Reports, Fact Sheets, Speeches
PREPARING TEACHERS AROUND THE WORLD
By Aubrey H. Wang, Ashaki B. Coleman, Richard J. Coley,
and Richard P. Phelps
Educational Testing Service, U.S.
This report examines policies, practices, and access to the teaching
field in seven countries (Australia, England, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea,
The Netherlands, and Singapore) and compares them with the United
States. The focus is on preparation of teachers of science and math at
grade 8. The seven countries were selected because their students
performed as well as – or better than – U.S. students in the
Repeat of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study at the
Eight Grade (TIMSS) in 1999.
Although there is no uniform way that the seven countries manage
entry into the field, "by and large, they are able to control
individuals who enter teacher education programs through more rigorous
entry requirements and higher standards." Most of the countries require
a baccalaureate degree in the subject area for entry into graduate
programs. Only England and the United States offer alternative routes to
teacher certification.
In addition, public school pupils in the other countries "are more
likely to have teachers who have training in the subject matter they
teach" and all of the other countries uses significant regulatory
controls to ensure the quality of the teaching force. "While the primary
regulatory control in the United States is teacher licensure testing,
other countries include controls at additional career points."
Published in 2003.
The full text is available at: http://www.ets.org/research/pic/prepteach.pdf
Teaching Mathematics in Seven Countries: Results from the
Third International Mathematics and Science Studay(TIMSS): A Video
Study
This new study was released by the U.S. Department of Education's
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) on March 26, 2003. It
summarizes thousands of hours of videotape of math lessons taken in
representative samples of schools in Australia, the Czech Republic, Hong
Kong SAR, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States in
1999. All of these countries outperformed the United States on an
earlier TIMSS mathematics assessment.
Countries often differed in the way that mathematics lessons were
structured and how the content was presented to and worked on by
students. Examples include the following.
- Review of previously taught lessons plays a larger role in
mathematics lessons in the Czech Republic and the United States than in
the five other countries where more time is devoted to introducing new
content. A greater percentage of eighth-grade mathematics lessons in the
Czech Republic and the U.S. was spent entirely in review of previously
introduced content than was true in Hong Kong and Japan (28 and 28
percent of lessons vs. 8 and 5 percent, respectively).
- Lessons in Hong Kong include a larger percentage of problems per
lesson targeted at using procedures, e.g., applying a formula, (84
percent) than in most of the other countries (ranging from 41 to 77
percent). On the other hand, mathematics lessons in Japan
include a larger percentage of problems per lesson that emphasize making
connections among mathematical facts, procedures and concepts (54
percent) than lessons in most of the other countries (ranging from 13 to
24 percent).
- When the researchers examined the ways in which the mathematical
problems in the lesson are actually discussed and worked out during the
lessons, they found that eighth-grade mathematics lessons in Australia
and the United States are the least likely to emphasize mathematical
connections or relationships (8 and less than 1 percent, respectively.
Other countries ranged from 37 to 52 percent).
- Eighth-graders in the Netherlands are more likely than their peers
in four of the other countries to encounter problems during the lesson
that include a real-life connection (42 percent of problems per lesson.
Other countries ranged from 9 to 27 percent). In the other countries,
problems were more likely to make use only of mathematical language and
symbols.
- Calculators are used in more lessons in the Netherlands (91 percent)
than in the United States and the other countries (ranging from 31 to 56
percent). Computers were actually used in relatively few eighth-grade
mathematics lessons across all the countries (ranging from 2 to 9
percent of lessons; there were too few to estimate in the Czech
Republic, the Netherlands, and the United States).
Copies of the TIMSS 1999 Video Study results are available on request
and on the NCES Web site at http://nces.ed.gov/timss. For general
information on TIMSS, please visit the NCES Web site, contact the TIMSS
customer service number at 202-502-7421, or send an e-mail to timss@ed.gov.
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International Comparisons in Fourth-Grade Reading Literacy:
Findings from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Studay
(PIRLS) of 2001
On April 8, 2003, the U.S. Department of Education's National Center
for Education Statistics released this report describing reading
literacy of 4th-graders in 35 countries, including the United States.
Included are comparisons of average scores across 35 countries on two
reading subscales and a combined reading scale, as well as achievement
disaggregated by gender. Within the U.S., comparisons by race/ethnicity,
by public and private schools, and by poverty levels of schools are
provided. The report also presents information on reading and
instruction in the classroom and on students' out-of-school reading
habits.
To download, view and print the report as a pdf file, please
visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2003073
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Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and
Other G-8 Countries: 2002
This report shows how the U.S. education system compares to other
major industrialized countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
Russian Federation, United Kingdom) in five areas: (a) the context of
education; (b) preprimary and primary education; (c) secondary
education; (d) higher education; and (e) education and the labor force.
It was released by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center
for Education Statistics on April 8, 2003.
To download, view and print the report as a pdf file, please
visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2003026
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Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2002
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
This year's volume focuses on the quality of learning outcomes
and
policies that shape these outcomes. This includes a comparative
picture of students' performance in reading, mathematical and
scientific literacy, as well as their civic engagement and attitudes.
In
addition to national performance levels, the report examines equity
in learning outcomes and opportunities and the broader private and
social returns that accrue to investments in education. Also
included
is new information on learning conditions, the use of information
technologies in education, and teacher working conditions.
The report contains new indicators on quality and equity in
educational outcomes which derive from the OECD Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA). Other new indicators
include class size, civic knowledge, private and social rates of
returns
to education and their determinants, and foreign students in
tertiary
programs. For many indicators, a significantly larger number of OECD
member and non-member countries are now providing data. This
extends the coverage of some of the indicators to almost two-thirds
of the world population.
Available in French, German, and English.
Published in October 2002; 380 pages
Paperback: Book sent plus free online book
(pdf) for immediate
download. Euro 49 / U.S. $49
PDF E-Book: Online book (pdf) for download only.
Euro 39/ U.S. $39
Other orders may be made by contacting the following. Include
the
ISBN number with your order.
OECD Distribution Center
P.O. Box 194
Downington, PA 19335-0194 USA
Book orders: 1-800-456-6323
General information: 202-785-6323
Fax: 610-524-5417
http://www.oecdwash.org
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Proceedings of a Conference on Special Needs Education:
European Perspectives
This publication reports on a conference held in Brussels in October
2002. Representatives of various organisations reflected on such topics
as early intervention, inclusive classroom practices, teacher support,
transition from school to employment, the role of information technology
and financing of special needs education, and the state of the art of
special needs education in Europe. Experts from various countries
presented current developments within their countries. Representatives
and members of the European Parliament and the European Commission
presented their views on key issues and discussed the impact of findings
for policy making.
The European Commission, DG for Education and Culture, supported the
conference and the production of its proceedings, which are available
online as follows:
http://www.european-agency.org
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Eurostat Year Book 2002: The Statistical Guide to
Europe
This guide includes statistical data from 1990 to 2000 in French,
English, and German.
Cost: 42,40 EURO
European Bookshop
Fax: +32 2 835 08 60
email: order@libeurop.be
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Final Reports: UNESCO Regional Seminars on Policy, Planning and
Organization of Education for Children with Special Needs
These papers report on five sub-regional seminars with high-level
educational officials, aimed at discussing new strategies and mobilizing
support for wider access of children and young people with special
educational needs in the regular school system. The reports are as
follows:
- Africa: Botswana, August, 1992 (English)
- Latin America: Venezuela, September/October, 1992 (Spanish)
- Eastern Europe: Austria, November,1992 (English)
- Asia: China, February, 1993 (English)
- Arab States: Jordan, April 1993 (Arabic)
UNESCO
Special Needs Education
Division of Basic Education
7 Place de Fontenoy, 75352 PARIS 07-SP
FRANCE
Fax: (33-1) 45 68 56 27
http://www.unesco.org/education/educprog/sne/.
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The United States Refugee Program facilitates linkages between
overseas providers of cultural orientation and resettlement programs
within the U.S. This includes the publication of "Fact Sheets: Country
and Cultural Information" concerning contexts and cultural backgrounds
of people of various nations, which are available at the web site. Also
available are cultural orientation activities, lists of cultural
orientation training sites in various countries, and related
information.
http://www.culturalorientation.net
(English language)
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