A Disappointing Finish for Americans at Education Olympics

Reader Comments
Back to blog

In order for this event to be a "TRUE" Education Olympics: We should also follow the Rules/Regulations/Principles of the Athletic Olympics. We should hold a qualifying Event where our brightest & best students compete against each other (divided by subject/category/age group), & the top 3 - 6 in each subject category/age group will be sent to compete against all the other countries' brightest & best. That's how Michael Phelps & the other athletes were selected. I would think our brightest & best scholars would be very successful & bring home gold medals in education.

Rose Lehman of NY 1:55PM September 02, 2008

As the (Ph.D. in chemistry) husband of a 4th grade teacher (MS Ed) my perspective on articles such as this are they serve only a political agenda, in this case the agenda of some group that wants to continue to homogenize our educational system here in the USA. The test scores used to compare us to the rest of the world are not normalized for the diversity of children who are new citizens from non-English-speaking countries and who are behind in school due to poor access to schools in the country left behind, as just one example. The USA is still benefitting from a large influx of new citizens from other countries (that is a subject for another debate, I'm sure!). However, due to this influx, the diversity of skill levels we have at all ages is higher than in smaller, more homogeneous countries (Finland)or city-states (eg. Singapore, Hong Kong, etc). These comparisons are invalid due to the wide variety of human variables that are uncontrolled from one population to the next; how can one compare Singapore to New York City, for instance? Or Detroit to Hong Kong? In many schools in the USA, English is a second language to many newcomers and to help bridge the gap until english is learned, parapropfessionals are used to aid teahcers in instruction. Tell me that is going on in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Finland!

Dr. Chemistry of MI 1:51PM September 02, 2008

I think that skewed number is reciting that urban legend that we test all and they only just test the high achievers(same logic used to be used in olympic bball-we were sending our hard studying students who barely had time to play bball while USSR was sending an "Army" team who were always playing basketball.). The problem gets fixed by deemphasizing sports(which I love but have taken over- just ask Perot) and taking the hours and resources to hire real math/science teachers from industry(instead of the phys ed teacher with a minor in science education from a teachers college who just had a physics overview). The problem also gets solved by making a C grade honorable again and eliminating social promotion. It will take at least 10 years but must be done. Our founding fathers(Washington, Jefferson, Adams)were farmers and surveyors who were math and science geniuses in their day. Up until WWII you had to know how things worked(if you jeep or gun stopped working in the Phillipines, you had to get it working even if you were from Yale) but that is no longer the case. Most people i know can barely change a light bulb and are entertainment/sports addicts. Hard work in sports is just like hard work in swimming or basketball- it takes a long time, some failure and no guarantee of success regardless of the effort.

art of CT 1:22PM September 02, 2008

Its not that the American school's are doing anything wrong or are far behind the other countries, its that we require everyone to take our standardized tests which are then compared to the other countries results. Some of the Asian Countries have the best scores but they don't allow their sub par students to take the standardized tests which makes them look like they are smarter overall. So their best students are being compared to our average students. While our best are just as smart as their best.

of VA 12:49PM August 31, 2008

The first comment is an example of why we're so stupid.

of 12:49PM August 30, 2008

So what if we are lacking in the msny so called Olympics? We rule in competitive eating, the one sport that epitomizes who we are and what we do best. Do you know that in the last Coney Island Hot Dog eating contest, the American Joel Chestnut ate 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes? 66! When it comes to massive consumption of edible goods, we are number one.

DL of NY 2:28AM August 30, 2008

We seem to have many tests and many groups evaluating and ranking our students and educational system, from SAT to ACT to No Child Left Behind, to State Testing to the Fordham Institute (to name a few).
What I haven't found are reports that specifically say WHAT our educational systems are doing wrong and HOW our educational systems can correct the problem.
Let's face it - every year for umteen years I hear the same stats - "how we lag behind other countries", "how we need to change and improve", "how the children are only testing at the same level as last year" and how the scores are actually lower then the year before"
So where is the information on "what" is wrong and "how" can it be fixed?
If it's broke or not working
THEN WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO FIX IT?
Take your data to the next level - give direction and answers

Jan Horton of MD 6:45PM August 29, 2008

Wow! That comment certainly moves things along.

kathartinc of CA 5:58PM August 29, 2008

We don't need no ed--u--ca--shun. We don't even need the real athletic Olympics. WE'VE GOT FOOTBALL. The rest of the world is so far behind us, it's pitiful. Just ask any NFL fan.
What's this sissy-puff futbol stuff anyway? Everybody at the stadium knows who leads the world. FOOTBALL ROCKS!

of 1:14PM August 29, 2008