International Comparisons and the Condition of American Education

I nternational comparisons of achievement levels across various curriculum subject areas have received a con-siderable amount of publicity. Indeed, some argue that trends on domestic achievement tests are no longer rele-vant because the salient reference groups are students in other nations. In articles outside of educational research, the reports on international comparisons have accentuated the negative, even when the results have been positive. For instance, the November, 1992 issue of The American School Board Journal carried an unbylined report on How in the