Politics & Current Affairs — January 3, 2011

Is American Education Mediocre?

The U.S. spends much more per student than any other country. Yet from the very beginning, American students have generally performed below average compared to other rich countries.

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Nobel Laureate Gary Becker comments on the release of recent PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) scores which tests 15-year-olds for proficiency in reading, math, and science: “The mediocre performance of the average American student on the PISA and other tests may indicate only that the US school system emphasizes creativity and independent. However, I strongly believe that it is also evidence of the mediocre performance of many American schools.”

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