Data

PISA 2000 and 2003

PISA 2006 and 2009 (more detail here [2006] and here 2009])

pisa 2006

Pisa 2009

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

1) ENGLISH: http://www.scribd.com/doc/14176534/PISA-Sample-Questions

2) FRENCH

Pisa sample question

DATA on rates of (il)literacy and dyslexia (or reading and writing disabilities)

http://www.spellingsociety.org/news/media/dyslexia/reports.php

http://www.spellingsociety.org/bulletins/b75/winter/illiteracy.php

Data from an international test on how parents' education levels affect children's literacy scores, from here. I think we can easily extrapolate this to all nations.

Examples of numeracy and literacy levels from here. You can enlarge to read by holding control and + on your keyboard. The quality isn't the best. The original is best (appendix 1)

There are videos from the Children of the Code that are showcased in the "breaking the spell" page that give even more data. Empirically and intuitively speaking, I think I have seen too many students (some of them being VERY intelligent, as tested by school psychologists, that show reading (and virtually always) writing disabilities (the inability to spell correctly more words than many).

Reports about budgets in different countries (most of them don't mention anything about the language issue though, but that goes without saying)!

http://www.grattan.edu.au/publications/129_report_learning_from_the_best_main.pdf

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