Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Directorate of Education September 2007
Each year the OECD releases education data on 30 member countries. We've covered them in past years (see here, for example). The 2007 report looks at attendance and achievement, funding, the state of lifelong learning, and conditions for pupils and teachers. Some interesting bits: the U.S. spends on each public-school student, during his or her K-12 educational career, an average of about $100,000. That's one of highest amounts in the OECD. Finland and South Korea, whose students are always at the top in international tests, each spend less than the OECD average of $81,485. Teaching salaries in the U.S. are high in absolute terms, but low relative to GDP. American teachers, however, spend more time in the classroom than other OECD teachers. U.S. elementary teachers provide 1,080 hours of instruction per year, 200+ hours more than the OECD average. In higher education, American college students spend more for tuition than their counterparts elsewhere, but they also receive more financial aid (loans and scholarships). Only 54 percent of U.S. students who enter college will actually graduate (tying with New Zealand for last place). But the U.S. is still the top destination for study-abroad participants. More interesting facts are available here.