It's a day after the education summit in Denver at the Democratic National Convention and I'm still thinking about what Roy Romer said.
The former Colorado governor, who now heads the non-partisan education organization Strong American Schools hammered home the point that, while American school children used to receive a superior education, they are now far, far behind schoolchildren in many countries. He said that compared to students in 30 other industrialized nations, American 15-year-olds ranked 25th in math and 21st in science. America's top math students rank 25th out of 30 when compared with top students around the world.
Really? Is this true? Will my kids not be able to compete with French, Chinese, and Indian kids who will surely be vying for the same jobs when they enter the job market in a few decades? Will being an American actually be a disadvantage?
While exploring their website and reading Mr. Romer's blog, I stumbled into an irresistable quiz "Are You Smarter than an Eighth Grader?" that illustrates his point perfectly. The quiz tests your knowledge of math and science againt kids in 46 other countries around the world. For a big reality check, take it. I dare you. Have your eighth (ninth, tenth,....) grader, co-worker, spouse, mother take it too. I'd be willing to bet you'll be surprised at the results.
For a broader challenge you can try the National Center for Educational Statistics' Kids' Zone site where you can select a subject (Civics, Geography, Economics, History, Math or Science), a grade (4th, 8th, 9th or 12th) and how many questions you want to see how you measure up against kids across the globe. I couldn't resist the challenge.
Such questions include: (Answers below)
Question 1: In the equation y = 4x, if the value of x is increased by 2, what is the effect on the value of y ?
a. It is 8 more than the original amount. b. It is 6 more than the original amount. c. It is 2 more than the original amount. d. It is 16 times the original amount.
e. It is 8 times the original amount.
QUESTION 2: Amanda wants to paint each face of a cube a different color. How many colors will she need? a. Three b. Four c. Six d. Eight
QUESTION 3: When the warm ocean current El Niño replaces the cooler Peruvian, or Humboldt, current along the coast of Peru, the supplies of anchovies on which sea birds feed decrease. As a result, the number of sea birds roosting on the coastal islands decreases. The passage describes the effect of El Niño on Peru's ...
a. wind currents b. weather c. ecosystem d. coastal erosion
QUESTION 4: Many people opposed ratification of the Constitution without a bill of rights because they
a. were afraid the states would be too powerful without a bill of rights b. thought that a bill of rights would strengthen the President's power c. did not want the national government to have an army d. feared that the new national government would deny people their rights
QUESTION 5: One major consequence of the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War) was that the
a. colonists’ decision to side with France led Britain to retaliate against them b. expense of fighting the war led Britain to tax the colonies directly for the first time c. loyalty of the colonists to the British side led Britain to grant them a high degree of self-government d. elimination of the French threat in North America led Britain to concentrate on conquering all of the remaining Spanish colonies
Whether you think the questions difficult or if you aced the quiz, it's revealing that kids in U.S. schools often can't figure out the answers while many, many school children in other countries can. Quizzes like these illustrate that many of us have work to do. (I admit doing an internet search for a couple of these.) After all, how can we teach our children if we don't the answers ourselves?
ANSWERS: A, C, C, D, B