Is the U.S. Falling Behind in Higher Education?

By Mary Ellen Flannery The United States, once the global leader in the production of a most singular resource—its talent pool of college graduates—is losing ground to emerging nations like South Korea and China. The recent, “Education at a Glance,” an annual report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), found that about [...]

U.S. Competitors Agree: To Beat the Recession, Spend More On Schools

By Alain Jehlen In America, school funding cuts are the order of the day from coast to coast and north to south. But most of our competitors around the world have embarked on a different road to economic recovery. Investing in education is what’s going to pull them out of the quagmire and move them [...]

In High-Performing Countries, Education Reform is a Two-Way Street

By Tim Walker In its report on the 2009 PISA results, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) noted, “Some of the most successful (education) reforms are those supported by strong unions rather than those that keep the union role weak.” In other words, when all stakeholders in education sit down at the table [...]

International Summit Puts Best Reform Ideas on the Table

By Tim Walker High-performing countries have strong unions. They also support teachers and engage them in the reform process. Many right-wing politicians in the United States may want to ignore these facts, but in Finland, Canada, Singapore, and other nations, collaboration with teacher unions has been a keystone in their successful efforts to improve student achievement [...]

Education Leaders to Meet for International Summit on Teaching

By Tim Walker Education leaders from around the world are gathering in New York City next month to shine a spotlight on the critical role teachers play in successful schools. The occasion is the first International Summit on the Teaching Profession and will convene on March 16-17. The National Education Association will be co-hosting the [...]

The Economics Behind International Education Rankings

By Cynthia McCabe This week’s release of international education rankings placing U.S. students in the middle of the pack for reading and science and below average in math contained few surprises. But what might have been overlooked in the horse race coverage of how the students stacked up is an economic link that further supports [...]

PISA 2009: U.S. Students in the Middle of the Pack

by Tim Walker The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the results of the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) on Tuesday morning, showing that U.S. students are ranked average in reading and science, and below average in math. Among the 34 OECD countries, the United States ranks 14th in reading, 17th [...]