This report describes how the education system in the United States
compares with education systems in the other Group of Eight (G-8)
countries—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian
Federation, the United Kingdom—that are among the world’s most
economically developed countries and among the United States’
largest economic partners. Comparative Indicators of Education in
the United States and Other G-8 Countries: 2009 draws on the most
current information about education from four primary sources: the
Indicators of National Education Systems (INES) at the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); the Progress
in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS); the Program
for International Student Assessment (PISA); and the Trends in
International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Begun in
2002, the series is published on a biennial basis.
It should be noted that most of the indicators in this report do
not contain data for the complete set of G-8 countries. This is the
result of a G-8 country not reporting data or not participating in
a study. Also, the United Kingdom participated as one country in
PISA, but in PIRLS and TIMSS England and Scotland participated
as individual systems. Similarly, Canada participated as separate
provinces in PIRLS 2006. Indicators that use PIRLS and TIMSS as
data sources report England and Scotland separately. Indicators
that use PIRLS data present results for the participating Canadian
provinces in appendix tables (see appendix B). Thus, in indicators
using PIRLS data and discussed in the summary that follows, the
“participating” G-8 countries include England, France, Germany,
Italy, the Russian Federation, Scotland, and the United States. In
indicators using TIMSS data, “participating” G-8 countries include
England, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, Scotland,
and the United States at fourth grade, and England, Italy, Japan,
the Russian Federation, Scotland, and the United States at eighth
grade.1
In indicators using INES data, the “reporting” G-8 countries
vary somewhat; these are shown in each indicator and noted in
the summary.