As everyone who follows education knows, American students are falling farther and farther behind their peers in other developed countries in math and science. Except, of course, when they are not.
A recent National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) study that looked at students in 63 countries found that Massachusetts eighth graders’ 2011 science scores were second only to Singapore and considerably above the U.S. national average to boot. (They were on par with Chinese Taipei, Korea, and Japan.)
A recent New York Times article attributed the success to 20 years of a sustained effort to provide additional funds for poorer school districts, create and maintain high standards, and require all students to master certain subjects before they can graduate from high school.
According to the NCES study, Connecticut eighth graders’ 2011 science scores were behind Massachusetts and the Asian countries mentioned above, as well as Finland and Slovenia. They were on par with the overall U.S. as well as Russia, England, and Hungary.
