PrintMarch 14, 2011
Academic Excellence and the Mix of Students
Is American education in crisis? Are we falling behind our economic rivals in today's knowledge-driven world economy? According to the politicians and experts, the unequivocal answer is yes. Who could dispute the multiple international proficiency tests showing that American youngsters are in the middle of the pack in reading and math despite our out-spending nearly every other nation? (see here). The predictable response to this alleged crisis is, naturally, to spend even more lavishly though we have long seen that fiscal extravagance fails to improve academic performance. This generosity is wonderful politics but its focus on average test scores misses an important reality -- averages often mislead. The truth is that America has lots of academically world-class students but we also have millions of chronic under-achievers. Politics probably explains why we overlook homegrown talent -- depressing test scores are convenient marching orders for spendthrift politicians hoping to keep...(Read Full Article)
