RISE Webinar Series
The Research on International Studies in Education (RISE) Webinar Series, organized by AIR, showcases research using data from international studies and promotes sharing and discussion about how data-based evidence can be used for improving educational outcomes.
Upcoming Webinars │ Past Webinars
Upcoming Webinars
Stay tuned! The RISE Webinar Series will be hosting another webinar soon. To receive updates on future webinars, please write the RISE team at RISE@air.org to be added to our subscription list.
Past Webinars
What Do TIMSS and NAEP Tell Us About Gaps Between High- and Low-Performing 4th and 8th Graders?
On February 24, 2021, AIR hosted a presentation and discussion focusing on the differences in scores (or “score gaps”) between high-performing and low-performing students using Grade 4 and Grade 8 results from the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and recent data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). For this webinar, high-performing students are those who scored in the 90th percentile (or top 10 percent), and low-performing students are those who scored in the 10th percentile (or bottom 10 percent). These data provide insights regarding equity within the U.S. and other education systems and can help inform important education policy discussions that aim to address performance gaps.
For more information, including a full-length video of the webinar >>
PIAAC Skills Map: Implications for Research, Policy and Practice
Adult Skills in Literacy and Numeracy at the State and County Levels
On August 26, 2020, AIR hosted a demonstration of the U.S. PIAAC Skills Map: State and County Indicators of Adult Literacy and Numeracy, a new interactive data tool recently released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The discussion covered the potential uses of the data from a policy and research perspective, which relates to the workforce, adult basic education, and training. The Skills Map provides easy access to new information about the literacy and numeracy proficiency of adults ages 16-74 in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all 3,141 counties across the United States as well as the ability to view side-by-side comparisons of performance for individual states and counties.
For more information, including a full-length video of the webinar >>
RISE.png
How Do College Completion Rates and Financial Aid Differ Around the World?
On January 29, 2020, AIR hosted a presentation and discussion on how college completion rates and financial aid differ around the world.
This webinar highlighted findings related to the following questions:
- What percentage of U.S. students graduate tertiary education, on-time and 6 years after they enrolled, and how do these rates compare to other OECD countries?
- How do completion rates vary by parents’ educational attainment and immigration status in the U.S. and OECD countries?
- Where are U.S. students after their first year of study, and how does this compare to other countries?
- How does the average in-state public tuition fee in the U.S. compare to other OECD countries? How does financial support for students vary?
- What is the average amount of debt student’s have at the end of their tertiary education in OECD countries and what types of repayment systems do countries have?
For more information, including a full-length video of the webinar >>
RISE.png
Student Misconceptions and Errors in Physics and Mathematics: Exploring Data from TIMSS and TIMSS Advanced
On November 13th, 2019, AIR hosted a presentation and discussion of a recent study about students’ misconceptions and errors in physics and mathematics conducted for the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Research for Education Series. The study used 20 years of data (1995-2015) from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and TIMSS Advanced assessments to examine patterns of student misconceptions and errors in one physics topic (gravity) and one mathematics topic (linear equations) in five countries (Italy, Norway, the Russian Federation, Slovenia, and the United States) across three grade levels (4, 8, and 12). Trend items administered in multiple assessment cycles were used to explore how the frequency of misconceptions and errors changed over time.
For more information including a full-length video recording of the webinar >>
RISE.png
Socioeconomic Inequality and Educational Outcomes: Evidence from Twenty Years of TIMSS
On March 27th, 2019, AIR hosted a presentation and discussion on the examination of socioeconomic inequality and educational outcomes using evidence from twenty years of data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Although the association between family socioeconomic status (SES) and student achievement has been thoroughly investigated in previous research, the extent of change in that association in individual education systems over time is less well known. Improving achievement among their disadvantaged students and narrowing the achievement gaps between students of low- and high-SES backgrounds is a common policy goal for many education systems. However, the lack of quantifiable measures, especially those that are easy to understand, makes it difficult to track and assess the effect of such efforts. Twenty years of TIMSS data, from 1995 to 2015, was used to examine whether the inequality of educational outcomes due to SES has changed for education systems over time and to investigate the extent to which disadvantaged students improved their academic performance over time. Education systems in thirteen countries, including the United States, were studied.
For more information including a full-length video recording of the webinar >>
RISE.png
Exploring the Experiences and Skills of Young Adults in the United States
On February 6th, 2019, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) hosted two presentations on the experiences and skills of young adults in the United States:
The first presentation focused on the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), which is the fourth in a series of secondary longitudinal studies conducted by NCES since the 1970s to study young adult progression through high school and into young adulthood, with data on outcomes such as postsecondary education and early careers.
The second presentation used data from the OECD’s Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) to discuss skills of U.S. young adults (those 16-34 at the time of the data collection) and draws on two reports written for the ETS Center for Research on Human Capital and Education. A brief introduction to the PIAAC database and NCES data products is followed by a discussion of the performance of U.S. millennials compared to that of their international peers. In addition, the presentation looked at the size and characteristics of low-skilled U.S. millennials and the implications of this for society more broadly.
For more information including a full-length video recording of the webinar >>
RISE.png
How Do Education Systems Differ Around the World? An Examination of OECD's Education at a Glance
On November 14, 2018 the American Institutes for Research (AIR) hosted a presentation and discussion focusing on the latest international results from the OECD’s 2018 Education at a Glance.
This webinar highlighted findings related to the following questions:
- How much time do students in the United States spend in the classroom compared to their international peers?
- How do early childhood education systems differ around the world?
- How do salaries for teachers and school heads vary by country?
- How can I find and work with these data?
Additional topics relevant to international education comparisons were discussed.
For more information including a full-length video recording of the webinar >>
RISE.png
Financial Literacy Skills for the 21st Century: Evidence from PISA
On May 2, 2018 the American Institutes for Research hosted a presentation and discussion focusing on the latest international results in financial literacy from the 2015 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).
World-renowned researcher Dr. Annamaria Lusardi presented findings relevant to PISA and financial literacy more broadly. Topics included:
- Why is financial literacy so important for today's students and young people?
- Cross-nationally, which education policy initiatives emphasize financial literacy?
- How are socioeconomic status and per capita GDP associated with financial literacy outcomes?
For more information including a full-length video recording of the webinar >>
RISE.png
International Results in Reading from PIRLS and ePIRLS 2016
On March 15, 2018 the American Institutes for Research hosted a presentation and discussion focusing on the latest international results in reading from PIRLS and ePIRLS 2016. In 2016, IEA and its TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center at Boston College conducted the fourth assessment in the PIRLS series as well as the inaugural ePIRLS assessment of online informational reading. Administered every five years, PIRLS monitors international trends in reading achievement at the fourth grade. In 2016, a total of 319,000 students from 61 international education systems participated in the PIRLS assessment.
This presentation is based on the PIRLS 2016 International Results in Reading report and utilizes infographics and exhibits to describe the following:
- Achievement trends over time
- Performance at the PIRLS International Benchmarks
- Achievement in relation to students’ home, school, and classroom educational contexts
The presentation provides information about student achievement on ePIRLS.
For more information, including a full-length video recording of the webinar >>
RISE.png
Do Teachers Teach Less in Classrooms with Students with Special Needs? Trends and Predictors from International Data
On October 26, 2017 the American Institutes for Research hosted a presentation and discussion on the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classrooms, a cornerstone of special education policy in the United States and many countries. While studies have examined when and how much inclusion is appropriate for students with disabilities, there is less research on how inclusion may negatively impact students without disabilities in the same classroom. Using 2013 data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), the presentation addressed some parents' concern that, due to the additional needs of students with disabilities, teachers may spend less time teaching in inclusive classrooms. Through analyses of 121,173 teacher responses from 38 participating education systems, factors are identified that may explain disparities in instructional time between inclusive and non-inclusive classrooms.
For more information, including a full-length video of the webinar >>
RISE.png
20 Years of TIMSS: International Trends in Mathematics and Science Achievement, Curriculum, and Instruction
On May 31, 2017 the American Institutes for Research hosted a presentation and discussion on a recently released report using data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) titled 20 Years of TIMSS. Since its first administration in 1995, TIMSS has become a prominent assessment of students’ knowledge, skills, and abilities in Mathematics and Science. Not only does TIMSS measure student achievement in mathematics and science, it is also designed to report on curriculum and instruction, as well as student background variables. TIMSS’ most recent administration in 2015 marks 20 years of this assessment being operationalized, which allows researchers and policy makers to gain a sense of changes in student achievement, curriculum and instruction, and student background variables over the last 20 years. This webinar focuses on the 20 Years of TIMSS report and digs deeper in to the educational shifts and changes that have occurred in education systems around the globe.
For more information, including a full-length video of the webinar >>