29 nations outperformed the U.S. in math by a significant margin. In reading, 19 nations scored higher than U.S. students —a jump from nine in 2009. Overall the PISA report puts the U.S. between the Slovak Republic and Lithuania and two spots behind Russia.
These results are a reminder we need to strive to do better for our kids.
The 2012 PISA results shows the annualized change in performance in average math scores between 2003 and 2012. Source: PISA
Washington students should be prepared for new and rewarding opportunities in our state and in the broader economy. While we stall, other nations are not only catching up, they’re lapping us.
“We are in a race in the global economy. The problem is not that we’re slowing down. The problem is that the other runners are getting faster,” Harvard professor Jan Rivkin.
The report also showed spending more didn’t translate to better outcomes.
“While the U.S. spends more per student than most countries, this does not translate into better performance. For example, the Slovak Republic, which spends around USD 53,000 per student, performs at the same level as the United States, which spends over USD 115,000 per student.”