PISA Panic Is the Wrong Push for School Improvement

Perhaps we need to use a synonym here. Our kids are not "average." They're "normal." You're my new hero. Thanks for this.

Is it panic to point out what the data are saying? I'd argue that the author has mischaracterized the reactions to the data. The fact that it is the newest hot topic also doesn't mean that the reaction is extreme. Beyond that, questions don't constitute a counterargument, but that's all there is in this piece. I guess it's true that in most contexts we don't equate being average with failure, but being average--and apparently heading further down--isn't the path to exceptionalism that so many Americans are in love with. I see nothing in this piece to dissuade me from the view that the world is catching up and overtaking the US precisely in the areas that we used to rely on. When you see a graph with lines that cross, and yours is the one falling behind, what is the appropriate reaction? Congratulate ourselves for becoming average and then go shoot a moose?

Is PISA "a Sputnik wake-up" or are international comparisons invalid. Rather than wade into that debate, I'd rather look more closely at the questions in the PISA test and what student responses tell us about American education. You can put international comparisons aside for that analysis. Are American students able to analyze, reason and communicate their ideas effectively? Do they have the capacity to continue learning throughout life? Have schools been forced to sacrifice creative problem solving for “adequate yearly progress” on state tests? I focus on a sample PISA question that offers insights into what American students can (and cannot do) in my post "Stop Worrying About Shanghai, What PISA Test Really Tells Us About American Students" http://bit.ly/eChNoY

Here is a by no means conclusive answer from a Dutch teacher who works in China. The PISA tests 15 year olds. 15 year olds in China, especially Shanghai which is a competitive pressure cooker must be the busiest students in the world. As the education system in China is organised backwards from the life determining university entrance exam on down, 15 is when most students have been spending on average 10 years in education of 200 days a year, 7 hours per day in school and many hours during extra classes offered by external acadamies including music, art and martial arts. Children in China are living under enormous pressure fuelled by the results of population density and one child policy as well as a lack of a state pension or health plan which is surprising for a communist state. Furthermore, the Chinese ecudation system focuses on achiements in traditional academic subjects like mathematics, science and language (Chinese and English), however, schools here do not have debating clubs, sports clubs, dance and drama clubs, orchestras, choirs, chess clubs or the like. Society gives no reward for spending time on these activities. So, by the age of 15 it is no wonder that they should be scoring much higher in the subjects they have probably spent twice as much time on as American students. My husband teaches university students and can tell many tales of students lacking many skills including research skills (which page in the text book is it?)and communication skills (including presentation skills). I understand that a country's international competitiveness does not come solely from its human potential but also from its government's ability to create tax incentives and ease of conducting business and processing patents and upholding them in international settings. So, PISA's results are only partly a result of a country's education system but even more so a reflection of the normality of the place of education in a whole system of societal values, economic principles and law system.

Monique, Your comment helps explain why the students in Shanghai scored well. But it doesn't explain why 85% of American students could not observe and describe the sequence in the question I posted. I agree that international comparisons need to be taken in context. Nonetheless, I fear that American students spend so much time doing routine work in schools that they are stumped when confronted with a problem that requires them to analyze in a more authentic way.

I agree with Mr. Griffith. As an educator in the US, I know as well as anyone, the challenges we face. I am familiar with the myriad tests that are given to children world wide in order to rank countries. However, I am concerned that the reporting of US test scores in comparison to other countries, like China, may cause undue alarm. While I believe this data has tremendous value, like any data set, we need to observe with a critical eye. Please, let's keep a few things in mind. 1. Not all countries have compulsory education, as in the US. Many countries do not educate their children with special educational needs, and many rural families do not send their children to school, as they need to work. Furthermore, if students don’t “pass muster” in some countries at certain benchmark spots, their education is discontinued. All types of children are in attendance at US schools, so they are tested as part of the sample. Since education is not compulsory in all of the tested countries, is it fair to compare their scores to countries in which education is compulsory? 2. What is the selection and opt-out process used by the organizations that conduct these tests. Is it possible for a country or school district to coerce the sampling to favor certain schools or students? 3. Many of the countries at the “top” of the list are culturally and racially homogeneous. Most citizens have the same core values and expectations around education. The US is not culturally and racially homogeneous, so it is faced with issues that impact education that are not necessarily found in other countries. Let’s identify and work on those areas where citizens and schools do not see eye-to-eye and work on them. Teachers today are disrespected by students and parents on a regular basis, called names, threatened with lawsuits, and in some cases assaulted. If this is not education's loudest cry for help, then I don't know what is. Education is not valued as it used to be, or as it is in other countries. I have visited classrooms in China, where education is considered a priority and everyone has the same philosophy of education. One reason for that is the homogeneous nature of the culture. While America is rightfully proud of its salad bowl of cultures, it is not yet the educational melting pot it should be, otherwise we would all be on the same page and competitive in the world. The only way for us to get on the same page, is to instigate a cultural revolution around education. There is not one issue with our education system, there are many. We need to stop blaming this group or these people, and work toward solutions for all issues.