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NOTE: This is part 2 of a 2 part series which starts here.
The students & their culture
When making international comparisons one is rarely comparing like populations. Sometimes this problem is in the testing procedures, as pointed out in a previous post, “No such thing as high school comparisons with TIMSS.” Yet, even when the playing field is thought to be even, other factors do affect outcome.
In Finland there is very little immigration [1], and so most of the population speaks the language of their teachers. In the United States, land of diversity, where people from all over the world have flocked for a better opportunity, or flee oppressive situations, 20% (1 out of 5) people speak a language other than English at home [2]. Between 1994 and 2004 limited English proficient students increased by 65% [3]. This means that American schools have seen a sharp increase in students that have to overcome the challenge of learning in a language other than their own.
Finland does very well on international comparison tests. In fact, it often occupies the number one spot on test score reports, while the United States usually sits a few points below, or just above, the average for developed nations. On the surface, such facts can cause patriots and politicians to lament the sorry state of the United States’ education system while the media leads their news stories with predictions of doom for our beloved nation if we don’t do something about this travesty. Business, of course, uses its standard battle-cry about our students not being able to compete well in a world market.
Indeed, if we do nothing but compare international test scores, things do look bleak for us.
Before passing final judgement on our education system as failed, let us look at the Finnish system a little closer. Hundreds of delegates from all over the world have made trips to Finland to discover the secrets behind an education system that can constantly out-perform most other countries on international tests. What are they finding? In what ways is Finland’s system noticeably different than that of the United States? Perhaps the answers to these questions can help us improve our scores. continue reading…
by Staff, Education and the Public Interest Center
Contact: William J. Mathis at William.Mathis@colorado.edu
Despite Obama administration claims, research finds no link between achievement scores and academic standards
Very little evidence supports the contention that establishing national academic standards for K-12 schools will improve the quality of American public education, and the standards push may distract attention from other vital reforms necessary for our schools, concludes the just-released policy brief The “Common Core” Standards Initiative: An Effective Reform Tool? The brief, authored by William J. Mathis, was published today by Education and the Public Interest Center (EPIC), at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the Education Policy Research Unit (EPRU), at Arizona State University.
For those who are not aware, the TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) is an international test which provokes many people to get bent out of shape when they see the American results compared to other countries. Politicians and anti-public school groups, as well as sincere reformers, jump on these numbers as proof our schools continue to fail our children.
I ask that, rather than blindly accepting the numbers of TIMSS as an equal comparison, Americans look at the students who are generating the test scores. The first question to ask is not, “Are American scores comparable or better than our fellow nations?” Instead, everyone should be asking, “Are we comparing like populations?”
The sort answer is: no.
The long answer lies below. continue reading…
