Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States ...

Comparative Indicators of

Education in the United States

and Other G-20 Countries: 2015

December 2015

NCES 2016-100

U. S. D E PA R T M E N T O F E D U CAT I O N

Comparative Indicators of

Education in the United States

and Other G-20 Countries: 2015

DECEMBER 2015

Maria Stephens

Laura K. Warren

Ariana L. Harner

American Institutes for Research

Eugene Owen

Project Officer

National Center for Education Statistics

NCES 2016-100

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

U.S. Department of Education

Arne Duncan

Secretary

Institute of Education Sciences

Ruth Neild

Deputy Director for Policy and Research

Delegated Duties of the Director

National Center for Education Statistics

Peggy G. Carr

Acting Commissioner

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related to

education in the United States and other nations. It fulfills a congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report full and complete

statistics on the condition of education in the United States; conduct and publish reports and specialized analyses of the meaning and

significance of such statistics; assist state and local education agencies in improving their statistical systems; and review and report on

education activities in foreign countries.

NCES activities are designed to address high-priority education data needs; provide consistent, reliable, complete, and accurate indicators

of education status and trends; and report timely, useful, and high-quality data to the U.S. Department of Education, the Congress, the

states, other education policymakers, practitioners, data users, and the general public. Unless specifically noted, all information contained

herein is in the public domain.

We strive to make our products available in a variety of formats and in language that is appropriate to a variety of audiences. You, as our

customer, are the best judge of our success in communicating information effectively. If you have any comments or suggestions about

this or any other NCES product or report, we would like to hear from you. Please direct your comments to

National Center for Education Statistics

Institute of Education Sciences

U.S. Department of Education

1990 K Street NW

Washington, DC 20006-5651

December 2015

The NCES Home Page address is .

The NCES Publication and Products address is .

This report was prepared for the National Center for Education Statistics under Contract No. ED-IES-12-D-0002 with the American

Institutes for Research. Mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations does not imply endorsement by the

U.S. Government.

Suggested Citation

Stephens, M., Warren, L.K., and Harner, A.L. (2015). Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and Other G-20 Countries: 2015

(NCES 2016-100). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

For ordering information on this report, write to

ED Pubs, U.S. Department of Education

P.O. Box 22207

Alexandria, VA 22304

or call toll free 1-877-4-ED-Pubs or order online at .

Content Contact

Mary Coleman

202-502-7409

mary_coleman@

SUMMARY

Introduction

Population and School Enrollment

Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and

Other G-20 Countries: 2015 is a comparison of the education

system in the United States with those in the other Group of

20 (G-20) countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China,

France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the

Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South

Africa, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. (We do not show data for

the European Union, although it is included in the G-20, since it

is a political entity that represents a number of countries, not a

single education system.) The G-20 countries, which are among

the most economically developed, represent 85 percent of the

world¡¯s economy and two-thirds of its population. These countries

are some of the United States¡¯ largest economic partners.

The four indicators in this section primarily draw on data from

the OECD¡¯s Education at a Glance 2013: OECD Indicators.

The report draws on the most current information about eduation from the International Indicators of Education Systems

(INES) project at the Organization for Economic Cooperation

and Development (OECD), as reported in the Education at a

Glance series, as well as international assessments that range

from grade 4 through adulthood. These international assessments include the Progress in International Reading Literacy

Study (PIRLS), which assesses fourth-graders in reading; the

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS),

which assesses fourth- and eighth-graders in mathematics and

science; the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA),

which assesses 15-year-old students (regardless of grade) in

mathematics, reading, science, and, occasionally, other subjects;

and the Program for the International Assessment of Adult

Competencies (PIAAC), which assesses adults, ages 16 to 65,

in literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich

environments.

The Comparative Indicators of Education report series has been

published on a biennial basis since it began in 2002, although this

year¡¯s is the first to expand its focus to the G-20 countries, having

previously been focused on the G-8 countries. Please note that

many of the report¡¯s indicators do not contain data for the complete

set of G-20 countries. Data are not reported when a country does

not participate in a study or when its data do not meet reporting

standards for a study.

The main fi dings of this report are summarized below. These

highlights are organized around the five major sections of the

report¡ªpopulation and school enrollment; academic performance;

contexts for learning; expenditure for education; and education

returns: educational attainment and income.

School-Age Population

In the United States in 2012, there were 106.2 million 5- to

29-year-olds, representing 34 percent of the total population.

Although students outside this age range enroll in school this

is called the school-age population for purposes of comparison.

In the other G-20 countries, the school-age population ranged

from 25 percent of the total population in Italy and Japan to

50 percent in Saudi Arabia and South Africa. Eleven countries

experienced growth in the population of 5- to 29-year-olds

from 2002 to 2012, including the United States, with a gain of

5 percentage points. However, as a percentage of the total

population, 5- to 29-year-olds declined in the United States

and all other reporting G-20 countries (indicator 1).

Enrollment in Formal Education

In France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, the percentage of 3- to 4-year-olds enrolled in preprimary or primary

education programs in 2011 was above 90 percent, whereas in

the United States, the rate was 64 percent. In the United States,

it was not until age 6 that at least 90 percent of the population

was enrolled in formal education. G-20 countries with enrollment

rates below 20 percent among 3- to 4-year-olds included

Indonesia and Turkey. In all G-20 countries except France and

Italy, a higher percentage of 3- to 4-year-olds were enrolled in

2011 than in 2001. Among 5- to 14-year-olds, all reporting G-20

countries had universal or near universal (more than 90 percent)

school participation in 2011. At ages 15¨C19, participation rates

again varied¡ªfrom 34 percent in China to 92 percent in Germany,

with U.S. participation at 80 percent¡ªwhich may reflect different

policies regarding the age at which compulsory education ends.

In the United States and four other countries, compulsory

education ends at age 17. In 11 countries, compulsory education

ends when students are between ages 11 and 16. In Germany,

attendance is required until 18 (the highest of the G-20 countries).

There were few changes in enrollment rates between 2001 and

2011 among 5- to 14-year-olds or 15- to 19-year-olds in the G-20

countries (indicators 2 and 3).

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download