Where do U.S. students rank in science? (Would corporal punishment help?) ;)
The answer: when it comes to science, U.S. 4th graders rank #8 of 36 participating countries; 8th graders rank #11 of 48 countries. Top FOUR nations are from East Asia. (And for all the money Saudi Arabia has, their students rank waaaay near the bottom of the list.)
I invited Bart Leahy, a technical writer from Huntsville, Alabama, and blogger at Bartacus to sift through the complicated charts and figures recently released in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and boil down the basics for us.
His analysis closes with a bonus: suggestions on how we can improve the situation. Should we do away with the failing ”self-esteem building” curriculum? Perhaps follow Singapore’s lead and bring back corporal punishment? 
Read Bart’s full report, below, and let us know if you have other recommendations on ways we can improve science and math education. (more…)
