IEA's TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center, at Boston College's Lynch School of Education, enables countries around the world to make evidence-based decisions for improving educational policy. Through our large-scale assessments in mathematics, science, and reading achievement, participating countries have measured the effectiveness of their educational systems in a global context, identified gaps in learning resources and opportunities, and stimulated curriculum reform. TIMSS (the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) and PIRLS (the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) together comprise the core cycle of studies for IEA – the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. Headquartered in Amsterdam and with a major data processing and research center in Hamburg, IEA has been conducting international comparative studies of student achievement since 1959.