The United States should be a leader on the international scoreboard of student achievement. Instead of dying in the doldrums of mediocrity on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests, 37th in math, 18th in science, and 13th in reading (2018 scores), students in the US could be in the top three on each test. Except, there is not a will in the United States to be better than we are. Where there is no will, there is no way.
PISA has been given to 15-year old students in 72 nations every three years since 2000. The rankings compare the mean scores of students in math, science and reading. There is no cumulative score of the three tests to create a national score. Instead, acclaim is given to the nations that cluster at the top of each test. In 2018, the top three nations on each test were China, Singapore, and Macao in that order.
Why is the United States so far down the PISA rosters? Consider the last time you heard your governor or legislative leaders proclaim, “Our state will become a top performer on the PISA tests and rank with the best in the world”. Or, your Senator or Congressman make the same proclamation. Or, the President. Consider the last time your legislature and state department of instruction proclaimed, “We are increasing our mandates in reading, math and science and decreasing mandates in all other subjects to cause our 15-year old students to be world leaders in academic achievement”. These are ways that can cause a change in PISA standings. However, without a will to change these ways will not be found.
Student achievement on an international level is not a national priority in the United States.
On the other hand, education in China, Singapore and Macao, among other nations, is treated as an international competition they can win. High performance on the PISA tests is a national priority. Their leaders proclaim it and their teachers and students are pressed to achieve it.
Old adages pertain when it comes to priorities.
“If you try to be everything to everyone, you’ll be nothing to no one” – McClain. Public education is not hurting for priorities, in fact it has too many priorities. Ask any administrator what their priorities are and he or she will first respond by asking who you are and what your interest is. Everyone who asks represents someone or something that is a priority for the asker. Or, what day is it and what time is it? Priorities are a merry-go-round for school leaders changing on the moment. With so things in our schools proclaimed as priorities, no priority is really achieved. All get their moment of attention.
“Put your money where your mouth is” – Everyone. Education competes with every other governmental program for funding at the federal and state levels. Trends in funding show that dollars for education are relatively soft. Legislators balance annual budgets by giving to or taking from education depending upon sums available. The public knows and accepts with little remonstration that government funding for education is political and subject to annual swings. Educational funding currently is not a tool for increasing the USA’s ranking on PISA.
“Action expresses priorities” – Gandhi. The lack of any action to cause a different result expresses the fact that student performance on international testing is not a priority in the United States. Complaining and bemoaning the United States’ rankings are not actions – they are tokens of a national inaction.
And, therein lies the conundrum. Critics of public education in the United States rightfully express dissatisfaction with this nation’s standing on international assessments like PISA. Yet, there is no will in the United States to take the actions necessary to cause our students to improve their performances. Our results are compatible with the nation’s priorities. Low priorities continue to beget low results.