AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
A Review of International Large-Scale Assessments in Education Assessing Component Skills and Collecting Contextual Data

The OECD has initiated PISA for Development (PISA-D) in response to the rising need of developing countries to collect data about their education systems and the capacity of their student bodies. This report aims to compare and contrast approaches regarding the instruments that are used to collect data on (a) component skills and cognitive instruments, (b) contextual frameworks, and (c) the implementation of the different international assessments, as well as approaches to include children who are not at school, and the ways in which data are used. It then seeks to identify assessment practices in these three areas that will be useful for developing countries. This report reviews the major international and regional large-scale educational assessments: large-scale international surveys, school-based surveys and household-based surveys. For each of the issues discussed, there is a description of the prevailing international situation, followed by a consideration of the issue for developing countries and then a description of the relevance of the issue to PISA for Development.

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Organization: Department of State
The ABC of Gender Equality in Education Aptitude, Behaviour, Confidence

This fascinating compilation of the recent data on gender differences in education presents a wealth of data, analysed from a multitude of angles in a clear and lively way. In particular it looks at underperformance among boys, lack of self confidence among girls and family, school and societal influences before addressing policies to help boys and girls reach their full potential.

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Organization: Department of State
Students, Computers and Learning Making the Connection

Are there computers in the classroom? Does it matter? Students, Computers and Learning: Making the Connection examines how students’ access to and use of information and communication technology (ICT) devices has evolved in recent years, and explores how education systems and schools are integrating ICT into students’ learning experiences. Based on results from PISA 2012, the report discusses differences in access to and use of ICT – what are collectively known as the “digital divide” – that are related to students’ socio-economic status, gender, geographic location, and the school a child attends. The report highlights the importance of bolstering students’ ability to navigate through digital texts. It also examines the relationship among computer access in schools, computer use in classrooms, and performance in the PISA assessment. As the report makes clear, all students first need to be equipped with basic literacy and numeracy skills so that they can participate fully in the hyper-connected, digitised societies of the 21st century.

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Organization: Department of State
Let's Read Them a Story! The Parent Factor in Education

Most parents know instinctively that spending more time with their children and being actively involved in their education will give their children a good head-start in life. But since most parents have to juggle competing demands at work and home, there never seems to be enough time or they feel ill-equipped to help. This book from OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has some good news for concerned parents: it does not require a Ph.D or unlimited hours for parents to make a difference in their children's education. In fact, many parent-child activities that are associated with better reading performance among students involve relatively little time and no specialised knowledge. What these activities do demand is genuine interest and active engagement. "I enjoyed reading Let's Read Them a Story! The wide sample of countries shows the universality of the conclusions - conclusions which reassure parents that it is important to simply transmit the pleasure of reading to our children. No need to exhaust oneself finding the latest trendy children's books or educational toys; parents should simply read to children, enjoy reading themselves, and make family time to discuss what we've read." 

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Organization: Department of State
The Experience of Middle-Income Countries Participating in PISA 2000-2015

This report provides a systematic review and empirical evidence related to the experiences of middle-income countries and economies participating in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2000 to 2015. PISA is a triennial survey that aims to evaluate education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students. To date, students representing more than 70 countries and economies have participated in the assessment, including 44 middle-income countries, many of which are developing countries receiving foreign aid. This report provides answers to six important questions about these middle-income countries and their experiences of participating in PISA: What is the extent of developing country participation in PISA and other international learning assessments? Why do these countries join PISA? What are the financial, technical, and cultural challenges for their participation in PISA? What impact has participation had on their national assessment capacity? How have PISA results influenced their national policy discussions? And what does PISA data tell us about education in these countries and the policies and practices that influence student performance? The findings of this report are being used by the OECD to support its efforts to make PISA more relevant to a wider range of countries, and by the World Bank as part of its on-going dialogue with its client countries regarding participation in international large-scale assessments.

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Organization: Department of State
PISA 2012 Results: What Students Know and Can Do (Volume I, Revised edition, February 2014)  Student Performance in Mathematics, Reading and Science

This first volume of PISA 2012 results summarises the performance of students in PISA 2012. It describes how performance is defined, measured and reported, and then provides results from the assessment, showing what students are able to do in mathematics. After a summary of mathematics performance, it examines the ways in which this performance varies on subscales representing different aspects of mathematics literacy. Given that any comparison of the outcomes of education systems needs to take into consideration countries’ social and economic circumstances, and the resources they devote to education, the volume also presents the results within countries’ economic and social contexts. In addition, the volume examines the relationship between the frequency and intensity of students’ exposure to subject content in school, what is known as “opportunity to learn”, and student performance. The volume concludes with a description of student results in reading and science. Trends in student performance in mathematics between 2003 and 2012, in reading between 2000 and 2012, and in science between 2006 and 2012 are examined when comparable data are available. Throughout the volume, case studies examine in greater detail the policy reforms adopted by countries that have improved in PISA.

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Organization: Department of State
PISA 2012 Results: What Makes Schools Successful (Volume IV) Resources, Policies and Practices

This fourth volume of PISA 2012 results examines how student performance is associated with various characteristics of individual schools and of concerned school systems. It discusses how 15-year old students are selected and grouped into different schools, programmes, and education levels, and how human, financial, educational and time resources are allocated to different schools. The volume also examines how school systems balance autonomy with collaboration, and how the learning environment in school shapes student performance. Trends in these variables between 2003 and 2012 are examined when comparable data are available, and case studies, examining the policy reforms adopted by countries that have improved in PISA, are presented throughout the volume.

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Organization: Department of State
PISA 2012 Results: Ready to Learn (Volume III) Students' Engagement, Drive and Self-Beliefs

This third volume of PISA 2012 results explores students’ engagement with and at school, their drive and motivation to succeed, and the beliefs they hold about themselves as mathematics learners. The volume identifies the students who are at particular risk of having low levels of engagement in, and holding negative dispositions towards, school in general and mathematics in particular, and how engagement, drive, motivation and self-beliefs are related to mathematics performance. The volume identifies the roles schools can play in shaping the well-being of students and the role parents can play in promoting their children’s engagement with and dispositions towards learning. Changes in students’ engagement, drive, motivation and self-beliefs between 2003 and 2012, and how those dispositions have changed during the period among particular subgroups of students, notably socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged students, boys and girls, and students at different levels of mathematics proficiency, are examined when comparable data are available. Throughout the volume, case studies examine in greater detail the policy reforms adopted by countries that have improved in PISA.

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Organization: Department of State
PISA 2012 Results: Excellence through Equity (Volume II) Giving Every Student the Chance to Succeed

This second volume of PISA 2012 results defines and measures equity in education and analyses how equity in education has evolved across countries between PISA 2003 and 2012. The volume examines the relationship between student performance and socio-economic status, and describes how other individual student characteristics, such as immigrant background and family structure, and school characteristics, such as school location, are associated with socio-economic status and performance. The volume also reveals differences in how equitably countries allocate resources and opportunities to learn to schools with different socio-economic profiles. Case studies,examining the policy reforms adopted by countries that have improved in PISA, are highlighted throughout the volume.

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Organization: Department of State
Grade Expectations How Marks and Education Policies Shape Students' Ambitions

While enrolment in tertiary education has increased dramatically over the past decades, many university-aged students do not enrol, nor do they expect to earn a university degree. While it is important to promote high expectations for further education, it is equally important to ensure that students’ expectations are well-aligned with their actual abilities. Grade Expectations: How Marks and Education Policies Shape Students' Ambitions reveals some of the factors that influence students’ thinking about further education. The report also suggests what teachers and education policy makers can do to ensure that more students have the skills, as well as the motivation, to succeed in higher education.   In 2009, students in 21 PISA-participating countries and economies were asked about their expected educational attainment. An analysis of PISA data finds that students who expect to earn a university degree show significantly better performance in math and reading when compared to students who do not expect to earn such a university degree. However, performance is only one of the factors that determine expectations. On average across most countries and economies, girls and socio-economically advantaged students tend to hold more ambitious expectations than boys and disadvantaged students who perform just as well; and students with higher school marks are more likely to expect to earn a university degree – regardless of what those marks really measure.

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Organization: Department of State
Public and Private Schools How Management and Funding Relate to their Socio-economic Profile

In most PISA-participating countries and economies, the average socio-economic background of students who attend privately managed schools is more advantaged than that of those who attend public schools. Yet in some countries, there is little difference in the socio-economic profiles between public and private schools. Why? An analysis of PISA results finds that while the prevalence of privately managed schools in a country is not related to socio-economic stratification within a school system, the level of public funding to privately managed schools is: the higher the proportion of public funding allocated to privately managed schools, the smaller the socio-economic divide between publicly and privately managed schools. This report also shows that those countries with narrow socio-economic stratification in their education systems not only maximise equity and social cohesion, but also perform well in the PISA survey.

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Organization: Department of State
PISA 2012 Assessment and Analytical Framework Mathematics, Reading, Science, Problem Solving and Financial Literacy

Are students well prepared to meet the challenges of the future? Can they analyse, reason and communicate their ideas effectively? Have they found the kinds of interests they can pursue throughout their lives as productive members of the economy and society? The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) seeks to answer these questions through the most comprehensive and rigorous international assessment of student knowledge and skills. PISA 2012 Assessment and Analytical Framework presents the conceptual framework underlying the fifth cycle of PISA. Similar to the previous cycles, the 2012 assessment covers reading, mathematics and science, with the major focus on mathematical literacy. Two other domains are evaluated: problem solving and financial literacy. Students respond to a background questionnaire and, as an option, to an educational career questionnaire as well as another questionnaire about Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Additional supporting information is gathered from the school authorities through the school questionnaire and from the parents through a third optional questionnaire. Sixty-six countries and economies, including all 34 OECD member countries, are taking part in the PISA 2012 assessment.

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Organization: Department of State
PISA 2012 Results: Students and Money (Volume VI) Financial Literacy Skills for the 21st Century

This sixth volume of PISA 2012 results examines 15-year-old students’ performance in financial literacy in the 18 countries and economies that participated in this optional assessment. It also discusses the relationship of financial literacy to students’ and their families’ background and to students’ mathematics and reading skills. The volume also explores students’ access to money and their experience with financial matters. In addition, it provides an overview of the current status of financial education in schools and highlights relevant case studies.

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Organization: Department of State
PISA 2012 Results: Creative Problem Solving (Volume V) Students' Skills in Tackling Real-Life Problems

This fifth volume of PISA 2012 results presents an assessment of student performance in problem solving, which measures students’ capacity to respond to non-routine situations in order to achieve their potential as constructive and reflective citizens. It provides the rationale for assessing problem-solving skills and describes  performance within and across countries and economies. In addition, the volume highlights the relative strengths and weaknesses of each school system and examines how they are related to individual student characteristics, such as gender, immigrant background and socio-economic status. The volume also explores the role of education in fostering problem-solving skills.

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Organization: Department of State
International Religious Freedom Report

The annual Report to Congress on International Religious Freedom � the International Religious Freedom Report � describes the status of religious freedom in every country. The report covers government policies violating religious belief and practices of groups, religious denominations and individuals, and U.S. policies to promote religious freedom around the world. The U.S. Department of State submits the reports in accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

Tags: human-rights-religious-freedom
Organization: Department of State
ForeignAssistance.gov

ForeignAssistance.gov provides a view of U.S. Government foreign assistance funds across agencies and enables users to explore, analyze, and review aid investments in a standard and easy-to-understand format.For inquiries please contact us at ForeignAssistanceWeb@state.gov

Tags: foreign-assistanceaidhealtheconomic-developmentforeign-affairssecurityenvironmentdemocracygover
Organization: Department of State
OECD Gender Data Portal 2013

The OECD Gender Data Portal, www.oecd.org/gender/data, includes 40+ selected indicators shedding light on gender inequalities in education, employment and entrepreneurship. Data and metadata for all the indicators are easily and freely accessible and displayed through interactive visualizations. The Gender Data Portal is one of the main outputs of the OECD Gender Initiative, launched in 2010 to improve policies and promote gender equality in the economy in both OECD and non-OECD countries. The Portal is part of the new OECD Gender Equality website www.oecd.org/gender, which also features Closing the Gender Gap: Act Now, a publication that presents new analysis of the productivity losses caused by gender inequality and proposes policy solutions to close the gender gaps. While much progress has been accomplished in recent years, there are still relevant dimensions of gender inequalities that are poorly monitored and measured. The OECD Gender Portal is thus a work in progress, that aims at progressively filling these gaps through new indicators. The last data release, for Women's Day 2013, includes new gender-sensitive indicators of job quality, timely indicators of labor market participation, indicators on top and low-achieving students in different subjects and on entrepreneurial culture. The data cover OECD member countries, as well as Russia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, and South Africa.

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Organization: Department of State
PISA 2015 Results (Volume V)

PISA 2015 Results (Volume V): Collaborative Problem Solving, is one of five volumes that present the results of the PISA 2015 survey, the sixth round of the triennial assessment. It examines students’ ability to work with two or more people to try to solve a problem. The volume provides the rationale for assessing this particular skill and describes performance within and across countries. In addition, it highlights the relative strengths and weaknesses of each school system and examines how they are related to individual student characteristics, such as gender, immigrant background and socio-economic status. The volume also explores the role of education in building young people’s skills in solving problems collaboratively.

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Organization: Department of State
OECD Regional database

The OECD regional database is delivered through the viewer OECD eXplorer, an interactive mapping tool designed to let users explore, download and visualize data with maps, histograms, scatterplot and others. The database comprise a set of comparable statistics on about 2000 regions in the 33 OECD countries, on topics such as population, economic output, productivity, labor market, education and innovation themes to highlight differences within countries.

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Organization: Department of State
Foreign Per Diem Rates by Location

Foreign Per Diem rates are established monthly by the Office of Allowances as maximum U.S. dollar rates for reimbursement of U.S. Government civilians traveling on official business in foreign areas. Lodging and M&IE (Meals & Incidental Expenses) are reported separately followed by a combined daily rate. For regulations pertaining to these rates, see the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) established by the General Services Administration and implementing regulations established by Federal Agencies.

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Organization: Department of State
Foreign Affairs Manual (3 FAM) - 3 FAM 1800 Family Advocacy Program, section 1810 FAMILY ADVOCACY PROGRAM (CHILD ABUSE, CHILD NEGLECT, AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE)

The Foreign Service Act of 1980 mandated a comprehensive revision to the operation of the Department of State and the personnel assigned to the US Foreign Service. As the statutory authority, the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM), details the Department of State's regulations and policies on its structure and operations. Currently, there are over 25,000 pages of policies and procedures published in 16 volumes of the FAM and 38 corresponding sections of the Foreign Affairs Handbook (FAH). The FAM and FAH are revised accordingly as changes in the organization occur. 3 FAM 1800 contains documentation of the following administrative components: - 1810 Family Advocacy Program (Child Abuse, Child Neglect and Domestic Violence)

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Organization: Department of State
Foreign Affairs Manual (3 FAM) - 3 FAM 1600 Domestic Partners, section 1610 DOMESTIC PARTNERS

The Foreign Service Act of 1980 mandated a comprehensive revision to the operation of the Department of State and the personnel assigned to the US Foreign Service. As the statutory authority, the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM), details the Department of State's regulations and policies on its structure and operations. Currently, there are over 25,000 pages of policies and procedures published in 16 volumes of the FAM and 38 corresponding sections of the Foreign Affairs Handbook (FAH). The FAM and FAH are revised accordingly as changes in the organization occur. 3 FAM 1600 contains documentation of the following administrative components: - 1610 Domestic Partners

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Organization: Department of State
Foreign Affairs Manual (3 FAM) - 3 FAM 1100 Introduction, section 1110 PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION AUTHORITY, REGULATIONS, AND PROCEDURES

The Foreign Service Act of 1980 mandated a comprehensive revision to the operation of the Department of State and the personnel assigned to the US Foreign Service. As the statutory authority, the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM), details the Department of State's regulations and policies on its structure and operations. Currently, there are over 25,000 pages of policies and procedures published in 16 volumes of the FAM and 38 corresponding sections of the Foreign Affairs Handbook (FAH). Refer to 3 FAH 1100 "Introduction" for additional relevant information. The FAM and FAH are revised accordingly as changes in the organization occur. 3 FAM 1100 contains documentation of the following administrative components: - 1110 Personnel Administration Authority, Regulations, and Procedures

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Organization: Department of State
Foreign Affairs Manual (2 FAM) - 2 FAM 1100 Regulations and Related Programs, sections 1110-1180

The Foreign Service Act of 1980 mandated a comprehensive revision to the operation of the Department of State and the personnel assigned to the US Foreign Service. As the statutory authority, the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM), details the Department of State's regulations and policies on its structure and operations. Currently, there are over 25,000 pages of policies and procedures published in 16 volumes of the FAM and 38 corresponding sections of the Foreign Affairs Handbook (FAH). Changes to the Department's organizational structure or the way it conducts U.S. Government business will usually trigger the need to update the FAM or FAHs. 2 FAM 1100 contains documentation of the following administrative components: - 1110 Directives - 1120 Publication in the Federal Register - 1130 Executive Orders, Proclamations, and Other Presidential Documents - 1140 Delegations of Authority - 1150 Forms Management - 1160 Information Collections under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) - 1180 Rulemaking

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Organization: Department of State