International

Education news, analysis, and opinion about education internationally and comparisons between the U.S. and other countries
Karin Prien, Federal Minister of Education, Family, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth; Francesco Avvisati, OECD, co-author of the PISA study; Prof. Dr. Samuel Greiff, Director of the PISA National Center at TUM and Chairman of the Board of the ZIB; and Anna Stolz, President of the Conference of Education Ministers and Bavarian Minister of State for Education and Cultural Affairs, present the PISA study in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 8, 2026.
The PISA results were released Sept. 8 and showed global declines in three subjects. International education luminaries presented the findings: Karin Prien, the federal minister of education, family, senior citizens, women, and youth; Francesco Avvisati of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and co-author of the PISA report; Prof. Dr. Samuel Greiff, director of the PISA National Center at the Technical University of Munich; and Anna Stolz, president of the conference of education ministers and Bavarian minister of state for education and cultural affairs.
Christian Marquardt/NurPhoto via AP
Student Achievement 3 Takeaways From the Latest PISA Test of Reading, Math, and Science
The results show reading performance dropping across the world—and one uniquely troubling U.S. trend.
Sarah Schwartz, September 8, 2026
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5 min read
Undated file photo of students during a class. Teenagers in the UK are still lagging behind their peers from high-performing countries in maths, reading and science, but some progress has been made in the international rankings. The UK remains outside the top 10 in the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), which is based on tests taken by 15-year-olds from around the world, behind countries like Singapore, Japan and Estonia. Issue date: Tuesday December 5, 2023.
U.K. students participate in a class on Dec. 5, 2023. Most industrialized countries' 15-year-old students, including those in the United States, performed worse in reading in 2025 than three years previously on an international exam. One bright spot: Students in the United Kingdom performed as well in reading as they did before.
Press Association via AP
Student Achievement Reading Ability Craters on PISA International Exam, Both in the United States and Abroad
The U.S. outperformed most countries in reading and science, but the results show a global phenomenon of poorer readers.
Stephen Sawchuk, September 8, 2026
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7 min read
Collage-style illustration of young Finnish students in snowsuits, a cut out image of the Supreme Court of Finland building, a map and flag of Finland, as well as two other students working with pencils on paper.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Getty
Early Childhood Opinion Finland Is a Model of Academic Success. The Reason Starts Earlier Than I Thought
Learning about community comes before academics in Finnish preschools, writes a teacher educator.
Marilyn M. DePietto, August 26, 2026
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5 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
School Choice & Charters Opinion What the International Debate Over School Choice Can Teach Us at Home
A scholar highlights a new push to forge a consensus on parental rights—from New York to Africa.
Rick Hess, June 23, 2026
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6 min read
Tehran, Iran, 06.24.2023: Golestan Palace details
The Golestan Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Tehran, was damaged by an Israeli airstike earlier this month, according to media reports.
S. Kahraman/iStock
Teaching Opinion I’m Iranian American. Here’s What I Want Educators to Understand About the War
Understanding Iran requires holding multiple truths at once, writes education reformer Nina S. Rees.
Nina S. Rees, March 13, 2026
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5 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Curriculum Opinion What Policymakers Get Wrong About 'High-Quality' Curriculum
Schools can't fix instruction without fixing curriculum, Doug Lemov warns.
Rick Hess, March 10, 2026
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10 min read
Vector illustration of a large yellow pencil overlaying a glowing earth on a dark blue background. There is a diverse group of professionals holding one another up on their shoulders to try and keep the pencil upright.
iStock/Getty
Recruitment & Retention What the Research Says How U.S. Teachers' Job Satisfaction Stacks Up Against Their Global Peers'
The largest international survey of teachers provides new insights into teacher satisfaction.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 28, 2025
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4 min read
Eleazar Sepulveda, an educator from Chile, teaches kindergarten at Veteran’s Hill Elementary School in Round Rock, Texas.
Eleazar Sepulveda, an educator from Chile, teaches kindergarten at Veteran’s Hill Elementary School in Round Rock, Texas. U.S. school districts hire international teachers to fill staffing gaps using J-1 and H-1B visas. A new $100,000 fee for H-1B visas has some concerned about future hiring plans.
Lauren Santucci/Education Week
Recruitment & Retention Behind the Push to Exempt International Teachers from a New $100,000 Visa Fee
Lawmakers are pressing to exempt international teachers from a new $100,000 visa fee.
Evie Blad, September 30, 2025
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5 min read
Collage illustration of a brain with gears, lightbulb, and dot patterns.
DigitalVision Vectors
Teaching What the Research Says The Top 5 Myths Elementary Teachers Believe About the Science of Learning
Most teachers worldwide still believe myths about learning decades after they have been debunked. Here are the most common.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 16, 2025
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4 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
School Choice & Charters Opinion The Biggest Things People Don’t Know About School Choice
The school choice debate is rife with urban myths and dubious claims.
Rick Hess, September 9, 2025
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8 min read
Image missing teacher in classroom at in elementary classroom.
Liz Yap/Education Week and iStock/Getty
Recruitment & Retention The United Nations Says Teacher Shortages Are a Global Problem
Worldwide, countries need to recruit another 44 million primary and secondary teachers by 2030 to meet demand, a new report finds.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 3, 2025
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3 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Profession Opinion Want to Teach Overseas? Here's What You Need to Know
A classroom veteran spells out the pros and cons of teaching abroad.
Larry Ferlazzo, June 30, 2025
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4 min read
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Shutterstock
School & District Management Opinion 11 Critical Issues Facing Education at Home and Abroad in 2025
Global collaboration can turn obstacles into opportunities for students and educators alike.
Peter DeWitt & Michael Nelson, January 5, 2025
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5 min read
Illustration in blues; conceptual of a graph along background with lines with arrow-ends with human figures holding and directing the arrows as one arrow drops.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Student Achievement U.S. Reading and Math Gap Is Getting Worse for Adults, Too
Results on an international test of adults' math and literacy skills show a growing chasm between the highest and lowest performers.
Sarah Schwartz, December 10, 2024
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3 min read