The 2018 scholastic test scores for 79 countries have been released by the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA. Asian countries scored the highest in all three categories: reading, math and science. Sadly, the United States placed well down in the list, below Estonia, Poland and Finland.
China, tops in all categories, is laying a solid foundation to continue its rise toward global domination. Expect to hear the customary cry from our government officials: “More money!”
I suggest that we take a hard look at The Success Academy in New York. Even though their enrollment is primarily kids of color from poor neighborhoods, their test scores are in the stratosphere. Many will balk at the fact they are a charter school organization operating without teachers’ unions, but if we persist in coddling our biases, this country will continue its slid into mediocrity.
Bill Lyons
Santa Clarita
