“The is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” Nelson Mandela

(This post in dedicated to and in memory of Stephanie, whose birthday is August 4th.  This year she would have been 36 years old.)

Very soon across the United States students will be headed back to the classroom to embark on the 2019-2020 year. As that happens, many school districts, their teachers and other school staff will be making preparation to provide a productive and successful educational experience for all those students entrusted in their care. Parents, guardians and other caring adults will concern themselves with the purchase of school clothes, supplies and other items they feel will be needed during the school year.

With all we do to educate our young people in the United States, I wanted to take a moment to see how they are comparing, intellectually, to students in other countries. In doing that, I wanted to give you the results of the 2015 PISA test.

PISA stands for Program for International Student Assessment. It is an assessment test that is administered every 3 years on approximately half a million 15-year old students across 70+ countries around the world . The students are tested in reading, mathematics and science in order to assess how well the student has mastered key subjects in preparation for real-life situations in the adult world. The test is given every 3 years and the last one was given in 2018. We are using the 2015 test results here because the 2018 results will not be made available until December 3, 2019. The results of the 2015 PISA shows that the United States ranked 38th out of 71 countries in math and 24th in science when compared with students in other economically developed countries in Europe and Asia. Other countries that were outperforming the United States are countries such as Singapore, Finland, South Korea, Netherland, Hong Kong, Canada, Japan, Denmark, China, New Zealand, Vietnam, Germany, etc.

I then took a look at another assessment that also compare students over different countries throughout the world. That assessment is the TIMSS which stands for Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. TIMSS measures the math and science aptitude of 4th and 8th grade students. The results of the 2015 TIMSS showed that 10 countries out of 48 had higher 4th grade math scores than the United States, while 7 countries had higher science scores. On the 8th grade level, 37 countries had higher math scores than the U.S. and 7 countries had higher science scores.

You may wonder why all of this is important. The importance may lie in the fact that we are living in a global and technologically advanced society. So not only will U.S. students be competing in the job market with each other on a national basis but most likely with individuals on an international basis. In addition, the advancement of the United States as a country is directly tied to how well our young people have been prepared educationally to move the country forward in terms of science and technology.

Trying to gain some understanding as to why students in many other countries are outperforming U.S. students, an investigative reporter, by the name of Amanda Ripley, sought out American high school students who were also participating in foreign exchange programs. Her purpose was to find out from these students what they saw as the difference between their American schools and the foreign schools they attended. She published her finding in a YouTube video entitled “Amanda Ripley: Ask The Kids” . Following is a summary of what she found:

1. According to these students, foreign schools were harder and more challenging in regard to the lesson they presented to students compared to American schools. Students indicated that while American schools may give them more homework, the lessons they were been taught in foreign schools were more in-dept and rigorous. Therefore, the foreign school’s emphasis was more on quality as opposed to quantity.
2. Sports in foreign schools is considered a hobby and not a major part of the school’s process. The students felt that, in the U.S., a big emphasis is placed on student participation and acceleration in sports even to the point of competition for sport scholarships based on athletic ability and felt that such an emphasis may be a contributing factor to the distraction for some students in regards to their academic progress.
3. These students felt that the belief system, of students in the foreign schools they attended, was that education holds something of value to them. They felt that the time investment they made in their education was directly tied to the quality of life they will have in the future.

Please note: I am not suggesting that we are doing anything wrong in how we educate young people in the U.S. I give the above information so that you will know. However, the concepts and issues (presented to Amanda Ripley by the students she interview) are things that we all should be concerned with and working toward for our young people. Their education should challenge them and have substance; sports do play a role in teaching some life lessons, developing physical health and providing entertainment but we have to realize that most young people will not (a few will) be the next Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Mia Hamm, etc. – therefore, maybe our concentration should be centered around pushing academic achievement as oppose to sports participation; students need to learn the value of an education and why having a proper education is vital to their future.

Below I do want to give some suggestions as to what parents can possibly do to help their child have a more productive and successful 2019-2020 school year:

• Realize that your child’s education requires you to be in partnership with the school. Get involved in your child’s school, show up to and participate in parent/teacher conferences, PTA, etc.
• Parents are a child’s first and most influential teacher, therefore, demonstrate a positive attitude toward education to your child.
• Teach your child the basics of proper behavior and let them know what you expect from them in regard to respect for adults, authority and others.
• Send children to school prepared to learn by making sure they get a good night sleep, proper nutrition, proper personal hygiene, etc.
• Monitor homework and make sure it’s done and students are ready for the next days class.
• Monitor technology usage. This can be a really important factor in helping teacher keep students focused in the classroom. Let your child know that use of cell phones in the classroom is not acceptable to you unless the teacher has given the directive and permission for their use. This is especially important at the middle and high school levels.

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