69ý

Special Report
Federal

Losing Global Ground

By Lynn Olson — December 29, 2006 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

For decades, a highly qualified workforce has helped fuel economic prosperity in the United States. But now other countries are catching up with and even surpassing America’s performance.

On a variety of measures, “the U.S. has been joined by a number of other countries,” says Alan P. Wagner, a professor of educational administration at the State University of New York at Albany, “and particularly in the younger age groups, there is evidence of higher levels of performance elsewhere.”

For example:

  • Although the achievement gap opens before children even reach school, U.S. support for early-childhood education lags well behind that of other developed nations.
  • While U.S. children in elementary school perform relatively well on international tests of achievement, particularly in reading, American 15-year-olds perform in the middle of the pack on tests of science and mathematics, with one-quarter performing at the lowest achievement levels.
  • At a time when a high school diploma is typically the minimum requirement for a decent job, the United States has slipped to 11th among 30 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries in the proportion of 25- to 34-year-olds with that credential.

Data Download
International Perspective Indicators

  • Long a leader in higher education, the United States has dropped to seventh in the proportion of 25- to 34-year-olds with a college degree.

“These results cannot simply be tied to money,” says Barbara Ischinger, who heads the education directorate for the OECD. “ Only Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Norway spend more per student in the primary through secondary grades than the United States does, according to OECD data.

Accompanying Charts

  • Mathematically Lagging On international tests of performance, 15-year-olds in the United States, on average, trail behind their peers in many other developed nations. Out of the 30 countries taking part in the 2003 Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, the average mathematics achievement of U.S. students was higher than that of students in only five countries.
BRIC ARCHIVE

  • Spending More Spending levels in the United States are some of the highest among those countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Only Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Norway spend more per student in the primary through secondary grades than the United States does.

BRIC ARCHIVE


The United States, however, devotes only half of its expenditures to teacher compensation, a share that is below those of all but five OECD countries.

Perhaps most troubling, America’s older adults, ages 35 to 64, have higher rates of college completion than its younger generation—a trend opposite the direction in other industrialized nations.

“Are we going to react in a way that’s too little, too late?” asks Thomas J. Tierney, the president of the Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit management-consulting organization based in Boston. “I think the choice is ours.”

In March 2024, Education Week announced the end of the Quality Counts report after 25 years of serving as a comprehensive K-12 education scorecard. In response to new challenges and a shifting landscape, we are refocusing our efforts on research and analysis to better serve the K-12 community. For more information, please go here for the full context or learn more about the EdWeek Research Center.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by 
Assessment K-12 Essentials Forum Making Competency-Based Learning a Reality
Join this free virtual event to hear from educators and experts working to implement competency-based education.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Federal Opinion What's Really at Stake for Education in This Election?
What a Harris or Trump presidential victory might mean for federal education policy, according to Rick Hess.
5 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Federal Trump's K-12 Record in His First Term Offers a Blueprint for What Could Be Next
In his first term, Trump sought to significantly expand school choice, slash K-12 spending, and tear down the U.S. Department of Education.
11 min read
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos listens at left as President Donald Trump speaks during a round table discussion at Saint Andrew Catholic School on March 3, 2017, in Orlando, Fla.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos listens at left as President Donald Trump speaks during a round table discussion at Saint Andrew Catholic School on March 3, 2017, in Orlando, Fla. The education policies Trump pursued in his first term offer clues for what a second Trump term would look like for K-12 schools.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal From Our Research Center How Educators Say They'll Vote in the 2024 Election
Educators' feelings on Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump vary by age and the communities where they work.
4 min read
Jacob Lewis, 3, waits at a privacy booth as his grandfather, Robert Schroyer, fills out his ballot while voting at Sabillasville Elementary School, Nov. 8, 2022, in Sabillasville, Md.
Jacob Lewis, 3, waits at a privacy booth as his grandfather, Robert Schroyer, fills out his ballot while voting at Sabillasville Elementary School, Nov. 8, 2022, in Sabillasville, Md.
Julio Cortez/AP
Federal Q&A Oklahoma State Chief Ryan Walters: 'Trump's Won the Argument on Education'
The state schools chief's name comes up as Republicans discuss who could become education secretary in a second Trump administration.
8 min read
Ryan Walters, then-Republican candidate for Oklahoma State Superintendent, speaks at a rally, Nov. 1, 2022, in Oklahoma City.
Ryan Walters speaks at a rally on Nov. 1, 2022, in Oklahoma City as a candidate for state superintendent of public instruction. He won the race and has built a national profile for governing in the MAGA mold.
Sue Ogrocki/AP