December 2007 — News
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U.S. Students Below Average in Science and Math
- On average across OECD countries, 33 percent of all variation in student performance in science "was between schools, but this varied widely from one country to another," much of this having to do with students' socioeconomic backgrounds;
- According to OECD, there is "no relationship between the size of countries and the average performance" of students in the assessments;
- Reading, for which no data were available on U.S. students, showed the greatest gender gap in performance, with females outperforming males by as much as 57 points in OECD countries, with at least a 50-point gender gap in 12 countries;
- Fifty-seven percent of students reported that science was relevant to them personally, though 97 percent said science was "important" for understanding the natural world;
- Twenty-one percent said they would like to spend their lives involved in advanced science;
- Awareness of environmental issues correlates with science performance;
- Students who performed better in science have a more pessimistic attitude toward environmental issues;
- Private schools outperformed public schools in 21 OECD countries, while public schools outperformed private schools in four;
- Students in countries where schools have greater autonomy (formulating budgets and deciding budgetary allocations at the school level) tend to perform better in science, whether they're enrolled in a school that has a high level of autonomy or not; and, finally,
- Greater resources at school (including an "adequate supply of teachers") correlate with positive student outcomes on average.
The complete PISA 2006 report is available in electronic and print formats via the link below. And electronic executive summary is also available.
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About the author: David Nagel is the executive editor for 1105 Media's online education technology publications, including THE Journal and Campus Technology. He can be reached at dnagel@1105media.com.
Proposals for articles and tips for news stories, as well as questions and comments about this publication, should be submitted to David Nagel, executive editor, at dnagel@1105media.com.
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Dave Nagel, "U.S. Students Below Average in Science and Math," T.H.E. Journal, 12/4/2007, http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21679
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