Education in the USA: statistical comparisons with Australia

In this paper, the author puts the full range of structure and outcomes of the Australian and American systems into perspective that allows a more realistic comparison. Participation and retention is generally higher in the US, but the structure of the two systems is different and this can lead to misleading comparisions. The author points out that there is no equivalent in the US to the Australian [technical and further education] TAFE system in either size or content. When this system is taken into account, some of the differences begin to disappear. For example, whilst participation is higher in the US, the proportion of Australians with a tertiary qualification is actually higher.

In this paper, the author puts the full range of structure and outcomes of the Australian and American systems into perspective that allows a more realistic comparison. Participation and retention is generally higher in the US, but the structure of the two systems is different and this can lead to misleading comparisions. The author points out that there is no equivalent in the US to the Australian [technical and further education] TAFE system in either size or content. When this system is taken into account, some of the differences begin to disappear. For example, whilst participation ...  [+] Show more