Atlanta Journal Constitution (December 2)
“Teachers and students will have extra homework after the pandemic ends, as new findings show growth in math scores has fallen since last school year.” Reading may be “more or less intact” as parents are better able to assist at home during distance learning. Math however, is “suffering, with the worst performance at the elementary school level.” Since math is “taught in a sequential way, with concepts building upon concepts,” this weakened foundation could “undermine learning for years to come.”
Tags: Distance learning, Elementary, Foundation, Homework, Math, Pandemic, Performance, Reading, Scores, Students, Teachers, Undermine
Washington Post (December 5, 2013)
The U.S. does not test well. In contrast, Japan, Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan swept top places for math, reading and science in the recent PISA global educational survey. Nevertheless, “the United States has done very well in harnessing the talents of its top 1 percent and in attracting the top 1 percent from the rest of the world to live and work here. These are the engines of innovation, growth and dynamism.” Whether they will keep the U.S. from falling behind, however, remains to be seen.
Tags: Dynamism, Education, Growth, Hong Kong, Innovation, Japan, Math, Reading, Science, Shanghai, Singapore, Taiwan, Talent, U.S.
New York Times (October 26)
The U.S. ranks 48th globally in math and science instruction. Of 29 wealthy countries, the U.S. finishes 27th per capita in undergraduate engineering and science degrees. Foreign graduate students in these subjects are increasingly returning to their home countries. A third of U.S. manufacturers had difficulty “finding enough skilled workers” in 2009. Unless funding for science is increased, the U.S. will “continue to lose economic ground to foreign competitors.”
Tags: Competitiveness, Engineering, Math, Science, U.S.
