Variation in the relationship Between Nonschool Factors and Student Achievement on International Assessments

摘要

Over the past 20 years, findings from international assessment studies have influenced U.S. educational policy debates. Each wave of results has received significant media attention, public interest, and criticism. The critics have argued that methodological incompatibilities and school organizational differences between countries prevent fair comparisons of achievement outcomes across the countries participating in the assessments (Bracey 1998; Rotberg 1990, 1995, 1998). In addition, it has been suggested that systems of education are bound by countries national cultures (Purves 1987), and this has implications for the interpretation of achievement cross nationally.