Relationships among Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) higher and K--12 education indicators

This research investigated the relationships between higher education and K--12 education indicators for OCED countries. Two statistical techniques were used to test these relationships: Pearson correlation and backward stepwise regression. Correlations were observed among three higher education indicators and several K--12 indicators. K--12 financial indicators were related to higher education attainment indicators; and K--12 attainment indicators were related to higher education attainment indicators. Spending on K--12 and higher education was related as well, largely because demographics in OECD countries show increased populations for both K--12 and higher education age groups.;Individual K--12 indicators were regressed against the various higher education indicators. Four regression models, with the following dependent variables, were significant: expected years of higher education completion, tertiary attainment, graduation rates, and expenditure on higher education per student. As with the correlations, financial resource related K--12 variables proved significant in the models. Variables related to the K--12 learning environment (teacher to student ratios) were also significant in several of the models.;Factor analyses were utilized to test the possibility of grouping K--12 indicators before using them as predictors in regression analyses. The results yielded three K--12 factor groups: K--12 financial resources, K--12 financial resources-attainment, and learning environment. When employing regression analysis on the K--12 factors and the various higher education indicators, the results were similar to the regressions that used each K--12 indicator as an independent predictor. The independent predictors, however, produced more significant models.;The results of this study have shown that several significant linkages exist between K--12 and higher education across OECD countries. Although this research did not prove directional causality, it is the judgment of the researcher that K--12 indicators may act as an input that affects higher education outcomes. This may provide policy-makers with essential information to begin thinking about specific targets for educational investment (teacher salaries, per pupil spending, etc.), though the circumstances and context of each nation may govern which area merits primary attention.