The PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) scores are out, and it's no surprise that the U.S. continues to lose ground against it's international counterparts. The PISA, for those who haven't yet read the hullabaloo, is a standardized test given to 15-year olds in 65 countries. The test evaluates reading, science, and mathematics. For 2012, United States students ranked 26th in math, 17th in reading and 21st in science. This is pretty much on par with where we were in 2009, the last year the PISA test was administered. The interesting part of this story isn't that nothing has changed but really about what the PISA tells policy makers (well, those who are listening) about what successful education reform looks like.
The places where students are scoring the highest on the PISA are in places where considerable resources are spent on education and social support of children. For example, in Massachusetts, where students scored better than the U.S. average, per pupil spending has remained in the top ten of all states for the past ten years. Massachusetts has invested for the long haul. And, Norway, which at one time wasn't really known for it's great education system, topped PISA in recent years and fell only slightly in this latest testing round. Twentysome years ago, Norway made a serious investment in their education system. The results are apparent in their highly educated class.
Possibly, of more importance, is the lack of income inequality in Norway and other high scoring PISA countries. A 2012 study of Norway found that income inequality was 22.9, one of the lowest in the world. In contrast, the U.S. income inequality ranks 44th out of 86 countries, well-below the majority of developed countries. While other countries have put in place policies that have curbed income inequality, in the U.S. the divide between the rich and poor is widening. And, if you don't think that effects education, think about this: a study of past PISA scores conducted by Stanford University education professor, Martin Carnoy, showed that if you took just the scores from U.S. students from high-income brackets, then the U.S. would be in top three. If we don't address the income inequality through resources such as healthcare, a living wage, and equity in schools, the U.S. is likely to continue to be one in which only the wealthiest will ever be able to compete in the global workplace.