Edu. in America

Education in America

Why are we so far behind?

3/28/2013

Josh Bosh Pd.1

United States students are continuing to trail behind their peers in other nations, according to results from a key international assessment. Scores from the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment students in the U.S. performing about average in reading and science, and below average in math. Out of 34 countries, the U.S. ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math. Those scores are far behind the highest scoring countries, including South Korea, Finland, Singapore, China, and Canada.

"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 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. The United States' mediocre scores on the PISA exam have repeatedly been highlighted by the Obama administration and others pushing for education reform. Between 1995 and 2008, for example, the United States slipped from ranking second in college graduation rates to 13th, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Paris-based organization that develops and administers the PISA exam. Of 34 OECD countries, only 8 have a lower high school graduation rate. Responding to the grim figures, President Barack Obama has set a goal for the U.S. to have the highest proportion of students graduating from college in 2020.

"We live in a globally competitive knowledge...