So… I've been reading that the US is not as advanced as a lot of other nations with regard to education (at least according to an International test.)
Most likely you are speaking of the PISA?
PISA 2015 Results as presented Dec 6, 2016. I have been learning that many of our brightest minds are brought in from other countries.
Meanwhile many young US citizens with the brightest minds are being manipulated to "even out" in order to "close achievement gaps" and "close excellence gaps". Some may find this ironic.
Michio Kaku says that our educational system is stuck in the 1950s.
Dr. Michio Kaku's bigthink blog is
here, and his website is
here; These provide some background and context for his viewpoints.
I am curious, in your opinions what would have to happen to fix our educational system? ... I am just wondering if anyone on these boards has an idea what should be happening in the US.
Some past threads on PISA, and the comparative pros-and-cons of various international approaches to education include:
-
2012 PISA results are out,
-
The Pleasures of Teaching to the Test,
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School in Finland gets more like homeschool,
-
The Bright Students Left Behind,
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Seattle Public Schools to end tracking.
Current US policy which strives to
close achievement gaps and excellence gaps often does so by capping the growth of students at the top, including gifted students. IMO, the antidote is cluster grouping students by readiness and ability regardless of chronological age. The focus must change from equal
outcomes to equal
opportunities, while acknowledging that some may be more motivated to utilize the opportunities presented... which often requires both hard work and sacrifice. Students must be encouraged to foster their internal locus of control.
One might also wish to look at various characteristics of students in countries which are said to be scoring higher on the PISA, such as percent of student body which are immigrants (both legal and undocumented/illegal), percent of children age 6-15 who attend school, percent of student body which participates in the testing.
