Across OECD countries, governments are seeking policies to make education more effective while searching for additional resources to meet increasing demand. The OECD education indicators enable countries to see themselves in light of other nations’ performances.
The 2002 edition provides a rich, comparable, and up-to-date array of indicators that represent the consensus of professional thinking on how to measure the current state of education internationally. They provide information on the output of educational institutions and the impact of learning, the policy levers that shape educational outcomes, how education systems operate and evolve, and the human and financial resources invested. The thematic organization of the volume and the background information accompanying the tables and charts make this publication a valuable resource for anyone interested in analyzing education systems across countries.
This year’s edition focuses on the quality of learning outcomes. It includes a comparative picture of student performance in reading, mathematical, and scientific literacy, as well as students’ civic engagement and attitudes. The book also examines questions of equity in learning outcomes and opportunities, as well as the broader private and social returns that accrue to investments in education. New information on student learning conditions, including the learning climate in the classroom and the use of information technology provide a better understanding of key determinants of educational success.
In addition to a significantly larger number of OECD countries now providing data, a wide range of non-member countries have also contributed, extending the coverage of some of the indicators to almost two-thirds of the world’s population.