The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement announced the release of a new policy brief authored by Dr. Jonathan Plucker, Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent Development Program. The brief entitled, Advanced Academic Performance: Exploring Country-Level Differences in the Pursuit of Educational Excellence can be downloaded from IEA’s website.  The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) is an independent, international cooperative of national research institutions and governmental research agencies. It conducts large-scale comparative studies of educational achievement and other aspects of education, with the aim of gaining in-depth understanding of the effects of policies and practices within and across systems of education.