Data from the Podcast: The Leaning Tower of PISA
So the OECD's annual education testing scores of the world's 15 year olds are out and the news is bleak for the U.S. The new wrinkle this year is that for the first time students from two Chinese cities -- Hong Kong and Shanghai -- are included in the results. And yes, the Chinese students rank at the top, with Shanghai number 1 in all three areas: Math, Reading and Science. America results are proudly, in the middle at 25th overall. We did manage to narrowly edge out Latvia. This is the data I talked about on the podcast today, when I wasn't shamelessly gloating over my notorious earlier post predicting a complete Christine O'Donnell fiasco in Delaware. Anyway you can read the data -- in English, at least for now -- at the OECD website or inside this CSM story.
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Sep '10
Re: Data from the Podcast: The Leaning Tower of PISA
I often hear that worldwide health statistics such as infant mortality rates are skewed against the United States because, well, we're honest. We report all live births, regardless of premature status or other defects. Whereas other nations will simply classify many births out of the denominator altogether.
Is there any indication that this phenomenon takes place in educational testing statistics? I imagine the largely agricultural swaths of the Chinese mainland don't test too well, but maybe they do. I certainly don't want to endorse the Government Schools in our country, but is it possible we're simply reporting scores for all of our dead weight, whereas other nations are keeping them out of the pool?
Of course this is completely speculative on my part. No basis whatsoever, other than the fact that, well, we're honest.
Jun '10
Re: Data from the Podcast: The Leaning Tower of PISA
I don't think America's technological advantage was ever that we had the most brains. We have brains, but our real advantage was that most American kids had long Summer days to themselves, playing, exploring, and tinkering. If they didn't kill themselves, they learned a lot. And a lot of our best technical inventions came from wanting to better entertain ourselves.
Jul '10
Re: Data from the Podcast: The Leaning Tower of PISA
Welcome back, Mike. Hope you treated yourself to a nice vacation after the election.
Re: Data from the Podcast: The Leaning Tower of PISA
Thx Kenneth. I think there is a skew, since China's top two cities are the only ones in the data. But that said, these numbers are still a national disgrace.
May '10
Re: Data from the Podcast: The Leaning Tower of PISA
Ah, good to have the battler back in action. Cause a ruckus.
Aug '10
Re: Data from the Podcast: The Leaning Tower of PISA
I can't believe that ! Our teachers have good wages, great benefits, and nice pensions. And they are neatly organized into unions that ,I assume, are really for the purpose of sharing information about improving teaching methods for the children. If we can only constitutionally guarantee a annual increase of 10% in their wages, get them even bigger pensions and a system of having assistants in place to actually do the teaching, which would allow them to attend seminars designed to share information about improving teaching methods for the chi for the chi for the chi for the chi....#94820 default for the child for the default dataset
Sorry it must be a faulty program. We'll check at the NEA for the proper infopak and get back to you.
Sep '10
Re: Data from the Podcast: The Leaning Tower of PISA
...predicting a complete Christine O'Donnell fiasco in Delaware
Did you predict the Meg Whitman fiasco in California too, or was that a surprise?
Edited on Dec 15, 2010 at 10:37amMay '10
Re: Data from the Podcast: The Leaning Tower of PISA
Words never before typed in a comments section: You were right, Mr. Murphy. (After re-reading my post, I realize that it could be construed as an insult. I actually meant that as derogatory towards comment sections in general and a complement for Mr. Murphy. My apologies.)
Edited on Dec 15, 2010 at 2:39pmMay '10
Re: Data from the Podcast: The Leaning Tower of PISA
Franco: ...predicting a complete Christine O'Donnell fiasco in Delaware
Did you predict the Meg Whitman fiasco in California too, or was that a surprise? · Dec 15 at 10:36am
Wasn't a surprise to Pat Caddell.
Also, some people are really superheroes in disguise...
Edited on Dec 15, 2010 at 2:03pmMay '10
Re: Data from the Podcast: The Leaning Tower of PISA
When is, or was, the wedding, Sir Murph?
I do tend to take a bit less panicked view of these stats. I agree that they are disgraceful, that K-12 education and the NEA in the US are lousy and needlessly costly, and that little Asian kids really work hard at memorizing facts and reciting them back.
But the smart ones come here for grad school, and many many stay. As Michael Barone points out, Hard America comes of age around 30, not 13 or 18, and entrepreneurs, which are still here more than any place else because of the (pre-Obama and perhaps again after) society, rewards, and free traditions, are what make things happen- even if the Chinese government does subsidize windmill factories.
You win with the 3 sigma tails of the distribution, and ours match with anyone. Harry Reid and Barbara Boxer worry me a lot more than China or Finland do.
Jun '10
Re: Data from the Podcast: The Leaning Tower of PISA
Duane Oyen: .
You win with the 3 sigma tails of the distribution, and ours match with anyone. Harry Reid and Barbara Boxer worry me a lot more than China or Finland do. · Dec 15 at 2:22pm
True enough, Duane, but -1 thru -3 sigma still vote and need to be employed at wages that are not grossly above the economic value of their output. Poor education at the lower tail makes it difficult or impossible to do more than take welfare or make-work.
May '10
Re: Data from the Podcast: The Leaning Tower of PISA
Kennedy informed me via FB that you were back, Mr. M. See, I was in seclusion busily manufacturing unleaded toys for tiny relatives. When I heard the news of your return, I think I let out a squeal of delight (maybe even muttered, "Drama! Drama! Drama!") and poked my head out of my hermitage. So. I'm ready for the fireworks now.
Edited on Dec 17, 2010 at 8:52am