Dive Brief:
- A study comparing U.S. and Korean high school math textbooks found the American texts generally more challenging.
- Overall, Korean books introduce some topics earlier, but the American books had more problems per lesson.
- So why do Korean students outscore U.S. students? One big answer that suggests itself: the role of the teacher.
Dive Insight:
The study also finds that some of the difference in test scores might come down to the standardized curriculum in Korea, where the textbooks are all nearly identical. Not all U.S. students use the textbooks examined in the study. While this would seem to provide support for Common Core backers, all the standardization in the world won't add up to much if the instruction is not helpful.
