Asian schoolchildren besting European, American kids

WASHINGTON (AP) - Asian schoolchildren dominate in reading, math and science, coming in ahead of their peers in Europe and the U.S., according to an international study released Tuesday. Continue reading The tiny city-state of Singapore takes first place in science among 13 and 14 year-olds and math at age 9 or 10, with South Korea scoring nearly as high. Singapore takes second place to South Korea among the older students for math, with Taiwan in third. The results also lean toward Asian nations when it comes to advanced levels of learning. In Singapore, 4 in 10 teenagers who were tested achieved the "advanced benchmark" in science, which requires an understanding of complex and abstract concepts in physics, chemistry, biology and other sciences. About 2 in 10 make the grade in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. In the U.S., it's about 1 in 10. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and its sister test, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, are used to measure knowledge, skills and mastery of curricula by elementary and middle school students around the world. Students in rich, industrialized nations and poor, developing countries alike are tested. In 2011, 56 educational systems took part in math and science exams. Fifty-three systems participated in the reading exam. The study is conducted every four years in nations around the world. "These kinds of tests are very good at telling us who's ahead in the race. They don't have a lot to say about causes or why countries are where they are," said Brookings Institution senior fellow Tom Loveless, who in previous years represented the U.S. in the international group that administers the test. In the U.S., children performed better than the global average. Elementary school children have improved their scores in reading and math over the past four years, according to the study. But progress seems to fall off in later grades, where math and science scores are stagnant. "These 2011 international assessments provide both encouraging news about our students' progress and some sobering cautionary notes," said U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who warned the gains among younger children aren't being sustained in later grades. "That is unacceptable if our schools are to live up to the American promise of giving all children a world-class education." In the meantime, other countries are making significant strides. Russian middle school students were about tied in math with their American peers in 2007, the last time the study was conducted. Four years later, Russia's scores have surged and now surpass the U.S. by a significant margin. Globally, the gender gap appears to be closing. About half of the countries showed no statistically meaningful gap between boys and girls in math and science. The tests are carried out by the International Association for Evaluation of Educational Achievement, a coalition of research institutions.

They will be excellent and obedient employees, that is certain.

That East Asians and their diaspora generally reign supreme in global education rankings should come as a shocker to absolutely nobody.

I am currently a post-doc in a college engineering lab. Most grad students in my field seem to be Asian. I have spoken to a few of my Chinese friends about what school was like for them. You would not believe the pressure that is placed on them. Competition for jobs is so high that you have to really stand out academically in order to compete. Their parents give up so much to send them to a good school so that they can be successful. It is customary for the students to then help take care of their parents once they can afford to do so, thereby pushing them harder to obtain the education to procure a good job.

They have a single test at the end of high school that determines which college they get to go to. You get one shot. It is way worse than our ACT or SAT. I could go on, but I think you probably get the point.

Since this topic is about school education,I would like to ask something.

Is it true that in USA,they teach stuff like integration,differentiation,vectors,organic chemistry etc in college and not in school?

Since this topic is about school education,I would like to ask something.

Is it true that in USA,they teach stuff like integration,differentiation,vectors,organic chemistry etc in college and not in school?

call_of_duty_10

Depends on your school
They taught all of those things in mine provided you were in IB or took AP classes.

I don't think they had full on org chem though.

Water is wet

[QUOTE="call_of_duty_10"]

Since this topic is about school education,I would like to ask something.

Is it true that in USA,they teach stuff like integration,differentiation,vectors,organic chemistry etc in college and not in school?

JigglyWiggly_

Depends on your school
They taught all of those things in mine provided you were in IB or took AP classes.

I don't think they had full on org chem though.

[QUOTE="JigglyWiggly_"]

[QUOTE="call_of_duty_10"]

Since this topic is about school education,I would like to ask something.

Is it true that in USA,they teach stuff like integration,differentiation,vectors,organic chemistry etc in college and not in school?

call_of_duty_10

Depends on your school
They taught all of those things in mine provided you were in IB or took AP classes.

I don't think they had full on org chem though.

Advanced placement. basically college prep courses for those who sign up to be in them. Otherwise it's just basic egneral knowledege science. What you are taught can heaviyl vary based on geography. Some places still think it's taboo to teach evolution or things about space, whereas if you live in New England for example, you'll fail if you don't know about them

Statistics you get from places like China are not always accurate or comparable, China has a massive population and far less opportunity for employment, This creates a very competitive education system. Simply put, the bar for education is set much higher so the more gifted and hard working children are getting ahead thus filling the schools with this class which in turn gives inaccurate statistics on the true education systems success. European and American children not only have more opportunity to attend school but are expected to so we receive a more accurate representation of the schooling system's achievements.

The Chinese system is more comparible to taking the top 10% of children in Western countries and placing them in the same schools, If you where to then examine the education system's success based only on these schools you would expect to get far higher levels of education on average.

No Sith...

[QUOTE="JigglyWiggly_"]

[QUOTE="call_of_duty_10"]

Since this topic is about school education,I would like to ask something.

Is it true that in USA,they teach stuff like integration,differentiation,vectors,organic chemistry etc in college and not in school?

call_of_duty_10

Depends on your school
They taught all of those things in mine provided you were in IB or took AP classes.

I don't think they had full on org chem though.

ap = advanced placement
ib = international bacholete i think
i didn't take IB classes, a lot of my friends did in the grades below me did though. My class was pretty laid back, most of us only took a few ap classes.

AP Physics is just classical mechanical physics, requires a bit of calculus integration and derivitives

like summing up the forces in the x and y direction, with friction
conservation of energy
conservation of momentum
angular momentum
fluid dynamics
simple harmonics with some calculus

stuff like that

I took AP chem, but I don't remember much. Took that my senior year and I was full on senioritis, coastin and just making people's lives miserable. (I was a TA grader for the gifted middle school kids and freshmen)

"R U EVEN TRYING" etc written all over their papers, etc.

Statistics you get from places like China are not always accurate or comparable, China has a massive population and far less opportunity for employment, This creates a very competitive education system. Simply put, the bar for education is set much higher so the more gifted and hard working children are getting ahead thus filling the schools with this class which in turn gives inaccurate statistics on the true education systems success. European and American children not only have more opportunity to attend school but are expected to so we receive a more accurate representation of the schooling system's achievements.

The Chinese system is more comparible to taking the top 10% of children in Western countries and placing them in the same schools, If you where to then examine the education system's success based only on these schools you would expect to get far higher levels of education on average.

mattisgod01

Statistics you get from places like China are not always accurate or comparable, China has a massive population and far less opportunity for employment, This creates a very competitive education system. Simply put, the bar for education is set much higher so the more gifted and hard working children are getting ahead thus filling the schools with this class which in turn gives inaccurate statistics on the true education systems success. European and American children not only have more opportunity to attend school but are expected to so we receive a more accurate representation of the schooling system's achievements.

The Chinese system is more comparible to taking the top 10% of children in Western countries and placing them in the same schools, If you where to then examine the education system's success based only on these schools you would expect to get far higher levels of education on average.

mattisgod01

[QUOTE="mattisgod01"]

Statistics you get from places like China are not always accurate or comparable, China has a massive population and far less opportunity for employment, This creates a very competitive education system. Simply put, the bar for education is set much higher so the more gifted and hard working children are getting ahead thus filling the schools with this class which in turn gives inaccurate statistics on the true education systems success. European and American children not only have more opportunity to attend school but are expected to so we receive a more accurate representation of the schooling system's achievements.

The Chinese system is more comparible to taking the top 10% of children in Western countries and placing them in the same schools, If you where to then examine the education system's success based only on these schools you would expect to get far higher levels of education on average.

the_ChEeSe_mAn2

Singapore: When Singapore became independent from Britain in 1965, it was a poor, small tropical island with few natural resources, rapid population growth and no compulsory education. How it grew to become one of the worlds leading financial centers and a major skilled-worker hub is somewhat of an education success story. Throughout the 80s and 90s, Singapores government instituted the practice of streaming (or tracking) students based on their academic ability from elementary school onward. After six years of primary-school education, Singaporean students take a test that determines whether theyll be placed in a special school for the gifted, a vocational school or a special education program, and another test later determines their higher-ed options. In more recent years, the educational emphasis has shifted toward creative learning and school autonomy. Teacher incentives and education were also boosted, according to an OECD report on Singapores schools. In math, Singapores schools teach fewer subjects in greater depth before students are able to move on. And culturally, there is no shortage of the so-called Tiger mothers, who saddle kids with extra math tutorials and drive them to succeed. Of course, Singapores small size there are only 522,000 students and 360 schools means revamping its school system was more like turning around a kayak rather than a battleship, said Professor Lee Sing Kong, director of Singapores National Institute of Education. Hong Kong: Hong Kong has been consistently ranked among the top OECD countries in education, but theres actually a significant amount of dissatisfaction with the level of testing and rote memorization in the schooling system there. As Duke University professor Cathy N. Davidson explained for the Posts Answer Sheet blog: Over one-third of Hong Kong residents may attend college and there are excellent post-secondary vocational alternatives for those who dont, but the general public feels that the extreme standardization and the harsh drilling to do well on those tests makes education uninspiring and even painful. They also are concerned that it programs students to a certain kind of standardized thinking that does not suit the interactive digital world of the 21st century workplace. The fears about over-standardization prompted Hong Kongs education ministry to create Liberal Studies as a compulsory subject at the secondary level in order to help students master critical thinking and creative skills. Of course, it too, would be measured with a standardized test. Finland: Unlike the Asian models, which emphasize rote memorization and test scores, Finnish schools assign less homework and engage children in more creative play, according to education researchers who have studied the countrys success. There are no standardized tests, and the focus appears to be on equity, not competition between schools or students. There are also no private schools, but some high schools are allowed to select students on the basis of academic merit. Teaching is a high-status profession, with each teacher required to have a masters degree. Teachers are given generous pay and lots of responsibility, but there are few official metrics of accountability. Theres no word for accountability in Finnish, Pasi Sahlberg, director of the Finnish Ministry of Educations Center for International Mobility, once told an audience at the Teachers College of Columbia University. Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted.

Not surprising since Asian cultures place two tons of emphasis on education, while the American education system is in the toilet. I can't speak for the various European education systems.

[QUOTE="mattisgod01"]

Statistics you get from places like China are not always accurate or comparable, China has a massive population and far less opportunity for employment, This creates a very competitive education system. Simply put, the bar for education is set much higher so the more gifted and hard working children are getting ahead thus filling the schools with this class which in turn gives inaccurate statistics on the true education systems success. European and American children not only have more opportunity to attend school but are expected to so we receive a more accurate representation of the schooling system's achievements.

The Chinese system is more comparible to taking the top 10% of children in Western countries and placing them in the same schools, If you where to then examine the education system's success based only on these schools you would expect to get far higher levels of education on average.

the_ChEeSe_mAn2

Too bad Asian schools don't teach their students socialization skills. When I was in engineering, 80% of the class was Asian and every single one of them was an anti-social stick in the mud.

Too bad Asian schools don't teach their students socialization skills. When I was in engineering, 80% of the class was Asian and every single one of them was an anti-social stick in the mud.

redstorm72

This is a pretty common issue wwhen you jam so much education into the kids they never learn or get experience with actual real world things. A lot of their curreculums in asia as well only focus on memorization. It's been noted a lot that actual problem solving isn't very focused on, so while their grades may be sky high, it can be a double edged sword

Their school system is also incredibly stressful and does not allow much free time, it is incredibly flawed in its own right. I believe China is implementing a departure from their usual strict standards. Finland has the best education system. Canada is not far down the list either.

meanwhile the Fins have the actual best education system, and it doesn't destroy kids' spirits like asian education systems.

probably has something to do with the fact that have higher IQs on average

It's a side effect of all the brainwashing.

Intelligence is lost in the rinse.

When did the US become a continent?

[QUOTE="redstorm72"]

Too bad Asian schools don't teach their students socialization skills. When I was in engineering, 80% of the class was Asian and every single one of them was an anti-social stick in the mud.

wis3boi

This is a pretty common issue wwhen you jam so much education into the kids they never learn or get experience with actual real world things. A lot of their curreculums in asia as well only focus on memorization. It's been noted a lot that actual problem solving isn't very focused on, so while their grades may be sky high, it can be a double edged sword

Anyone that has gone to college with international students from Asia knows they are not all these reports make them out to be. The idea of "tutor kings" still freaks me out.

Also for those who care, this is from a Bloomberg News report on the results. Simple reforms that work yet will take decades to roll out nation wide:

In fourth-grade reading, where the U.S. has improved its performance since the last test was given, Florida had among the best scores, performing at the same level as top-achieving Hong Kong,Russia,FinlandandSingapore. In the late 1990s, Florida was near the bottom of the pack in fourth-grade U.S. reading scores. The state was the only one in the U.S. to break out its reading results.

Jeb Bush, governor of Florida from 1999 through 2007, instituted a program that targeted kindergarten through third- grade reading, requiring more academic training in kindergarten, reading coaches to help tailor instruction and a policy of holding back third-graders with the weakest skills.

Nothing new was learned ITT.

Scores for the 8th grade (because idgaf how 4th graders scored) for anyone interested- also did not copy paste the reading part because that was in another study and I was lazy

Math rankings

Korea, Rep. of
Singapore
Chinese Taipei
Hong Kong
Japan
Russian Federation
Israel
Finland
United States
England
Hungary
Australia
Slovenia
Lithuania
Italy
New Zealand
Kazakhstan
Sweden
Ukraine
Norway

Science rankings

Singapore
Chinese Taipei
Korea, Rep. of
Japan
Finland
Slovenia
2 Russian Federation
Hong Kong
England
United States
Hungary
Australia
Israel
Lithuania
New Zealand
Sweden
Italy
Ukraine
Norway
Kazakhstan

[QUOTE="mattisgod01"]

Statistics you get from places like China are not always accurate or comparable, China has a massive population and far less opportunity for employment, This creates a very competitive education system. Simply put, the bar for education is set much higher so the more gifted and hard working children are getting ahead thus filling the schools with this class which in turn gives inaccurate statistics on the true education systems success. European and American children not only have more opportunity to attend school but are expected to so we receive a more accurate representation of the schooling system's achievements.

The Chinese system is more comparible to taking the top 10% of children in Western countries and placing them in the same schools, If you where to then examine the education system's success based only on these schools you would expect to get far higher levels of education on average.

the_ChEeSe_mAn2

I'm going to want some evidence for your claim that only 10% of Chinese kids get schooled, and that somehow an international survey group was too stupid to detect this. It's still almost completely irrelevant anyway - China is only one of the nations surveyed. The rest of the East Asian countries still thrash most of the West and they are all developed countries with better living standards than much of Europe. I also find it amusing that you think that a nation that is currently in the middle of an industrial revolution and the largest period of sustained economic growth of any nation in history is a country in which educated youth somehow lack prospects.

Master Race.

But how are their sex lives?

But how are their sex lives?

Obviously_Right

[QUOTE="Obviously_Right"]

But how are their sex lives?

Tuco_Salamanca

actually mostly non-existant.

[QUOTE="Tuco_Salamanca"][QUOTE="Obviously_Right"]

But how are their sex lives?

Guybrush_3

actually mostly non-existant.

[QUOTE="Guybrush_3"]

[QUOTE="Tuco_Salamanca"]Mostly weird. comp_atkins

actually mostly non-existant.

They rank highest in science and math...dont you see it? Cloning machines!

But how are their sex lives?

Obviously_Right

Well, this is hardly surprising given that East Asians have a higher average IQ than other races. This, in combination with a hardcore approach to school leads to academic supremacy.

[QUOTE="Nuck81"]One of the main reasons Education is better in Asian countries is because teaching is one of the highest paid occupations you can have. So the really smart people who should be teachers choose to do so because they can make a great living. Not the case here. In a lot of cases, Especially at the University level, the people that weren't bright enough, or talented enough, to actually succeed in their profession become teachers. Education becomes a fallback career rather than a main goal. Also accountability for teachers in the USA is a joke. There are a lot of teachers out here working that try until they earn their tenure, and then they simply just go through the motions and earn a paycheck. A teacher that has no drive or passion that halfasses their way through their lessons and required curriculumn will have students that do exactly the same. No desire in the teacher = No desire in the students.Verge_6

Blue is flat out incorrect.

[QUOTE="Verge_6"][QUOTE="Nuck81"]One of the main reasons Education is better in Asian countries is because teaching is one of the highest paid occupations you can have. So the really smart people who should be teachers choose to do so because they can make a great living. Not the case here. In a lot of cases, Especially at the University level, the people that weren't bright enough, or talented enough, to actually succeed in their profession become teachers. Education becomes a fallback career rather than a main goal. Also accountability for teachers in the USA is a joke. There are a lot of teachers out here working that try until they earn their tenure, and then they simply just go through the motions and earn a paycheck. A teacher that has no drive or passion that halfasses their way through their lessons and required curriculumn will have students that do exactly the same. No desire in the teacher = No desire in the students.Storm_Marine

Blue is flat out incorrect.

McKinsey and Company Research:

Teachers in China it's a little weird because they are often paid in bonuses depending on how well their students perform. In a province with exceptional test scores, Teachers are rewarded well, with some teachers even being rewarded houses and land if their students are consistently performing at the top.

Underdeveloped countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, and the like obviously do not pay as much, but then again, they are not knocking down the door with their test scores either.