Education Next – Eric A. Hanushek
“Each time international tests of student achievement are released, there is a parade of glib commentators explaining why we should not pay much attention to the generally poor performance of U.S. students. The arguments have become fairly standard. . . . Unfortunately, each of these common arguments is either terribly misleading or wrong. Simply looking for blue sky in the test results ignores a substantial body of scientific research. While many people want to be reassured that things are going just fine, ignoring the real message of these tests actually imperils our economic future.”(more)