One distinct difference between the United States and these countries is each has a national curriculum. What is it about these countries that outrank American schools in math and science? Do they focus more on math and science than reading, or do they concentrate evenly on all subjects?

In this report, we find answers to those questions by comparing these systems to the U.S. and one another to understand better how they function, how they are similar and different, and how they address their unique challenges. And we explore how they are changing to anticipate the future (Cortese & Ravitch, 2009).