Presenting nine papers from the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) Reading Literacy Study that place results in an international perspective, this report address factors related to variation in literacy outcomes, both across and within countries; the teaching of reading; and the quality of life in schools. The nations focused on in the report are Denmark, Finland, France, the former West Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Papers in the report are "Social Inequality, Social Segregation, and Their Relationship to Reading Literacy in 22 Countries" (Stephen W. Raudenbush and others); "A Nine-Country Study: What Were the Differences between the Low- and High-Performing Students in the IEA Reading Literacy Study?" (Karin Taube and Jan Mejding); "Reading Literacy among Immigrant Students in the United States and the Former West Germany" (Rainer Lehmann); "Comparison of Reading Literacy across Languages in Spanish Fourth Graders" (Guillermo A. Gil and others); "Teaching Reading in the United States and Finland" (Marilyn R. Binkley and Pirjo Linnakyla); "A Nine-Country Study: How Do Teachers Teach Reading to 9-Year-Olds?" (Emilie Barrier and Daniel Robin); "Consistencies in the Quality of School Life" (Trevor Williams and Stephen Roey); "Quality of School Life in the Finnish- and Swedish-Speaking Schools in Finland" (Pirjo Linnakyla and Viking Brunell); and "Analysis of the Williams and Batten Questionnaire on the Quality of School Life in Spain" (Guillermo A. Gil). (RS)