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Copy nations with successful schools
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20101229/OPINION03/12300321/Copy-nations-with-successful-schools
News this month that American teenagers are average performers in reading on an international exam was disappointing given all the school reform over the last decade.
Shanghai-China led with a mean score of 556 on the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) - which is taken by 15-year-olds in about 65 countries. Next in line: Korea, Finland, Hong Kong-China, Singapore, Canada and 10 other nations ahead of the United States.
But another set of results is more troubling:
U.S. black and Hispanic youngsters typically scored well below average in reading on PISA in contrast to their white and Asian peers. This mirrors trends on other tests. It's clear evidence schools need to better educate students who have fallen behind, and that parents and communities must make learning a greater priority.
Gaps between scores for student groups show how severely this country is divided into the haves and have-nots in education. The average reading score for Asian, non-Hispanic, students was 541, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Education. That was second only to Shanghai-China. With an average score of 525, white, non-Hispanic, students were sandwiched between Singapore and Canada.
But U.S. Hispanic students' average reading score was 466 - little better than Turkey's. And black, non-Hispanic, students' average score was just 441, similar to Serbia's.
Kids who can't read complex materials are likely to be stuck in low-paying jobs when they grow up. They are at a growing disadvantage compared to young people around the world because more countries are striving for a highly skilled work force. The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which coordinates PISA, gives the test toward the end of compulsory schooling so nations can see how they measure up.
The United States is hurting its competitiveness. Educating some students well, but not others shortchanges low-achievers' futures and the country's. Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust, said in her organization's analysis of the 2009 PISA results that "...we'll never regain our global edge without closing the domestic gaps that separate low-income students and students of color from their peers within our own borders. Unfortunately, where America ranks high is in inequality."
That analysis notes many top-performing countries have much narrower gaps between scores of affluent and poor students than the United States. The Register Opinion project looking at how Iowa - and the nation - could have world-class schools discovered the same thing was true in 2006, when science was the main focus of PISA. The test is given in three-year cycles, with an emphasis on one of the following: reading, science or math.
What the Register found from trips to Alberta, Canada, and Finland is that great teachers, a strong curriculum, plenty of help for youngsters and strong professional development are hallmarks of outstanding education systems.
For all the efforts to improve U.S. achievement in recent years, many of our students are still struggling.
We need to look harder at what countries do to educate the vast majority of their students well.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20101229/OPINION03/12300321/Copy-nations-with-successful-schools
News this month that American teenagers are average performers in reading on an international exam was disappointing given all the school reform over the last decade.
Shanghai-China led with a mean score of 556 on the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) - which is taken by 15-year-olds in about 65 countries. Next in line: Korea, Finland, Hong Kong-China, Singapore, Canada and 10 other nations ahead of the United States.
But another set of results is more troubling:
U.S. black and Hispanic youngsters typically scored well below average in reading on PISA in contrast to their white and Asian peers. This mirrors trends on other tests. It's clear evidence schools need to better educate students who have fallen behind, and that parents and communities must make learning a greater priority.
Gaps between scores for student groups show how severely this country is divided into the haves and have-nots in education. The average reading score for Asian, non-Hispanic, students was 541, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Education. That was second only to Shanghai-China. With an average score of 525, white, non-Hispanic, students were sandwiched between Singapore and Canada.
But U.S. Hispanic students' average reading score was 466 - little better than Turkey's. And black, non-Hispanic, students' average score was just 441, similar to Serbia's.
Kids who can't read complex materials are likely to be stuck in low-paying jobs when they grow up. They are at a growing disadvantage compared to young people around the world because more countries are striving for a highly skilled work force. The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which coordinates PISA, gives the test toward the end of compulsory schooling so nations can see how they measure up.
The United States is hurting its competitiveness. Educating some students well, but not others shortchanges low-achievers' futures and the country's. Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust, said in her organization's analysis of the 2009 PISA results that "...we'll never regain our global edge without closing the domestic gaps that separate low-income students and students of color from their peers within our own borders. Unfortunately, where America ranks high is in inequality."
That analysis notes many top-performing countries have much narrower gaps between scores of affluent and poor students than the United States. The Register Opinion project looking at how Iowa - and the nation - could have world-class schools discovered the same thing was true in 2006, when science was the main focus of PISA. The test is given in three-year cycles, with an emphasis on one of the following: reading, science or math.
What the Register found from trips to Alberta, Canada, and Finland is that great teachers, a strong curriculum, plenty of help for youngsters and strong professional development are hallmarks of outstanding education systems.
For all the efforts to improve U.S. achievement in recent years, many of our students are still struggling.
We need to look harder at what countries do to educate the vast majority of their students well.
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