International Comparisons in Education

International comparisons of statistical data on national elementary, secondary and higher education school systems provide feedback on how education systems have improved over time, how equitable they are, and students compare to their peers around the world. AIR works extensively with several international studies of education, including the following:

  • Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)
  • Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)
  • Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)
  • Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)
  • Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)

Latest Work

28 Apr 2021
Q & A

What Educators Need to Know About Students’ Mathematics and Science Achievement

U.S. fourth- and eighth-grade students made long-term achievement gains in mathematics, but not in science, according to the U.S. results on the 2019 Trends in Mathematics and Science Study. In this Q&A, AIR’s Tad Johnston, senior technical assistance consultant and a math specialist, and Danielle Ferguson, researcher and a science specialist, offer their insights on what these trends tell us and how educators make practical use of the results.
Image of RISE logo
24 Feb 2021
Spotlight

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.
Image of PIAAC map
14 Jul 2020
Q & A

New Tool Maps Literacy and Numeracy Skills Across U.S. States and Counties

Literacy and numeracy are cornerstones of our modern society. Jaleh Soroui discusses the data behind the National Center for Education Statistics' PIAAC Skills Mapping tool, and how it can be used by state and county policymakers, administrators, educators, researchers, and others to draft policies, address gaps, set priorities, and allocate resources.
Image of man doing math on a whiteboard
9 Jul 2020
Q & A

In Conversation: How an International Survey Can Help Us Understand the Challenges the Coronavirus Poses for Educators

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, teachers, principals, and students have had to quickly adjust to distance learning or e-learning. Although data were gathered before the pandemic, the results of the spring 2020 release of Volume 2 of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) offer insights about teachers and principals that may help us better understand the challenges they are experiencing now and about how to support them.
7 Jul 2020
Q & A

A Practitioner’s Insights on Student Misconceptions and Errors

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and TIMSS Advanced assessments are a rich source of data on student performance in math and physics. A team of AIR researchers methodically analyzed these data across multiple assessment cycles and answered some of our questions about them.
Infographic: College completion rates
15 Jun 2020
In the Field

Making Sense of Data on International College Completion Rates and Financial Aid

Among the benefits of going to college are higher employment rates, higher earnings, and healthier lifestyles. Yet many young people who enroll in college don’t make it to graduation day. In a RISE webinar, Rachel Dinkes and Audrey Peek highlighted key findings and implications from Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development data.
Image of dad and small children reading together
14 Apr 2020
Q & A

Troubling Trends in Reading Attitudes: A Q&A with Martin Hooper, Senior Researcher

Martin Hooper analyzes contexts for learning through large-scale assessment data. In this Q&A, he talks about his recent publications highlighting trends in literacy attitudes and practices, including the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study. He also discusses how attitudes toward reading have shifted since 2001, in the U.S. and abroad; the implications of these attitude shifts; and how adults can promote reading in children.
12 Mar 2020
Report

International Early Learning Study

The International Early Learning Study measures 5-year-olds in four key areas: emerging numeracy, emerging literacy, self-regulation, and social-emotional skills. The study provides educators, policymakers, and parents with important context to help them better prepare children for primary school.
28 Feb 2020
Report

A Comparative Profile of 15-Year-Old Students Who Expect to Work in Finance

With the increasing significance of the financial sector and the recognition of financial literacy as an essential life skill, it is important to compare—in a global context—students’ career expectations in finance and explore their association with students’ financial literacy. This study compares 15-year-old students who reported career expectations in finance in 13 education systems that participated in the financial literacy assessment of the 2015 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).
Infographic: How do U.S. teachers and principals compare with teachers, principals internationally?
7 Oct 2019
Q & A

In Conversation: Insights on U.S. Teachers and Principals from an International Survey

How does the U.S. education workforce compare to other countries in terms of demographics, attitudes, and beliefs? Do they spend more time on instruction and other tasks than international educators? AIR provides technical and substantive support for the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), which provides a barometer of the profession every five years. AIR Principal Researchers Matthew Clifford, Ebru Erberber, and Lisa Lachlan discussed TALIS 2018 key findings and policy and practice implications from a U.S. perspective.
2 Jul 2019
Blog Post

How Can We Slow Down Prison’s Revolving Door?

Access to in-prison education and work experience are associated with a reduction in the likelihood of recidivism and provide inmates with a critical element on the path to reshape their personal identities. Could offering prisoners more education and work experience inside prison be a key solution to mass incarceration in the U.S.?
Infographic: Three-year olds enrolled in early childhood services
29 Mar 2019
Q & A

In Conversation: AIR Experts Discuss Early Childhood Systems Around the World

Research has firmly established that the first five years of a child’s life are critical for future success in school and in life, yet a September 2018 report shows that young children’s educational experiences are inconsistent across the U.S. and around the world. The Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators report includes findings on how early childhood education and care varies around the world in terms of approach, enrollment, quality, and teachers’ salaries. Three AIR experts discussed those variations, and excerpts of their conversation appear below.
Image of confused older man at computer
1 May 2018
Brief

A Description of U.S. Adults Who Are Not Digitally Literate

This brief highlights findings from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) in an effort to obtain a clear understanding of the ability of adults to undertake digital problem solving. This brief uses data gathered from a sample of 5,000 adults across different socio-demographic groups in the United States and compares it to international averages from 19 other countries to answer three specific study questions.
30 Nov 2016
Blog Post

TIMSS, PISA, and NAEP: What to Know Before Digging into the Results

In a rare occurrence, PISA, TIMSS, and NAEP assessments are releasing science and math results in the same year. Chances are the results from the various assessments won’t all tell the same story. So what do you need to know to make sense of this bumper crop of assessments? In this latest blog post, George Bohrnstedt and Fran Stancavage offer a quick run-down on how these assessments are similar and different.
photo of Umut Ozek
23 Jul 2016
Blog Post

Florida Study Shows Immigrant Performance Declines Across Generations

First-generation immigrants perform better in reading and math tests than their second-generation peers, who in turn outperform their third-generation classmates, according to a new study by Umut Özek and Northwestern University’s David Figlio. The pair followed the performance of Asian and Hispanic students in Florida, a population that mirrors national trends. Why do newer immigrants do better than their more established peers? Find out in this blog post.
9 May 2016
Service

Professional Development Seminar: Multilevel Modeling with International Datasets

Data from large-scale international studies reflects the nested structure of education systems and is, therefore, very well suited for hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). However, because this data comes from complex cluster samples, there are methodological aspects that a researcher needs to understand when doing HLM, e.g., the need for using sampling weights and multiple achievement values for parameter estimation. This course teaches participants how to do HLM with data from these studies, including PIRLS, TIMSS, and PISA.
NAEP PISA Report cover
6 May 2016
Report

A Comparison Study of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2013 Mathematics Assessments

This study compares the mathematics frameworks and item pools used in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) with the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and vice versa. In addition to that, differences in item features between the two assessments are described.
1 May 2016
Report

A Comparison Between the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Frameworks in Science, Technology and Engineering Literacy, and Mathematics

New national standards documents have been developed over the past few years in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and are leading to major changes in state curricula and assessments. This study provides information primarily on the extent of alignment between the Next Generation Science Standards and National Assessment of Educational Progress frameworks in STEM and identifies areas of similarity and difference between them.
5 Jan 2016
Brief

Is Reading Contagious? Examining Parents’ and Children’s Reading Attitudes and Behaviors

When children have positive reading attitudes and behaviors, they generally also demonstrate strong reading skills. Drawing on data from the 2011 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, this brief and related webinar recording examine whether parents’ reading attitudes and behaviors are shared by their children.
Alicia Garcia
26 May 2015
Blog Post

It’s Time for States to Stop Overstating Student Proficiency

New research is again highlighting the wide variation in states’ student performance standards and overly optimistic reports of student proficiency. Alicia Garcia argues that, going forward, states must adopt evidence-based methods of standard setting that prepare students to compete in the global marketplace.
Project

Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)

The Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) is an international comparative study of teachers, their working conditions, and the learning environment in schools. TALIS is organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and aims to provide internationally comparable data on teaching and learning environments around the world, with the goal of informing education policy. AIR provides technical and analytical support for U.S. participation in TALIS.
15 Mar 2015
Brief

Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students Who Are Academically Successful

Academically resilient students are those students who are academically successful, despite coming from the socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds that have typically predicted poorer educational outcomes. This brief uses 2011 eighth-grade data from the TIMSS to explore (1) how prevalent academically resilient students are across education systems and (2) what factors are associated with academic resilience within those systems.
Dan Sherman
13 Nov 2014
Blog Post

New Analysis Spotlights Employees' Basic Skills Gap

According to new AIR analysis of an international survey, a surprisingly large number of adults in the United States cannot apply reading or math skills to solve simple real life problems. In this blog post, Dan Sherman discusses the PIACC results he says educators, researchers, and policymakers need to explore to help improve adults' chances in a demanding job market.
Boy doing math at chalkboard
18 Sep 2014
Report

International Benchmarking: State and National Education Performance Standards

What students are expected to learn in some states can vary greatly with what students are expected to learn in other states. This AIR study uses international benchmarking as a common metric to examine the variance in state performance standards, exposing a large gap in expectations between the states with the highest standards and the states with the lowest standards.
18 Aug 2014
Blog Post

Money Matters: Financial Literacy of U.S. Teenagers

The Program for International Student Assessment, an international assessment of math, recently began assessing financial literacy. Having experience helps, according to this blog post by Teresa Kroeger and Lydia Malley: Among U.S. 15-year-olds, regardless of socioeconomic status, teenagers who had a bank account and a pre-paid debit card had higher financial literacy scores than those who had neither.
Mark Schneider
18 Aug 2014
Blog Post

Why Financial Literacy is Important to College-Bound Teens

The Program for International Student Assessment, an international assessment of math, is now including a financial literacy component. As Mark Schneider explains in this blog post, the first series of results are not good: In the United States, 18 percent of 15-year-old students scored below the baseline of proficiency.
7 Feb 2014
Report

Linking the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in Reading to the 2011 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)

This linking study shows that NAEP Grade 4 reading achievement levels are higher than the PIRLS international benchmarks, providing one piece of validity evidence that NAEP results are internationally competitive.
21 Nov 2011
Report

Highlights from PISA 2006: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Science and Mathematics Literacy in an International Context

This report uses data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), and summarizes the performance of U.S. students in the year 2006. It also compares the scores of U.S. 15-year-old students in science and mathematics literacy to the scores of their peers internationally.

Project

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international comparative study of the mathematics and science achievement of fourth- and eighth-graders in the United States and students in the equivalent of fourth and eighth grade in other participating countries.

Project

Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)

The Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIACC) is a cyclical, large-scale, direct household assessment that compares the basic skills and competencies of adults around the world. It measures relationships between individuals’ backgrounds and cognitive skills in the areas of literacy, numeracy and problem-solving. AIR provides technical, analytical, and management support to PIAAC.
Project

Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a system of international assessments that focuses on 15-year-olds' capabilities in reading literacy, mathematics literacy and science literacy.

Project

Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is a comparative study of the reading literacy of young students. AIR experts provide technical and analytical support for U.S. participation in PIRLS, including consultation and management support, technical review of statistical reports and data, expert analysis, and technical support and training.
Project

UNICEF: Child-to-Child Pilot Evaluation

Although increasing numbers of children are enrolling in primary school in low- and middle-income countries, many enter late, fail to progress, and drop out. A child-to-child approach to enhancing learning in developing countries is designed to provide preschool-aged children with early learning opportunities in their homes and their communities at very low cost. AIR evaluated this approach in Bangladesh, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Tajikistan, and Yemen.
1 Oct 2009
Report

Teacher Strategies to Help Fourth-Graders Having Difficulty in Reading: An International Perspective

This report uses data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) on fourth-grade teachers’ reading instruction practices and strategies.

18 Aug 2009
Report

U.S. Performance Across International Assessments of Student Achievement: Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2009

This special analysis examines the performance of U.S. students in reading, mathematics, and science compared with the performance of their peers in other countries that participated in PIRLS, PISA, and TIMSS in terms of students’ average scores and the percentage of students reaching internationally benchmarked performance levels.

23 Jul 2009
Report

The Second Derivative: International Benchmarks in Mathematics For U.S. States and School Districts

A new international grading index that provides states, school districts and policymakers with a way to determine where their students rank in comparison with their peers around the world.
Project

National Assessment of Adult Literacy

This study examines the literacy skills of adults and compares the literacy skills of workers with different types of training by conducting a data analysis of the 2003 assessment data.

1 Mar 2009
Report

Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and Other G-8 Countries: 2009

This report describes how the education system in the United States compares with education systems in the other G-8 countries--Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom.

1 Mar 2009
Report

Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and Other G-8 Countries: 2009

This report describes how the education system in the United States compares with education systems in the other G-8 countries--Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom.

4 Sep 2008
Report

EQUIP1: Secondary Education Activity, Final Report

This five-year project aimed to improve the quality and relevance of secondary education for Macedonian youths, to equip them with the skills and knowledge to succeed in a changing social and economic environment, and to provide the Macedonian economy with a more flexible, better-prepared workforce.

1 Nov 2007
Report

The Reading Literacy of U.S. Fourth-Grade Students in an International Context Results From the 2001 and 2006 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)

This report uses data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) assessment and summarizes the performance of U.S. students.

1 May 2006
Report

Comparing Mathematics Content in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003 Assessments

This report compares three mathematics assessments conducted in 2003, and aims to provide information useful for interpreting and comparing results from the three assessments, based on an in-depth look at the content of the frameworks and items.

1 Mar 2006
Report

Comparing Science Content in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2000 and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 Assessments

This report compares the content of two science assessments for grades 4 and 8, and provides information useful for interpreting and comparing results from the two assessments, based on an in-depth look at the content of the respective frameworks and assessment items.

15 Apr 2005
Report

The Mexican Translation of TIMSS-1995: Lessons on Test Translation from a Post-Mortem Study

This paper is a contribution to test translation review. It provides a conceptual framework for the coding of translation errors, and provides some empirical evidence on the effect of translation errors on student performance.

15 Apr 2005
Report

The Mexican Translation of TIMSS-1995: Lessons on Test Translation from a Post-Mortem Study

This paper is a contribution to test translation review. It provides a conceptual framework for the coding of translation errors, and provides some empirical evidence on the effect of translation errors on student performance.

28 Jan 2005
Report

What the United States Can Learn From Singapore’s World-Class Mathematics System: An Exploratory Study

Singaporean students ranked first in the world in mathematics on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)-2003; U.S. students ranked 16th out of 46 participating nations at grade 8. This exploratory study compares key features of the Singapore and U.S. mathematics systems in the primary grades, when students need to build a strong mathematics foundation.

28 Jan 2005
Report

What the United States Can Learn From Singapore’s World-Class Mathematics System: An Exploratory Study

Singaporean students ranked first in the world in mathematics on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)-2003; U.S. students ranked 16th out of 46 participating nations at grade 8. This exploratory study compares key features of the Singapore and U.S. mathematics systems in the primary grades, when students need to build a strong mathematics foundation.