Students in the country where I teach are placed into different schools according to their test results, and their family’s guidance early on. They will either go to a trade school or to a university preparation school. Their classmates progress with them and there is less choice, or room for extra-curricular classes i.e. political science, criminology, photography, film, auto mechanics, debate, etc. The students study for the final examinations that they take during their last year. This last year is the equivalent to the senior year in U.S. secondary schools. The students are placed in a classroom that stays together as they progress. The students know what is needed from them to pass these tests and they progress with a group, which also gives them a sense of comradery. This is completely different from the U.S. school system. It is like comparing the public schools to the prep schools in the U.S. Who do you think is going to come out on top?

Something that is quite rare here is the combination of both school and work. It is very rare to find someone who is in secondary school and working. There is a clear dedication to studies without the distraction and stress of a job on the side. Not that they do not have free time, there is a lot of that, but students here tend to not risk the responsibility overload.

I disagree that if you take people from the same age group in both parts of the world that Europe would still come out on top. The school where I work is a private institution that helps people prepare for that same exam that is taken in the “prep schools”. The difference is that my students are those that chose not to go to school, did not pass the exam, or did the trade school instead, but then later decided that they wanted to go to the university. The majority of the students in the school are similar to the GED students in the U.S., because it is also the same concept.

Schools in the U.S. do differ. I remember being ahead of my age level in science while in Alaska, because that level was taught at a younger age in my school in Washington. My history classes were better in Alaska, but it’s all relative! I cannot say that all schools in Alaska are bad or that all the schools in Washington are better. It was one teacher, one school and one year to compare with another, and that does not make me an expert on anything. But I do know that if I am going to blow my own horn about how superior my education was or is then I would check my spelling and grammar before posting my comment.

When we distill things like “Best Educated” and “Worst Educated” down to performance on a single test, we’re in trouble. You want me to offer a solution? Stop basing the quality of education on single tests taken by small test populations as stand ins for entire nations.

A single man certainly does have to take into account all the variables. That’s Stossel’s job when he creates a report like this.

“I don’t know what to tell you about that international test other than I have never heard of it, the standards that it assesses, or any released test questions. I don’t know of any other teachers who are busily preparing their students for this international test or who even know that test exists!” –7/12/207 8:48am

Look im not saying that Stossel, Maureen, Linda, or even I are beyond criticism. What im saying is neither are you.