Student Math and Reading Abilities Remain Stagnant

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? K-12 schools play a fundamental role in educating our workforce and their importance will only increase as the economy becomes more dependent on increased skills and education. One measure of their effectiveness is the performance of students on standardized tests.

THE TREND: () Student performance on tests of verbal and reading skills has either remained stagnant or has decreased slightly since the early 1980s. Performance on math tests has increased modestly. But as American students go through school, they fall further behind their foreign counterparts in both math and science. Between the 4th and 8th grade, U.S. students lost almost 40 points on the Third International Math and Science Study (TIMSS). In comparison, most other nations either lost only a few points, or in some cases, such as Thailand and Singapore, gained significant ground. Lack of funding does not appear to be the cause of poor performance, as per-pupil funding for K-12 public schools in the United States has almost doubled in the last 30 years.

THE DATA:

Go to next indicator >>

Index Home | Introduction
SECTION I | SECTION II | SECTION III
Productivity Paradox | Knowledge Economy
Nine Myths | Data Sources | Endnotes | The Authors

The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI)
Technology, Innovation, and New Economy Project
600 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E., Suite 400, Washington DC 20003
Phone: (202) 546-0007

www.ppionline.org