Should we be concerned about this? I certainly am.
The Washington Post reports that “scores in math, reading and science posted by 15-year-olds in the United States were flat while their counterparts elsewhere — particularly in Shanghai, Singapore and other Asian provinces or countries — soared ahead.” The Post’s story cites just released results of the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) administered every three years by the OECD, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. PISA is designed to test whether students can apply what they’ve learned in school to real-life problems. Approximately 510,000 15-year-olds in public and private schools took the paper-and-pencil exam in 2012.
Read the full story at http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/us-students-lag-around-average-on-international-science-math-and-reading-test/2013/12/02/2e510f26-5b92-11e3-a49b-90a0e156254b_story.html