facilitating informed, evidence-backed policymaking.

The study encompassed 18 in-depth interviews and a multi-stage sampling process that included 662 schools. In total, 6,814 teachers and 286 principals participated. 

• The appraisal of school textbooks based on pedagogical practice aimed to uncover textbook-related challenges and assess if current textbooks uphold standards of quality, relevance, and inclusiveness as perceived through practical teaching application. A significant number of teachers—24,069 from across Georgia—contributed to the quantitative research aspect. 

The qualitative research involved a wide range of academic field representatives, with teachers, as the principal research subjects, participating in both quantitative and qualitative facets. 

During the presentation, preliminary trends from the school textbook evaluation research were shared with attendees, with a comprehensive report to be disseminated after subsequent phases are completed. 

Established in 2023, the National Center for Educational Research is dedicated to systematically bolstering educational policy and practice with science-based recommendations and evaluations. 

The center's mandate spans conducting scientific and applied research, extensive evaluations across all educational levels—from preschool to higher education and workforce preparedness—and providing systematically organized knowledge to education institutions to effectively tackle current challenges and aid in modernizing the education system.