Incomplete Explanations: The Case of U.S. Performance in the International Assessments of Education

Abstract

In the past few years, it has been argued that the international assessments are seriously flawed by sampling and test bias and that conclusions about U.S. educational inferiority are unwarranted. Alternatively, it has been argued that the differences in national performances are related to cultural differences, institutional arrangements such as curriculum and length of the school year, and ineffective pedagogy. To clarify these issues, I review the history of the assessments and evaluate the major explanations of the achievement differences. I examine, in depth, the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of curriculum-centered explanations because of their relevance to school reform (Westbury, 1992, 1993).