This article outlines the global perspective around quality in education. It is the frst in a series of three installments written by the Quality in Education Think Tank of the International Academy for Quality. These pieces address the meaning, scope, major concerns, and perspectives on quality in edu- cation. They provide perspective on the overall feld of quality in education, setting common ground for further refection and guidance based on a collection of international input from quality and education experts. The collected thoughts represent authors from four distinct continents and with different backgrounds, but all share a passion to promote quality in education. This frst installment focuses on the meaning and scope of quality in education. Scope Quality is about stakeholder satisfaction—now and in the future—and is related to customers’ needs, wants, and expectations. Sometimes it’s nec- essary to defne customers using a broad and open view. In education, where quality is about students’ competencies—both today and in the future—the defnition of customers also must consider other stakeholders, such as parents, schools, and employ- ers, as well as society at large. In a changing world, with unknown requirements for citizens of the future, quality in education is diffcult to defne or assess. According to David Stephens’ report to UNESCO, several aspects of quality education are considered, including effectiveness, improve- ment capability, value added, and equity (especially regarding gender gaps). “Quality education is a learning situation which vibrates with positive energy and where the learner and the learned both are eagerly absorbed in understanding and commu- nicating through a knowledge construction process. The emphasis lies with the learner.” 1 So, quality in education is about when resources are utilized to beneft the learner and society as a whole. As such, quality in education should cover basic education, tertiary education, skills development, and lifetime learning, as well as the promotion and delivery of sound quality principles, methodologies, and tools. When discussing the topic of quality in education, three key aspects are relevant and deserve consideration. • Education on quality, where quality is a topic in edu- cation services. This involves studying, promoting, and evaluating different approaches for teach- ing, training, and learning quality principles, approaches, and tools. • Quality of education, where quality and quality improvement methods are applied to education sys- tems, processes, and outcomes. This encompasses studying, promoting, and evaluating different approaches for achieving better quality in the way teaching, training, and learning occur. • Strategy, where it is determined how to accomplish the previous two aspects. This can involve the level of a given territory; a school; or a particular class, teacher, or student, depending on the scale of analysis being pursued. This ensures that the appropriate instructors are educated on quality improvement in order to teach and incorporate the associated concepts properly. With respect to the above contexts, a wide variety of situations may be considered under the scope of quality-in-education activities, including projects focused around specifc areas of education (e.g., K-12, higher education, lifelong learning, workforce development and training, and quality professional advancement). It is also necessary to take into account what is happening in different regions of the world in order to fully comprehend the wide variety of situations and understand the concrete meaning of quality in education. This concept extends even further if one aims to understand how to improve society, as well as the world, through better education. In areas where educational systems are not yet strong or teaching styles do not promote an innovative spirit, more affuent families often arrange for their children to attend “better schools.” This raises concerns that need to be addressed regarding equity and access to quality education. Bo Bergman, Elizabeth Cudney, Paul Harding, Zhen He, and Pedro Saraiva Global Perspectives on Quality in Education Thoughts and experiences of educators related to quality and change www.asq.org/pub/jqp 1