Science+News

American Students' Science Performance Increased Slightly to the Average for Leading Industrialized Nations

Last week, the results of the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) were released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). American student’s science performance increased slightly to the average for leading industrialized nations, while their mathematics performance remained below the average, despite gains in that subject from the last round of testing in 2006. U.S. students ranked 17th in science and 25th in math.

Secretary Arne Duncan said, “The PISA results, to be brutally honest, show that a host of developed nations are outeducating us. Americans need to wake up to this educational reality.” With respect to the gains in science Secretary Duncan said, “[There is] not much to celebrate. Being average in science is a mantle of mediocrity—and especially in a knowledge economy where scientific literacy is so central to sustaining innovation and international competitiveness.”

Read the results of the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment [|here]. Read Secretary Duncan’s remarks on the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment [|here]. Read NSTA’s statement on the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment results [|here].

Global Study Analyzes Parents Actions and Attitudes on Math-Related Learning

Earlier this month, Raytheon Company unveiled new research exploring parental attitudes toward math, parents’ perceived math capabilities and the level of active engagement in math-related learning among 10–14-year-olds across the U.S., England, and Singapore.

The study reveals a clear trend: while parents in the U.S. are more confident in their abilities to help their 10–14-year-old children, these children are tasked with performing math at a lower level than their Singaporean peers. This higher performance in Singapore reflected in the survey indicates parents there feel less able to support their children and therefore turn to experts for help. Parents in Singapore are four times as likely as those in the U.S. to hire a tutor. Further, Singapore students are more likely to engage in active math-related learning, which contributes to greater ongoing math proficiency.

The research was conducted in October 2010 by Educventures, an independent education research firm. Eduventures surveyed 1,144 parents of middle school age students (ages 10 to 14) with 110 questions related to math education, homework and activities related to math and preparedness for college and careers. The study was designed to allow cross-country comparison of parent information from three countries of focus: the United States, England, and Singapore. In addition, twelve scholars and in-country educational experts participated in in-depth interviews as part of the research project.