U.S falls behind on education

[slenderman]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- American fourth-graders are performing better than they were four years ago in math and reading, but students four years older show no such progress, a global study released Tuesday revealed.

Although the U.S. remains in the top dozen or so countries in all subjects tested, the gap between the U.S. and the top-performing nations is much wider at the eighth-grade level, especially in math.

"When you start looking at our older students, we see less improvement over time," said Jack Buckley, commissioner of theNational Center for Education Statistics, which coordinated the U.S. portion of the international exam.

Even where U.S. student scores have improved, many other nations have improved much faster, leaving American students far behind many of their peers — especially in Asia and Europe.

With an eye toward global competitiveness, U.S. education officials are sounding the alarm over what they describe as a recurring theme when American students are put to the test. Lamenting what he described as "sober cautionary notes," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said it was unacceptable that eighth-grade achievement in math and science are stagnant, with U.S. students far less likely than many Asian counterparts to reach advanced levels in science.

"If we as a nation don't turn that around, those nations will soon be out-competing us in a knowledge-based, global economy," Duncan said.

American students still perform better than the global average in all subject areas, the study found, although students from the poorest U.S. schools fall short.

But the U.S. is far from leading the pack, a distinction now enjoyed by kids in countries like Finland and Singapore who outperformed American fourth-graders in science and reading. By eighth grade, American students have fallen behind their Russian, Japanese and Taiwanese counterparts in math, and trail students from Hong Kong, Slovenia and South Korea in science.

The results of the study, conducted every four years in nations around the world, show mixed prospects for delivering on that promise. A nation that once took pride in being at the top of its game can no longer credibly call itself the global leader in student performance. Wringing their hands about what that reality portends for broader U.S. influence, policymakers worry it could have ripple effects on the economy down the line, with Americans increasingly at a competitive disadvantage in the international marketplace.

Elevating the skills needed to compete with emerging countries has been a priority for President Barack Obama, who has pledged to train 100,000 new math and science teachers over the next decade. "Think about the America within our reach: a country that leads the world in educating its people. An America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs," he said this year in his State of the Union address.

Asia continues to dominate the top echelon of scores across subject fields. The tiny city-state of Singapore takes first place in eighth-grade science and fourth-grade math, with South Korea scoring nearly as high. Singapore takes second place to South Korea in eighth-grade math, with Taiwan in third.

The results also lean toward Asian nations when it comes to advanced levels of learning. In Singapore, 4 in 10 eighth-graders achieved the "advanced benchmark" in science, which requires an understanding of complex and abstract concepts in physics, chemistry, biology and other sciences. About 2 in 10 make the grade in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. In the U.S., it's about 1 in 10.

Reading skills are a major strength for American students. Only a few points separate American students from the top-scoring students in the world. In Florida, which took part in the study separately, reading scores are second only to Hong Kong.

"We cannot rest until every child has gained the power that comes through reading," said former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a prominent education advocate. "If Florida can do it, every state can and must."

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and its sister test, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, are used to measure knowledge, skills and mastery of curricula by elementary and middle school students around the world. Students in rich, industrialized nations and poor, developing countries alike are tested. In 2011, 56 educational systems — mostly countries, but some states and subnational entities like Hong Kong — took part in math and science exams. Fifty-three systems participated in the reading exam, which included almost 13,000 American fourth-graders.

"These kinds of tests are very good at telling us who's ahead in the race. They don't have a lot to say about causes or why countries are where they are," said Brookings Institution senior fellow Tom Loveless, who in previous years represented the U.S. in the international group that administers the test.

Other findings released Tuesday:

— Some U.S. states that were measured separately were clear standouts, performing on par with or better than some top-performing Asian countries. Eighth-graders in Massachusetts and Minnesota score far better in math and science than the U.S. average. But in California and Alabama, eighth-graders fell short of the national average.

— Racial and class disparities are all too real. In eighth grade, Americans in the schools with the highest poverty — those with 75 percent or more of students on free or reduced-price lunch — performed below both the U.S. average and the lower international average. Students at schools with fewer poor kids performed better. In fourth-grade reading, all ethnic groups outperformed the international average, but white and Asian students did better than their black and Hispanic classmates.

— Boys in the U.S. do better than girls in fourth-grade science and eighth-grade math. But girls rule when it comes to reading.

— On a global level, the gender gap appears to be closing. About half of the countries showed no statistically meaningful gap between boys and girls in math and science.

The tests are carried out by the International Association for Evaluation of Educational Achievement, a coalition of research institutions. The U.S. portion of the exams is coordinated by the Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics.

 

source: http://news.yahoo.com

[Pici]

The American education system is a joke.

[nrgy]

America went democrat another term...

Edited December 12, 2012 by **₦ṜǤȲ=)

[WhiteCat]

If you see what we need to study here and how long our schooldays are etc..

and you compare it to them it is indeed way easier.

Figures that they are falling behind than.

[Kat0n]

Won't say ours is great either, and I don't know american system as well as I know french one, but indeed, there's something wrong with it, I don't know if it comes from the lack of teachers or the way they choose their disciplines.

[ajnl]

The American education system is a joke.

 

And yet they have some of the top Universities in the world? I am not saying their system is great or perfect, but no system in the world is great or perfect.

[DFighter]

And yet they have some of the top Universities in the world? I am not saying their system is great or perfect, but no system in the world is great or perfect.

 

still a joke you need a pack of money for it, talent is less important.

[ajnl]

still a joke you need a pack of money for it, talent is less important.

 

you need a lot of money because it is not a socialist country. People don't want to pay high taxes and so they don't get the benefits.

 

Per student it costs just as much to go to college here (70,000 euros per student), only the Dutch government is paying most of that for you.

 

Also in the USA you can get scholarships if you do well in High School. Work hard and get high grades and you will be rewarded.

 

Talent is less important?

Edited December 12, 2012 by ajnl

[Kat0n]

you need a lot of money because it is not a socialist country. People don't want to pay high taxes and so they don't get the benefits.

 

Per student it costs just as much to go to college here (70,000 euros per student), only the Dutch government is paying most of that for you.

 

Also in the USA you can get scholarships if you do well in High School. Work hard and get high grades and you will be rewarded.

 

Talent is less important?

Talent is important, but still less important...money first. The amount of families who can pay the whole studies of their child(ren) is very low, even (especially?) in the most prestigious universities, and the result is : students have to borrow money and some students ends their studies with a debt, and imo it's not a way to begin his active life. I'm not a specialist about economy and stuff, but, from what I know, the registration fees here are lower, and we don't have retards as students neither. And our national debt is also high.

[Jefke]

you need a lot of money because it is not a socialist country. People don't want to pay high taxes and so they don't get the benefits.

 

Per student it costs just as much to go to college here (70,000 euros per student), only the Dutch government is paying most of that for you.

 

Also in the USA you can get scholarships if you do well in High School. Work hard and get high grades and you will be rewarded.

 

Talent is less important?

how the f*** do you get at 70k

 

here it's 5 years school

500 euro registration/year (I pay only 100 )

I paid for books around 400/year (ruff, probably less than that).

So that's 900 a year (I pay even less than 500 a year XD).

 

Less than 5000 for whole period ^^

I don't count things like food, transport, housing because you would pay that anyway.

Last year I got 1300 from government , so I'm earning money instead that it costs me money.

Never got why people complain in Belgium about the student costs

Edited December 12, 2012 by DrJoske

[ajnl]

Talent is important, but still less important...money first. The amount of families who can pay the whole studies of their child(ren) is very low, even (especially?) in the most prestigious universities, and the result is : students have to borrow money and some students ends their studies with a debt, and imo it's not a way to begin his active life. I'm not a specialist about economy and stuff, but, from what I know, the registration fees here are lower, and we don't have retards as students neither. And our national debt is also high.

 

Yes of course people can't pay 100,000 USD out of pocket, this why you take a loan and you pay it off when you start working or you work hard and get scholarships. I have family who studied in the USA and yes they had loans after but they are paying them off and are pretty much paid off now too. It is just a different system.

 

But I don't see how you can say that the education is a joke when they have some of the Universities/colleges in the world. Either way it is costing you money, whether you are directly paying the 100,000 USD or paying it through your taxes. Hell you are being taxed 50% on your income here and well over 50% on things like gasoline.

 

how the f*** do you get at 70k

 

here it's 5 years school

500 euro registration/year (I pay only 100 )

I paid for books around 400/year (ruff, probably less than that).

So that's 900 a year (I pay even less than 500 a year XD).

 

Less than 5000 for whole period ^^

I don't count things like food, transport, housing because you would pay that anyway.

Last year I got 1300 from government , so I'm earning money instead that it costs me money.

Never got why people complain in Belgium about the student costs

 

Around 40% of the Netherland GPD per capita is spent on students in Colleges/Universities (http://www.tradingec...ta-wb-data.html)

 

I can't find the site now, but i'll find it later. That 5000 you are talking about is what it costs you, but it costs the government a whole lot more to put you through school. That is where the 70,000 euros comes from, it is the gov't cost per student. I'll look for the website again when I get home.

 

Basically whether you are paying 100,000 USD right now or paying the 100,000USD or more through a life time of high taxes, in the end it is probably comes out to the same price.

[Jefke]

Around 40% of the Netherland GPD per capita is spent on students in Colleges/Universities (http://www.tradingec...ta-wb-data.html)

 

I can't find the site now, but i'll find it later. That 5000 you are talking about is what it costs you, but it costs the government a whole lot more to put you through school. That is where the 70,000 euros comes from, it is the gov't cost per student. I'll look for the website again when I get home.

 

Basically whether you are paying 100,000 USD right now or paying the 100,000USD or more through a life time of high taxes, in the end it is probably comes out to the same price.

 

mmm... fine for me.

 

Dunno, I rather pay more taxes than having a debt as soon as I leave school, that sounds retarded...

 

ps. taxes are high, true, but not as high as most people say they are => see shoutbox convo ones .