Across OECD countries, governments are seeking policies to make education more effective, while searching for additional resources to meet increasing demand. The OECD education indicators enable countries to see themselves in light of other nations' performances.; The 2002 edition provides indicators that represent the consensus of professional thinking on how to measure the current state of education internationally. They provide information on the output of educational institutions and the impact of learning, the policy levers that shape educational outcomes, how education systems operate and evolve and the human and financial resources invested. The thematic organization of the volume and the background information accompanying the tables and charts should be a useful resource for anyone interested in analysing education systems across countries.; This edition focuses on the quality of learning outcomes. It includes a comparative picture of student performance in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy, as well as students' civic engagement and attitudes. The book also examines questions of equity in learning outcomes and opportunities, as well as the broader private and social returns that accrue to investments in education. New information on student learning conditions, including the learning climate in the classroom and the use of information technology, provide a better understanding of key determinants of educational success.; In addition to a significantly larger number of OECD countries providing data, a wide range of nonmember countries have also contributed, extending the coverage of some of the indicators to almost two-thirds of the world's population.