U.S. teens unimpressive in global education tests
Can America compete in a global economy in the future? Results of a test given in 65 countries show U.S. 15-year-olds fell from 25th to 31st in math since 2009. In science they went from 20th to 24th and in reading from 11th to 21st. The National Center for Education Statistics analyzed the results of the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment. The 510,000 students in the study represent countries making up 80 percent of the world’s economy. U.S. scores have been around average since the early 2000s except in math where they are less than average. Poland and Ireland moved ahead of the U.S.
The cause can’t be money spent on education as some districts in New Jersey pay upwards of $30,000 per student. Because of idiotic state Supreme Court rulings, more than 60 percent of the state’s education budget goes to just 31 of 600 school districts, a chief reason the state’s property taxes are through the roof. The Legislature sat on its hands as if the court were all three branches of government instead of just one. Anybody with two brain cells to rub together can see throwing money at the problem has made no difference in three decades. Class size doesn’t matter either except to education special interests like unions which support them largely because they mean more dues-paying teachers. We need to take a realistic look at what is working elsewhere and why we can’t measure up. (Ingle/Asbury Park Press)
Wait, What?
But the BOE told me how highly RW students scored on all of these standardized tests.
Can it be that RW is just coasting on its past “tradition of excellence”?
If only we had a new state of the art Learning Commons. Then I’d bet we be globally competitive. I’m sure the cash cows will gladly pay more taxes to give more money to the BOE.