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.
 

Our Work

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)
Contact

Mary Ann Fox

Vice President and Program Area Lead
Larry Hedges

Larry V. Hedges

Institute Fellow
Related Topics
Education
International
Related Work
RISE webinar logo

RISE Webinar Series

17 Feb 2023
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.
Teacher showing computer experiments to children

The Future of Education

Google for Education collaborated with research partner Canvas8 to conduct a study across 24 countries, interviewing experts on how and why they are rethinking the role of education. AIR served as an advisor and consultant to this research, which contains insights from interviews with 94 education thought leaders, including experts in ...
Hand and pencil taking a test

Synthesizing NAEP and International Large-Scale Assessment Score Trends: A Pattern of Diverging Performance

20 Oct 2022
This study brings together results from NAEP and three international large-scale assessments to examine long-term, intermediate, and recent score trends in reading, mathematics, and science for U.S. students in 4th grade, in 8th grade, and at 15 years old. The analysis finds a relatively consistent pattern across these assessments: performance ...
Teacher with happy child reading

Exploring Key Indicators of Education During the Pandemic

02 Sep 2022
The National Center for Education Statistics annual report, Condition of Education, provides insight into how the U.S. education system has changed over time, the characteristics of students and teachers, and how the U.S. compares with other nations around the world. The 2022 edition of the report is the first to ...

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

28 Apr 2021
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 ...
Image of PIAAC map

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

14 Jul 2020
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 ...
Image of man doing math on a whiteboard

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

09 Jul 2020
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 ...

A Practitioner’s Insights on Student Misconceptions and Errors

07 Jul 2020
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

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

15 Jun 2020
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 ...
Image of dad and small children reading together

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

14 Apr 2020
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; ...