This review of cross-national data on educational achievement indicates that the U.S. educational system has clearly been responsive both to the rapid changes in society and to its basic democratic ideology. (Author)

Examines literacy education in Iran, including educational objectives, content, student characteristics, teacher selection, textbooks, and obstacles to success. Concludes that Iranian literacy education is limited to reading, writing, and arithmetic, with no additional training aimed at functional literacy; and serves principally as a…