Dive Brief:
- Fifteen-year-olds in the U.S. score mid-pack in the developed world in reading and science but are behind in math, Program for International Student Assessment results show.
- American students' results stayed essentially the same as the last time data was released in 2009, but countries such as Ireland and Poland made gains.
- Schools in Asia, including in South Korea and Japan, came out on top for math, science and reading.
Dive Insight:
While the findings may set off alarm bells, one expert cited by the reporter does offer some perspective: "Richard Rothstein, a research associate at the liberal Economic Policy Institute and a fellow at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, said he put little stock in the PISA results. He said educators and academics should 'stop hyperventilating' about international test rankings, particularly given that students are already graduating from college at higher rates than can be absorbed by the labor market."
