1. Education in Eastern Europe and Eurasia
- Author:
- Robyn Murphy, Ron Sprout, and Matt Petric
- Publication Date:
- 10-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United States Agency for International Development
- Abstract:
- Conventional wisdom has been that educational aspects of human capital in the former Communist countries were largely an asset going into the transition. However, it has also been widely perceived that the type of education in the Communist countries (with emphases on memorization at the expense of analytical and critical thinking, and perhaps premature specialization if not over-specialization) may be ill-suited for the needs of a market economy This study analyzes trends in four cross-country surveys of education performance: the Trends in International Mathematics and Sciences Study (TIMSS); the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS); the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS); and the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Salient “quantity” of education indicators (enrollment and expenditure trends) are also assessed and compared with the “quality” of education indicators from results of the cross-national performance surveys.
- Topic:
- Demographics, Development, and Education
- Political Geography:
- Eastern Europe