How has student performance evolved over time?

Abstract

Improvement in PISA performance is not related to geography, national wealth or culture. In most cases, the countries that show significant improvement in PISA performance – Brazil, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Tunisia and Turkey – are those that manage to reduce the proportion of low-achieving students. Even over time, excellence and equity in education are not mutually exclusive goals, as the improvements in Germany, Italy, Mexico, Tunisia and Turkey demonstrate.