Education at a Glance 2005 - Home

Education at a Glance 2009: OECD Indicators is now available

The 2005 edition of Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators enables countries to see themselves in the light of other countries’ performance. It provides a rich, comparable and up-to-date array of indicators on the performance of education systems. In doing so, it represents the consensus of professional thinking on how to measure the current state of education internationally.

The indicators look at who participates in education, what is spent on it and how education systems operate, and at the results achieved. The latter includes indicators on a wide range of outcomes ranging from comparisons of student performance in key subject areas to the impact of education on earnings and adults’ chances of employment.

The ExcelTM spreadsheets used to create the tables and charts in this book are available via the StatLinks printed in this book.

Publication Date: 13/9/2005
ISBN 9264011919
520 Pages

New material in this edition includes

Selected Results of the 2003 survey of OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA),
Data on the distribution of earnings for individuals with different educational levels as well as first evidence of non-economic outcomes of education,
Comparisons of the participation of labour force members in continuing education and training,
An analysis of student learning time out of school,
A comparison between the performance of public and private schools, and
Data on the policies and practices secondary school systems employ to differentiate among students and the impact of these on outcomes.

Executive Summary

Summary of chapters

Chapter A

Chapter A explores the output of educational institutions and the impact of learning. It begins by presenting the overall educational attainment of the population, then examines graduation rates at the upper secondary and tertiary levels of education. Chapter A goes beyond a count of graduates in each system to examine the quality of learning outcomes. The results of PISA 2003 are presented, with an examination of the mathematics and problem-solving skills of 15-year-olds, while the mathematics and science achievements of 8th grade students in the TIMSS assessment are also included. Chapter A also examines the relationship between educational attainment and labour market outcomes and considers the returns to investments in education for individuals and society.

Chapter B

Chapter B provides a comparative examination of the financial and human resources invested in education. This chapter emphasises trends in spending patterns and it analyses how different demand and supply factors interact and how spending on education, compared to spending on other social priorities, has changed.

Chapter C

Chapter C examines access to education, participation and progression. It gives a picture of the average number of years’ a student can expect to be formally enrolled in education and of the participation rates at the different levels of education, whether full-time or part-time. It also presents data on the enrolment of foreign students in tertiary education in OECD countries and the factors underlying students’ choice of a country of study. Chapter C concludes with data on the transition from education to work and on the participation of labour force members in continuing education and training.

Chapter D

Chapter D examines the factors that shape the teaching and learning environment and that can therefore have an influence on learning outcomes. The chapter begins by considering student learning conditions in terms of the amount of instruction time received in school, student learning time out of school, average class size and student-teacher ratios. Chapter D also considers teachers’ working conditions in terms of their teaching and working times and salaries. The focus next turns to a comparison between the performance of public and private schools, and finally to the policies and practices secondary school systems employ to differentiate among students and the impact of these on outcomes.

How to obtain this publication

Readers can access the full version of Education at a Glance 2005 choosing from the following options:

Subscribers and readers at subscribing institutions can access the online edition via SourceOECD, our online library.
Non-subscribers can purchase the PDF e-book and/or paper copy via our Online Bookshop.
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Access by password for accredited journalists

Tables, annex material and database

News Releases and Press Material

Briefing Notes

France
Germany
Japan
Mexico
- Breve nota sobre México (in Spanish)
United Kingdom
United States

News Releases and Articles

OECD calls for broader access to post-school education and training

PowerPoint Presentations

Multilingual summaries

Erratum Erratum

Skills beyond school

Education at a Glance 2005 - Home