Others say all American students need more time in class to compete with students from other countries who often get more instructional time and score higher on standardized tests. The United States ties at 28th out of 29 countries in the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development at 22.2 hours of instruction per week. South Korea ranks first at 30.2 hours. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
In an op-ed, Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, N.J. and two others write, "If we are to maintain our standing in the world, and do right by our people, our next president must spark our education system with the same spirit of invention." (Los Angeles Times)
The United States won the most medals of any country at the summer Olympic Games in Beijing, but it turned in a dismal performance at the Education Olympics. Americans took home only one medal from those games, for an embarrassing 20th-place finish. (U.S. News and World Report)
The chairman of the world's biggest computer chipmaker has said the US "education system is in crisis and failing the youth of today."
In an editorial, the Des Moines Register writes, "All that would be outweighed by knowing where Iowa stands compared with countries that score highest on the assessment. It's easier to shrug off dismal rankings for the United States if you think your state has done well. If you know otherwise, it should motivate change."
