Comparative indicators of education in the United States and other G8 Countries: 2004.

Sen, Anindita ; Partelow, Lisette A. ; Miller, David C. 等

Introduction

This report is designed to describe how the U.S. education system compares with the education systems in the Group of Eight, or G8, countries. These countries, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States, are among the world's most economically developed. Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and Other G8 Countries: 2004 draws on the most current information about education from the Indicators of National Education Systems (INES) project at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the international assessments conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), and the OECD's Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Started in 2002, this report is published on a biennial basis. The main findings of this report are highlighted below. The highlights are organized around the four major sections of the report: the context of education, preprimary and primary education, secondary education, and higher education. All indicators from this report and the 2002 G8 report are online at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/international/intlindicators.

Context of Education

Size and growth rate of school-age population

In 2003, the United States and the Russian Federation had the highest proportion of 5- to 29-year-olds, relative to their total populations, as compared to the other G8 countries. In the past 10 years (1993-2003), the population growth rate for youth ages 5 to 19 was higher in the United States than in any other G8 country.

Participation in formal schooling

In 2001, all of the G8 countries, except the Russian Federation, had close to universal participation in formal education for youth ages 5 to 14. Compulsory education ends at age 18 in Germany; age 17 in the United States; age 16 in Canada, France, and the United Kingdom; and age 15 in Italy, Japan, and the Russian Federation. Participation in formal education tends to be high until the end of compulsory education for all the countries, but in Germany and the United Kingdom, enrollment rates drop below 90 percent before the age at which compulsory education ends (figure A).

Funding and expenditures

In 2000, the United States ranked the highest among the six G8 countries with data in terms of expenditure per student at both the combined primary and secondary level as well as for higher education.

In 2000, public funding for higher education was more centralized than funding for primary and secondary education in all of the G8 countries. However, in some G8 countries, including the United States, much of the funding for higher education came from regional sources, including states.

Education and the labor force

In 2001, labor force participation rates increased with educational attainment for adults in the United States and the other G8 countries reporting data. Women participated in the labor force at a lower rate than men in each of the G8 countries reporting data for all education levels examined.

The earnings premium associated with higher education compared to upper secondary education for adults ages 25 to 64 was higher in the United States than in the other five G8 countries presented (figure B).

Preprimary and Primary Education

Learning in early childhood

Sixty-four percent of U.S. children ages 3 to 5 were enrolled in center-based preprimary and primary education in 2001, a rate that was lower than the rates of all G8 countries reporting data except Canada. Eighty-nine percent of 5-year-olds in the United States were enrolled in public or private preprimary programs, while 7 percent were enrolled in primary schooling.

Reading literacy

Only fourth-graders from England scored higher than their U.S. counterparts among all the G8 countries on the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2001 combined reading literacy scale.

In the United States and all the other countries presented, fourth-graders who reported having 0-10 books in the home had lower average reading achievement than did fourth-graders who reported having more books.

To examine fourth-graders' views on reading for enjoyment, PIRLS 2001 created an index of Students' Attitudes Toward Reading (SATR). All of the participating G8 countries, with the exception of England, had greater percentages of fourth-graders with higher SATR scores than the United States.

Primary school teachers

In 2001, the most common strategies employed by U.S. fourth-grade teachers to help a student who was falling behind in reading were to work individually with the student and have other students help the student. These were also some of the most common strategies used in the majority of the other participating G8 countries.

In the United States in 2001, public primary school teachers with minimum qualifications were paid an average starting salary of $28,681, which was the second highest of all G8 countries reporting data.

Secondary Education

Secondary school enrollment

A large majority of 16- and 17-year-olds in the countries presented were enrolled in secondary education in 2001. Eighty-eight percent of 16-year-olds and 75 percent of 17-year-olds were enrolled in secondary education in the United States. Over 90 percent of 17-year-olds were enrolled in secondary education in Canada, Germany, and Japan.

Academic achievement

According to PISA 2000, reading literacy scores among 15-year-olds were higher for females than for males in all of the G8 countries, including the United States.

In the United States, students achieving at the lowest levels on the PISA 2000 reading scale reported lower levels of engagement in reading than their peers who achieved at the highest level. This pattern was found in other G8 countries as well (figure C).

Citizenship

Compared to students in most other G8 countries, U.S. 14-year-olds placed more trust in national government and more importance on adult citizenship activities in 1999. They were less affirming, however, of the role of government in the social and economic spheres than 14-year-olds in most other G8 countries.

Home language and reading proficiency

In the United States, 15-year-olds whose home language differed from the language of instruction were over-represented at the lowest levels of reading literacy.

In the United States in 2000, more 15-year-olds at the lowest level of reading literacy achievement reported attending remedial language courses outside of school than 15-year-olds in the overall population.

Secondary school teachers

In 2001, public upper secondary teachers with the minimum qualifications in the United States earned the second-highest starting salary on average ($28,806) of the countries presented.

Primary and secondary school teachers in the United States also taught more hours per year than teachers in the other G8 countries reporting data in 2001.

Higher Education

Enrollment in higher education

Almost one-quarter of U.S. 18- to 29-year-olds were enrolled in higher education in 2001, the highest enrollment rate among the G8 countries presented. Females had a higher enrollment rate than males in all the countries except Germany.

Fields of study

In the United States in 2001, 44 percent of first-university degrees were awarded in the social sciences, business, and law. Seventeen percent were awarded in humanities and arts, and 11 percent were awarded in science. Seven percent of first-university degrees were awarded in the general field of engineering, manufacturing, and construction (figure D).

Foreign students in higher education

The number of foreign students enrolled in higher education in the United States was greater than the numbers in any of the other G8 countries, although as a percentage of all students in the country it was not among the highest.

Data sources: OECD: Indicators of National Education Systems (INES) project-including data from OECD's Education at a Glance 2003 and the OECD 2003 database-and Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2000.

IEA: 2001 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and 1999 Civic Education Study (CivEd).

Other: The U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS) and International Database; the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD), Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS); and national data sources for other member countries.

For technical information, see the complete report: Sen, A., Partelow, L.A., and Miller, D.C. (2005). Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and Other G8 Countries: 2004 (NCES 2005-021).

Author affiliations: A. Sen, L. A. Partelow, and D.C. Miller, Education Statistics Services Institute.

For questions about content, contact Eugene Owen (eugene.owen@ed.gov).

To obtain the complete report (NCES 2005-021), call the toll-free ED Pubs number (877-433-7827) or visit the NCES Electronic Catalog (http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch).