2. Policy Tensions - GERM versus Equity: In seeking to improve school performance, there has emerged a tension between the global education reform movement (standardization, privatization and competition, high stakes testing) and equity-based policies (collaborative professional autonomy, flexible curriculum, formative assessment more important than summative, public education rather than private). This tension shows itself in capitalist economies but also in emerging economies which are increasingly relying on private providers. In responding to the performance challenges outlined by the World Bank (and others), policy makers and politicians are pulled in many directions, yet the evidence base is clear: policy decisions focused on learners and learning coupled with equity are what lead to high performing systems. See here for a review of this challenge.