Latest results show USA schools falling further behind Asian schools | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Relative to other nations, the United States slipped further down the list in the latest results of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), arguably the most highly respected measure of comparative student achievement around the world. Click here to access links to the summary and others to the full report, including the statistical analysis report.

    Click here for a table published by the Wall Street Journal that allows you to sort the data by clicking on the subject (reading, mathematics and science) in the headers.

    For those who do not want to dig into the data here are some essential points:

    • The USA ranked 15 in Reading, ranking below Shanghai-China, Korea, Finland, Hong Kong-China Singapore, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Australia, Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, and Estonia. The average USA reading score was 500 compared to Shanghai's 556.

    • In math the USA ranked 31, but more significantly the USA's score was 487 compared to Shanghai-China's 600.

    • In science our students scored 502 compared to Shanghai-China's 575, ranking us 22nd.

    The report is expected to add fuel to the current push by the Obama administration to lengthen the school day and the school year. But secondary analysis of these data indicate that the variables of length of day and number of days in the school year is probably not the most significant variable driving performance. Indications are that the level of expectations of Asian (specifically Pacific rim Asian) schools for their students and the pedagogical approaches used are more predictive of student performance. For example, the emphasis in Shanghai is less on memorization and more on problem solving skills. The highest performing Asian schools also are reported to focus more on individual student performance as opposed to the North Carolina model of "minimum competency" and group averages.

    Teacher organizations will likely seize on other variables such as teacher salaries and training. A number of studies have shown that, compared to the general population in their country, Asian teachers in the highest performing nations make relatively more money than do American teachers. But when you adjust for the difference in the amount of time Asian teachers are "on the job" compared to American teachers the difference more or less disappears.

    Teacher training in most of these higher performing nations focuses more on subject matter content knowledge than on pedagogy (teaching methods).

    American teachers will be hard pressed to explain the relative difference in the highest performing Asian schools and American schools in terms of unionization. Teacher unions are essentially non-existent in the highest performing Asian schools while the most highly unionized school systems in America are the lowest performing school systems in America. But then unionizers will point out that those same highly unionized systems are the larger, more urban school systems. And speaking of unions, there are studies that indicate that there is an inverse relationship between non-teaching (administrators) staff and student performance. In general, the Asian education system in the highest performing countries is less bureaucratic.

    Finally, while we realize it is not the politically correct thing to say, if you scan the rankings you find a significant pattern in terms of where predominately Muslim countries fall. Toward the bottom.

    Delma Blinson writes the "Teacher's Desk" column for our friend in the local publishing business: The Beaufort Observer. His concentration is in the area of his expertise - the education of our youth. He is a former teacher, principal, superintendent and university professor.