Where we stand
The Programme for International Student Assessment released its findings from a recent study ranking 15 year olds from thirty four countries. The findings were disturbing to say the least. Out of 34 countries, the U.S. ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math. The PISA exam is one of a handful of tests that compare educational levels across nations, and is considered to be the most comprehensive. The test focuses on how well students are able to apply their knowledge in math, reading and science to real-life situations. Some 470,000 students took the test in 2009 in 65 countries and educational systems, from poor, underdeveloped nations to the most wealthy.
”This is an absolute wake-up call for America,” U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in an interview with The Associated Press. “The results are extraordinarily challenging to us and we have to deal with the brutal truth. We have to get much more serious about investing in education.” The one factor shared by the highest scoring countries was teachers being subject to evaluations and have a high standing in society. The study found that the best school systems were also the most equitable, meaning students from disadvantaged backgrounds were just as likely to do well academically. In the U.S., 17 percent of the variation in student performance was found to be related to a pupil’s background — compared to 9 percent, for example, in Canada. Many of the schools of Missouri recently lost in the legal bid to attain equity in financing for all students. Interesting that the judicial system in Missouri did not see these correlations.
One of the most striking findings in the report was that the impact of improving math, reading and science scores could alter the future economy for the youth of our nation. An OECD study with Stanford University projected that if the U.S. boosted its average PISA scores by 25 points over the next 20 years, there would be a gain of $41 trillion in the U.S. economy over the lifetime of the generation born in 2010. These numbers should be reason enough to give the educational system the emphasis it is due.
