PARIS: School students in the United States think they are just great at mathematics: but by the age of 14 they are two years behind the level in other industrialised countries and overall come 24th in a class of 29.
The causes are perplexing. But a central factor that has to be corrected is a climate of low school standards, low expectations and not enough exams.
So says the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in a survey on Tuesday of underlying policies and trends in the US economy, against a background of recent warnings that emerging countries such as China and India, are producing more engineers than the United States.
The OECD stressed that the higher education system is still a world leader and that overall spending on education is high. But it is damning in its analysis of school standards.
“A country’s ability to compete in an ever more integrated economy depends crucially on a highly educated workforce. However ... the United States has lost its leading position. Test scores at the compulsory level are at or below the OECD average and lag those in many other major economies.” But US school students think they are the tops in mathematics, a benchmark subject. Surveys show that they have a high opinion of their capabilities, expressing greater confidence than students at a more advanced level in other counties, offering comments such as: “I understand even the most difficult work,” or “I learn mathematics quickly,” or “mathematics is one of my best subjects.” In fact, the OECD says, US school students “rank 24th out of 29 OECD countries in mathematics performance.” It explained: “By the middle grades, the top achieving countries ... begin the transition to the study of algebra ... geometry and even in some cases, basic trigonometry. By the end of the eighth grade in these countries children have mostly completed US high school courses in algebra and geometry.
“By contrast, most US students are destined to mostly continue the study of arithmetic. In fact, we estimate that at the end of eighth grade (about age 14) US students are some two or more years behind their counterparts around the world.” Part of the explanation, the OECD suggests, is that not only have standards “been lowered to accommodate low performance” but have also been “lowered by more than student ability warranted.” The “astonishing self confidence” expressed by US school students “also suggests standards are lax,” the report said. “Contrary to widespread hopes that promotion of self-esteem and confidence will encourage learning, grade inflation seems to lower performance...” “In short, one reason why US students perform worse than their international counterparts seems to be that they are not being challenged.” Another explanation was that in the United States there was no school-leaving exam based on a set curriculum.
Another factor is the absence of any control by the national government over the curriculum or exams.
The underlying weaknesses have roots going back decades, since Congress took steps in 1964 to address weak performance in schools.
“For years, the US high school diploma has been criticised for being little more than an attendance certificate, as states rarely required students to pass a central exam as a condition of graduation.
“Lagging performance is evident across the board, including among affluent and academically successful students. The United States does not just have more students performing badly -- it also has many fewer students performing well ... Resources do not appear to be at the root of the problem because the system is comparatively well-financed.” By contrast, “the United States system of higher education is widely seen to be the best in the world but “in some areas other countries are overtaking.” A generation ago, the US had the highest rate of higher education in the OECD area, today it ranks eighth even though in 2003 it spent 2.9 per cent of gross domestic product in this field, about twice the OECD average.
Spending per student on higher education was $19,500 (14,100 euros) compared with an OECD average of $7,800. Most of the difference reflected high US incomes, and the average tuition fee of $8,700 a year was nearly five times the OECD average of $1,800.
A striking feature is the diversity of higher education since 75 per cent of undergraduates attend state-financed institutions, 20 per cent private non-profit institutions and “a small fringe attend private for-profit institutions...” “At private schools, fees are higher and more variable, with top-tier schools (such as Harvard, Chicago and Stanford) charging between $32,000 and $34,000 a year. However, real fees were lower, owing to discounting, grants and tax benefits.” The OECD says there is much evidence to suggest that the tuition costs, together, with living costs, dissuade many people from pursuing higher education. The solution, it suggests, is to extend arrangements for student loans rather than to increase grants.
Repayments should be linked to earnings to reassure some “overly pessimistic” students worried that they might not earn enough to repay.
Higher education is an excellent investment. On average the total costs of $87,000 for four years at a state-funded university, with interest, could be repaid out of the extra earnings flowing from a degree, by the age of 33.—AFP
