John J. Metzler

UNITED NATIONS — While final exams and the end of the semester are fast approaching for students across America, there’s an early report card which was just delivered with grades for math, reading, and science.

Regrettably students in the United States don’t rate terribly well against their global peers, especially those in East Asia. But wait, there’s more to the story.

The Program for International Assessment (PISA) is conducted every three years among high school students in the 15-16 age bracket throughout 65 participating countries. Not surprisingly East Asian countries placed best with scoring seven out of the top ten. European states such as Switzerland and the Netherlands still rank among the high flyers but the United States has dropped again to number 36.

The statistics should serve as a wake up call in the West and an alarm in America.

At the same time, let’s take the proverbial “teaching moment” to carefully review this global report card.

Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea sit proudly in the first five. Expected, but geography reminds me that Shanghai, China’s sparkling metropolis is a city, not a country. It turns out that Mainland China does not participate in the survey but does push forward its star cosmopolitan city and presumably students to take the test. Singapore (5 million population) and Hong Kong (7 million) are small and super successful city states where commerce, enterprise, and study are part of the socio/economic landscape, and it’s reflected in high scores.

Indeed Taiwan with 23 million residents and a larger island is the biggest of the first four and without question has an amazing school system which has helped deliver the economic miracle and social standing. Equally South Korea, a larger country of 40 million actually offers a broader perspective of educational achievement.

Now let’s view the next five; Macao (China), Japan, Lichtenstein, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Here too I’m reminded that Macao, formerly a Portuguese enclave on the China coast, is not a country but a city state which revered to Beijing’s rule in 1999. It’s three small islands (ten square miles), whose casinos and gambling rival Las Vegas. Understandably math scores are high in this city of 600,000.

Japan with a population of 126 million comes in seventh and indeed boasts a strong educational system. Eighth is the tiny European Principality of Lichtenstein (100,000), followed by Switzerland (7 million) and the Netherlands (17 million). These standings are totally understandable but again we are viewing fairly small and affluent societies.

Now let’s view the overall scores for some of the larger countries. Canada comes in 13th , Germany 16th, and France 25th. The United Kingdom ranks 26th. The USA ranks 36th, just behind Slovakia and ahead of Lithuania.

American students math and science scores have dimmed. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan lamented a “picture of educational stagnation.” But why?

Educational spending has grown. Spending per student likely larger than in most of the comparators including the top ten. Washington’s Department of Education increasingly micromanages school districts and school taxes across America remain high.

Part of the problem in American secondary schools may be a bloated administrative bureaucracy at the cost of fewer experienced teachers, especially in math and science. Another is certainly the lack of security in many inner-city schools. And without question spending on technology (while wonderful when used properly), seems to trump the most basic formula of teacher dedication/ parent involvement and incentives for the students to succeed.

Equally the East Asian countries comprise a social culture of learning where after school classes and specialized cram courses are part of an educational pressure cooker which produces results, but at a high price of student stress and anxiety.

The PISA test is hardly the last word on American education. But it’s a clear barometer of how the overall decline in educational standards has become a trend and especially in comparison to many of our global competitors. Room for improvement is in order; American students can do better.

John J. Metzler is a U.N. correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He writes weekly for WorldTribune.com. He is the author of Transatlantic Divide ; USA/Euroland Rift (University Press, 2010).

  Arne Duncan, educational achievement, Program for International Assessment, USA lags again on global report card as East Asia runs away from the pack