Look At This!

Over the past couple of days I have shared some NAEP data with you on American reading and math test scores over the past 20 years.   The data is irrefuatable.   American students continue to make progress in these subjects.

One of the other laments voiced by 'corporate reformers' is that Americans do poorly compared to other nations.   Let's take a look at the facts!!

In 2012, the results of the TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study), the major international assessments of math and science were published.   Various media portrayed U. S. students as doing poorly.   The media were wrong.   American students performed pretty darn well in math and science.   In 4th grade math, American students outperformed most of the 57 educational systems that participated.   American students tied with their peers in Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands.   Only three countries outperformed the Americans.   So much for getting trounced by the rest of the world.   In 8th grade math, only Singapore, Japan, Russia and South Korea outperformed the U. S. children.

It simply is not true that U. S. school children lag way behind the rest of the world.   It is time for the media to give an accurate portrayal of the quality of American education.

Dick