Compare U.S. States, Not Countries

Policymakers should prioritize comparisons across U.S. states—using NAEP, state TIMSS/PISA extracts, and longitudinal state-level data—because states share more social, political, and institutional context with each other than with foreign nations. State comparisons reveal which state policies and reforms actually produced gains and are therefore more portable than importing foreign models. — Shifting the framing from international rankings to state‑level success stories changes who policymakers emulate and can reduce misguided one‑size‑fits‑all national reforms based on incomparable foreign contexts.