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Improving the Educational Attainment of America’s Youth

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Improving the Educational Attainment of America’s Youth American students are not learning the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in today’s and tomorrow’s world, where technology and economies are increasingly interacting globally. U.S. students are continuing to trail behind their peers of industrialized nations, who have been dominating the academic achievement ranks, according to results from a key international assessment. In comparison, Finland, South Korea, and Singapore students are consistently the top performing students in the world according to their PISA scores. What is it that these three countries are doing that the U.S. isn’t, when it comes to educating their students? Compared to the U.S., Singapore, Finland, and South Korea only recruit teachers from the top 10% to 33% of their top high school and college students. And in the case of Singapore and South Korea, students attend school on average 60 more days a year than U.S. students. By implementing teacher reform and longer school year attendance, the U.S. can improve the educational attainment of its youth. Scores from the 2009 PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) show 15-year-old students in the U.S. performing about average in reading and science, and below average, in math (PISA 2009). The PISA exam is one of a handful of tests that compare educational levels across nations, and is considered to be the most comprehensive educational assessment according to the OECD (The Organization for Economic and Co-operational Development). Every three years, PISA assesses the extent to which students approach the

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