Education Indicators: An International Perspective

This publication compiles a comprehensive set of educational indicators using data from a variety of sources and presents results of interest to a U.S. audience about education in the United States and other countries. International indicators provide the United States with an opportunity to compare its performance with that of other countries, to identify areas for improvement, and to suggest new approaches to producing a world-class class educational system. The report presents data on many countries, but the primary comparisons are among the Group of Seven (G-7) countries, seven industrialized nations with large economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The achievement indicators show that the performance of U.S. students is mixed. They perform well in reading in comparison with their peers in other countries, and less well in geography and science. Their weakest area relative to students in other countries is mathematics. The finance indicators presented in this publication show that public financial investment in education in the United States is among the highest of the G-7 countries on multiple measures. Indicators are divided into: (1) Participation and Student Flows; (2) Achievement and Attainment; (3) Education and Labor Market Destinations; (4) Contextual Factors; and (5) Societal Support for Education. (Contains 45 tables, 45 figures, and 15 references.) (SLD)