I am a sociologist (PhD Duke University) with 50 years experience with education statistics and research. I retired from the US government, National Science Foundation, in 2011. Since them I have been editing manuscripts on research methods and International comparative studies in education. I remain active in research conducting secondary analysis of the many available large-scale surveys both domestic (USA) and international.
This essay reflects on my personal experiences conducting international comparative statistical s... more This essay reflects on my personal experiences conducting international comparative statistical studies in education as an employee of two U.S. federal statistical agencies between 1981 and 2011. Before 1982, the U.S. government involvement with large-scale international studies had been sporadic. By 1990, as a result of my initial support for the IEA, two U.S. federal agencies, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) supported research and development projects that raised the quality of international statistical comparisons on student achievement. My goal was to enhance existing international surveys so that the resulting statistical analyses would be perceived as a valid measurement of the performance of elementary and secondary students in multiple countries.
Education has continued to grow in stature and significance as an academic discipline. In additio... more Education has continued to grow in stature and significance as an academic discipline. In addition to world renowned research studies the growth of education has been seen in the methodology and methods underpinning its research. The BERA/SAGE Handbook of Educational Research provides a cutting edge account of the research and methodology that is creating new understandings for education research, policy and practice. Over two volumes, the handbook addresses educational research in six essential components: Section 1: Understanding Research Section 2: Planning Research Section 3: Approaches to Research Section 4: Acquiring Data Section 5: Analysing Data Section 6: Reporting, Disseminating and Evaluating Research Featuring contributions from more than 50 of the biggest names in the international field, The BERA/SAGE Handbook of Educational Research represents a very significant contribution to the development of education.
International Journal of Educational Development, 2023
This essay reflects on my personal experiences conducting international comparative statistical s... more This essay reflects on my personal experiences conducting international comparative statistical studies in education as an employee of two U.S. federal statistical agencies between 1981 and 2011. Before 1982, the U.S. government involvement with large-scale international studies had been sporadic. By 1990, as a result of my initial support for the IEA, two U.S. federal agencies, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) supported research and development projects that raised the quality of international statistical comparisons on student achievement. My goal was to enhance existing international surveys so that the resulting statistical analyses would be perceived as a valid measurement of the performance of elementary and secondary students in multiple countries.
This article reviews the history, development, and status of United States federal agencies that ... more This article reviews the history, development, and status of United States federal agencies that provide statistical data, funding, or oversight of education statistics. These agencies include: the National Center for Education Statistics, the Census Bureau, The Office of Civil Rights, The National Science Foundation, and National Academy of Sciences. International education statistics produced by Unesco, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the IEA are also reviewed. Education statistics are produced about school enrollment and educational attainment, or certification, of students in elementary, secondary, higher education, and adult education. In recent years greater emphasis has been placed on student achievement measures of learning as well as school finance, and curriculum, teaching, and instruction. Recent trends in providing statistical data electronically are reviewed.
It is often alleged that one of the reasons women earn less than men is because of their intermit... more It is often alleged that one of the reasons women earn less than men is because of their intermittent labor force behavior during their prime working years. This analysis of wage or salary income in 1966 for a national sample of men and women 30-44 years old attempts to estimate that part of the difference between the incomes of men and women which is due to age, lifetime career experience, education, occupational status, and extent of employment during 1966. The average earning of women in this sample was 39% of that received by men. The results of a regression analysis show that, if women had the same occupational status as men, had worked all their lives, and had the same education and year-round full-time employment in 1966, their income would be increased to 62% of that received by men. The coefficient of determination (R2) between wage and salary income and the other factors selected for study is .49 for women and .29 for men, indicating that the income level of women is more dependent on these few factors than is the income of men. The analysis suggests that fewer women than men are able to break away from only averaga-paying jobs into those with higher incomes.
International comparative studies of student achievement that have been conducted since 1965 have... more International comparative studies of student achievement that have been conducted since 1965 have influenced education policy and research issues in the United States. This article reviews the contribution of recent international studies to an understanding of the role of content in curriculum and thus the way in which schools have an impact on student learning. Studies conducted of U.S. schools during the 1960s by James Coleman and his associates and schools of other countries by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement concluded that student performance was determined more by family background than by school characteristics. However, Coleman himself later recanted that finding in a reanalysis of international studies. Recent international studies of student assessment have demonstrated that between-countries differences in how the science and mathematics curriculum is presented may account for differences in student performance. This finding has had an effect on national policy by supporting efforts to reform the content of subject matter introduced in schools.
This essay reflects on my personal experiences conducting international comparative statistical s... more This essay reflects on my personal experiences conducting international comparative statistical studies in education as an employee of two U.S. federal statistical agencies between 1981 and 2011. Before 1982, the U.S. government involvement with large-scale international studies had been sporadic. By 1990, as a result of my initial support for the IEA, two U.S. federal agencies, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) supported research and development projects that raised the quality of international statistical comparisons on student achievement. My goal was to enhance existing international surveys so that the resulting statistical analyses would be perceived as a valid measurement of the performance of elementary and secondary students in multiple countries.
Education has continued to grow in stature and significance as an academic discipline. In additio... more Education has continued to grow in stature and significance as an academic discipline. In addition to world renowned research studies the growth of education has been seen in the methodology and methods underpinning its research. The BERA/SAGE Handbook of Educational Research provides a cutting edge account of the research and methodology that is creating new understandings for education research, policy and practice. Over two volumes, the handbook addresses educational research in six essential components: Section 1: Understanding Research Section 2: Planning Research Section 3: Approaches to Research Section 4: Acquiring Data Section 5: Analysing Data Section 6: Reporting, Disseminating and Evaluating Research Featuring contributions from more than 50 of the biggest names in the international field, The BERA/SAGE Handbook of Educational Research represents a very significant contribution to the development of education.
International Journal of Educational Development, 2023
This essay reflects on my personal experiences conducting international comparative statistical s... more This essay reflects on my personal experiences conducting international comparative statistical studies in education as an employee of two U.S. federal statistical agencies between 1981 and 2011. Before 1982, the U.S. government involvement with large-scale international studies had been sporadic. By 1990, as a result of my initial support for the IEA, two U.S. federal agencies, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) supported research and development projects that raised the quality of international statistical comparisons on student achievement. My goal was to enhance existing international surveys so that the resulting statistical analyses would be perceived as a valid measurement of the performance of elementary and secondary students in multiple countries.
This article reviews the history, development, and status of United States federal agencies that ... more This article reviews the history, development, and status of United States federal agencies that provide statistical data, funding, or oversight of education statistics. These agencies include: the National Center for Education Statistics, the Census Bureau, The Office of Civil Rights, The National Science Foundation, and National Academy of Sciences. International education statistics produced by Unesco, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the IEA are also reviewed. Education statistics are produced about school enrollment and educational attainment, or certification, of students in elementary, secondary, higher education, and adult education. In recent years greater emphasis has been placed on student achievement measures of learning as well as school finance, and curriculum, teaching, and instruction. Recent trends in providing statistical data electronically are reviewed.
It is often alleged that one of the reasons women earn less than men is because of their intermit... more It is often alleged that one of the reasons women earn less than men is because of their intermittent labor force behavior during their prime working years. This analysis of wage or salary income in 1966 for a national sample of men and women 30-44 years old attempts to estimate that part of the difference between the incomes of men and women which is due to age, lifetime career experience, education, occupational status, and extent of employment during 1966. The average earning of women in this sample was 39% of that received by men. The results of a regression analysis show that, if women had the same occupational status as men, had worked all their lives, and had the same education and year-round full-time employment in 1966, their income would be increased to 62% of that received by men. The coefficient of determination (R2) between wage and salary income and the other factors selected for study is .49 for women and .29 for men, indicating that the income level of women is more dependent on these few factors than is the income of men. The analysis suggests that fewer women than men are able to break away from only averaga-paying jobs into those with higher incomes.
International comparative studies of student achievement that have been conducted since 1965 have... more International comparative studies of student achievement that have been conducted since 1965 have influenced education policy and research issues in the United States. This article reviews the contribution of recent international studies to an understanding of the role of content in curriculum and thus the way in which schools have an impact on student learning. Studies conducted of U.S. schools during the 1960s by James Coleman and his associates and schools of other countries by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement concluded that student performance was determined more by family background than by school characteristics. However, Coleman himself later recanted that finding in a reanalysis of international studies. Recent international studies of student assessment have demonstrated that between-countries differences in how the science and mathematics curriculum is presented may account for differences in student performance. This finding has had an effect on national policy by supporting efforts to reform the content of subject matter introduced in schools.
This chapter will discuss the origin of international comparative studies in student achievement,... more This chapter will discuss the origin of international comparative studies in student achievement, summarize some of the major results of the studies about educational issues in student learning, examine some of the criticisms of international studies from a point of view of national policy, and describe the types of new initiatives that are underway to provide information of value for national leaders concerned with the quality of American education. The chapter will focus especially on the cumulative body of evidence about American education performance created by the continuing study known as TIMSS, the Third International and Science Study (later named “Trends in Mathematics and Science Study”).
Uploads
Papers by Larry Suter