The Department of Education have entered into a Data Sharing Agreement under the
Data Sharing and Governance Act 2019
with the Educational Research Centre (ERC). This will enable the ERC to conduct independent research on all aspects of education and at all levels of the education system including educational research that will inform policy making and the improvement of educational standards. As part of this work, the ERC carries out various studies at a national and international level on behalf of the department, such as: Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).