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International comparisons are increasingly relevant and important to understand in today’s global environment. No longer do the residents of American cities and states vie only with each other for jobs; their competitors are located in countries around the world. Economists and social scientists agree that, increasingly, the educational abilities of a nation’s workforce will significantly impact its ability to remain economically strong. The students of today and tomorrow must be able to read and write well; they must have strong skills and knowledge of math and science. If they do not, the future well-being of the United States is in jeopardy.
Seven national organizations co-hosted two briefings, one at the National Press Club in Washington, DC and one at Asia Society in New York on December 4 and 5 with Andreas Schleicher, head of the indicators and analysis division, OECD Directorate for Education and lead author of the report. At the briefings, the 2006 PISA findings were presented in detail with comments and analysis of the implications for U.S. educational policy provided by leaders of the co-hosting organizations: Bob Wise, president, Alliance for Excellent Education; Vivien Stewart, vice president, education, Asia Society; Susan Traiman, director, education and workforce policy, Business Roundtable; Gaston Caperton, president, College Board; Gene Wilhoit, executive director, Council of Chief State School Officers; Roy Romer, chairman, ED in ’08; and Ray Scheppach, executive director, National Governors Association. More importantly, these events focused on what other countries are doing to improve their systems and rankings, while the United States stays static and what lessons the United States can learn from these higher-performing countries.
The PISA has been given every three years since 2000 to fifteen-year-olds in the thirty member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and in twenty-seven partner countries. Students are tested in reading and in mathematical and scientific literacy to assess whether they have “acquired the knowledge and skills essential in everyday life,” according to the OECD. The 2006 results, which concentrate on students’ scientific literacy, also included math and reading, however, a printing error resulted in a decision not to include U.S. students’ reading results for 2006 in the 2007 report.
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