Here is yet another study that attempts to play on our fears of not being the absolute best at everything:

American students even in low-performing states like Alabama do better on math and science tests than students in most foreign countries, including Italy and Norway, according to a new study released yesterday. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that students in Singapore and several other Asian countries significantly outperform American students, even those in high-achieving states like Massachusetts, the study found.

“In this case, the bad news trumps the good because our Asian economic competitors are winning the race to prepare students in math and science,” said the study’s author, Gary W. Phillips, chief scientist at the American Institutes of Research, a nonprofit independent scientific research firm.

Finish reading at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/education/14students....gin&pagewanted=print


Sometimes you have to look at things a different way. Another study came out recently:

It's been said often: Uninterested U.S. students aren't keeping up in science, technology, engineering and math, ultimately leading to a decline in skilled workers and U.S. competitiveness.

But new research contradicts the conventional wisdom, asserting that U.S. students are doing well compared to their foreign counterparts. Moreover, the U.S. is educating a sufficient number of scientists and engineers to maintain its current global competitiveness, according to a Urban Institute report.

International test rankings for U.S. students are often cited as evidence of national math and science weakness, and these data inform national educational policy. But the tests themselves are flawed, said Hal Salzman, senior research associate at the Washington-based organization and co-author of the report.

U.S. students have taken more math, science and foreign language courses over the past ten years than in previous decades, the study found. In 1990, only 45 percent of high school students took chemistry. By 2004, the percentage had risen to 60 percent.

The proportion that hit the math books for three years jumped from 49 percent in 1990 to 72 percent in 2004, while those taking math for four years increased from 29 percent to 50 percent.

SAT math and science scores showed similar gains, according to the Institute's report, "Into the Eye of the Storm: Assessing the Evidence on Science and Engineering Education, Quality, and Workforce Demand."

But the skills that testing evaluates may not be the ones needed for innovation in a global economy. "Japan, Singapore and [South] Korea do have the kind of education that leads to [better] test performance, but does that lead to more innovation, better jobs and a better economy?" Salzman asked.


Finish reading at: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202803135&printable=true