UNDERSTANDING OTHERS, EDUCATING OURSELVES
Getting More from International Comparative Studies in Education
Colette Chabbott and Emerson J. Elliott, Editors
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by Contract/Grant No. REC-9815157 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
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Suggested citation: National Research Council. (2003). Understanding Others, Educating Ourselves: Getting More from International Comparative Studies in Education. Committee on a Framework and Long-term Research Agenda for International Comparative Education Studies. C. Chabbott and E. J. Elliott, editors. Board on International Comparative Studies in Education, Board on Testing and Assessment, Center for Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
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COMMITTEE ON A FRAMEWORK AND LONG-TERM RESEARCH AGENDA FOR INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE EDUCATION STUDIES
EMERSON J. ELLIOTT (Chair),
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, Washington, DC
DAVID C. BERLINER,*
College of Education, Arizona State University
CLEA FERNANDEZ,
Teachers College, Columbia University
ADAM GAMORAN,
Departments of Sociology and Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison
LARRY V. HEDGES,
Departments of Education, Psychology, and Sociology, The University of Chicago
HENRY W. HEIKKINEN,
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley
JEREMY KILPATRICK,
Department of Mathematics Education, University of Georgia
SHARON LEWIS,
Council of the Great City Schools, Washington, DC
LYNN W. PAINE,
Department of Teacher Education, Michigan State University
JANET WARD SCHOFIELD,
Department of Psychology and Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh
JOSEPH TOBIN,
College of Education, Arizona State University
COLETTE CHABBOTT, Director
MONICA ULEWICZ, Program Officer
JANE PHILLIPS, Senior Project Assistant
BOARD ON INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE STUDIES IN EDUCATION
EMERSON J. ELLIOTT (Chair),
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, Washington, DC
LYNN W. PAINE (Vice-Chair),
Department of Teacher Education, Michigan State University
DAVID C. BERLINER,*
College of Education, Arizona State University
CLEA FERNANDEZ,
Teachers College, Columbia University
ADAM GAMORAN,
Departments of Sociology and Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison
LARRY V. HEDGES,
Departments of Education, Psychology, and Sociology, The University of Chicago
HENRY W. HEIKKINEN,
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley
JEREMY KILPATRICK,
Department of Mathematics Education, University of Georgia
SHARON LEWIS,
Council of the Great City Schools, Washington, DC
JANET WARD SCHOFIELD,
Department of Psychology and Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh
JOSEPH TOBIN,
College of Education, Arizona State University
COLETTE CHABBOTT, Director
MONICA ULEWICZ, Program Officer
JANE PHILLIPS, Senior Project Assistant
BOARD ON TESTING AND ASSESSMENT
EVA L. BAKER (Chair),
The Center for the Study of Evaluation, University of California, Los Angeles
LORRAINE McDONNELL (Vice Chair),
Departments of Political Science and Education, University of California, Santa Barbara
LAURESS L. WISE (Vice Chair),
Human Resources Research Organization, Alexandria, Virginia
CHRISTOPHER F. EDLEY, JR.,
Harvard Law School
EMERSON J. ELLIOTT, Independent Consultant,
Arlington, Virginia
MILTON D. HAKEL,
Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University
ROBERT M. HAUSER,
Institute for Research on Poverty, Center for Demography, University of Wisconsin, Madison
PAUL W. HOLLAND,
Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey
DANIEL M. KORETZ,
Graduate School of Education, Harvard University
EDWARD P. LAZEAR,
Graduate School of Business, Stanford University
RICHARD J. LIGHT,
Graduate School of Education and John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
ROBERT J. MISLEVY,
Department of Measurement & Statistics, University of Maryland
JAMES W. PELLEGRINO,
University of Illinois, Chicago
LORETTA A. SHEPARD,
School of Education, University of Colorado, Boulder
CATHERINE E. SNOW,
Graduate School of Education, Harvard University
WILLIAM T. TRENT,
Department of Educational Policy Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
GUADALUPE M. VALDES,
School of Education, Stanford University
KENNETH I. WOLPIN,
Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania
Pasquale J. DeVito, Director
Lisa D. Alston, Administrative Associate
Preface
Since 1988, the Board on International Comparative Studies in Education (BICSE) at the (U.S.) National Research Council of the National Academies has engaged in activities designed to increase the rigor and sophistication of international comparative studies in education by encouraging synergies between large and smaller scale international comparative education research, to identify gaps in the existing research base, and to assist in communicating results to policy makers and the public. Under the current grant (1998-2002), funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, BICSE has sponsored public events and commissioned papers on the effects of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the power of video technology in international education research (National Research Council, 2001), international perspectives on teacher quality, and advances in the methodology of cross-national surveys of education achievement (National Research Council, 2002a).
This report responds to a request from the board’s sponsors under the current grant to produce a report that builds on its previous work, particularly two earlier board reports: A Framework and Principles for International Comparative Studies in Education (National Research Council, 1990) and A Collaborative Agenda for Improving International Comparative Studies in Education (National Research Council, 1993). This report draws on the board’s more than 14 years of experience in helping to strengthen U.S. participation in large-scale cross-national surveys of achievement and the collection of international comparative education statistics. The board’s activities ranged from reports recommending ways to strengthen
UNESCO’s role in gathering worldwide education statistics (National Research Council, 1995) to using TIMSS data to benchmark U.S. national education standards (National Research Council, 1997). In addition, the board has convened numerous workshops and seminars, including one on human resource needs in comparative education in 1996 and one on international research on teacher quality in 2000. Finally, as part of our work on this report, the board commissioned nine background papers to analyze the impact of different types of international studies and innovations on U.S. education during the 1990s.
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the Report Review Committee of the National Research Council. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.
We thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report: Paul J. Black, School of Education, King’s College, London, England; Kai-ming Cheng, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong and Harvard Graduate School of Education; Christopher T. Cross, Center on Education Policy and Education Commission of the States; Richard F. Elmore, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University; Steven J. Klees, Department of Education Policy and Leadership, University of Maryland; Barry McGaw, Directorate for Education, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; Andrew C. Porter, Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin–Madison; Francisco O. Ramirez, School of Education, Stanford University; and Iris C. Rotberg, Graduate School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University.
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by J. Myron Atkin, School of Education, Stanford University. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
This report in many ways reflects the accumulated wisdom of the
board over the last 15 years and the committee is indebted to the 31 past members of the board who shared their time and thoughts so generously with the NRC. Special thanks go to Andrew Porter, chair of the Board on International Comparative Studies in Education from 1998 to 2001, without whom this report might never have been launched. His leadership was critical in holding the board’s metaphorical feet to the fire, pressing us to address some of the more difficult issues we might otherwise have let slip away. His cogent arguments and pragmatism were recalled again and again as we struggled with those issues.
Special acknowledgments also go to members Clea Fernandez, Henry Heikkinen, and Lynn Paine. Clea Fernandez, whose perspective was so valuable in the infancy of this report, was excused in the later days to attend to her own infant. Despite recovering from an illness that prevented him from attending board meetings in 2002, Henry Heikkinen actively participated in the committee’s deliberations from his home in Colorado and offered thorough comments on each successive draft of the report. Lynn Paine is also deserving of special thanks for her long service on the board, for bridging the “old” and “new” phases of the board, and for keeping us focused on the research that serves as the foundation for the board’s work.
We appreciate Colette Chabbott, director of the board, who turned our ideas and sometimes rambling conversations into coherent narrative for this report. Patricia Morison, presently acting co-director of the Center for Education, provided much of the continuity for BICSE over the last 10 years. She has oriented and provided invaluable guidance to the last three directors, and under the current grant played a major role in helping the board expand and articulate its vision. Monica Ulewicz provided important research and writing for portions of the draft report, and Alix Beatty crafted solutions for revisions. Jane Phillips, senior project assistant for the board, shepherded the board through countless drafts with her quiet and efficient expertise. I wish to acknowledge staff of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education reports office: Eugenia Grohman, for her guidance to the board in writing of the report; Christine McShane, for her editorial assistance with the final manuscript, and Kirsten Sampson Snyder for her guidance throughout the report review process.
We have been especially grateful to our sponsors at the National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics—particularly Larry Suter, Jeanne Griffith, and Eugene Owen—who have, quite remarkably, represented their agencies in a collaborative relationship with the board over the course of 14 years. Finally, thanks go to Dorothy Gilford, the first staff director of the board
(1988-1995) and co-editor and editor of the first and second board reports; she helped us to think through many of the parallels and differences between the early years and the present as we prepared to write this report.
Emerson J. Elliott, Chair
Committee on a Framework and Long-term Research Agenda for International Comparative Education Studies