Tuesday, December 7, 2010

The Answer Sheet - Hysteria over PISA misses the point

The Answer Sheet - Hysteria over PISA misses the point

Hysteria over PISA misses the point

Finland is so over. Now it’s all about Shanghai. The 2009 results released today from the Program for International Student Assessment, known as PISA, caused consternation in the United States today when American students racked up generally average scores in reading, science and math. Where they’ve been for years. Today’s big news: Students from Shanghai, participating for the first time in the program, came out on top in all three areas out of about 65 countries and other education systems. Here come the Chinese, or, rather, the Shanghainese.