Why is the United States so behind in Math and Science compared to other countries?
81533
These are my opinions on the matter (based on some experience):\n\n1. We don't PAY teachers well enough to attract qualified science and math majors into the field. If you could earn $50,000 to $100,000 per year right out of college as an engineer or scientist, why would you choose to take a government job with heavy bureaucracy that pays $25,000 to $35,000 per year and may take you ten years to reach the starting pay of other professionals? It takes a certain devotion to be willing to take that kind of pay cut just to be a teacher and most people are not willing. Some school districts are starting to outsource teachers from other countries. Even more frustrating to new teachers, many school districts will lay them off every year, and then rehire them as soon as the budget is approved. This encourages teachers to find better jobs. \n\n2. Education majors are not required to take enough math and science to really make them fluent in the subjects. I believe that in some cases the lack of difficult classes like math and science even appeals to education majors.  I am sure there are many well qualified education majors out there, but I do think that many do not like math and science. \n\n3. Many parents don't understand math and science. If kids don't see parents having an interest in the subject, they are unlikely to find it interesting themselves. They also will be hard-pressed to find help outside of school with these subjects if parents are not at least familiar with them. \n\n4. There is a large group of parents who actively oppose science and math in schools because they think it conflicts with their religious beliefs. This doesn't help their kids, because they come to school with closed minds and refuse to learn critical thinking skills.\n\n5. We also don't give teachers the respect they are given in other countries. In many countries teachers, even at grade school level, are referred to as Professors. Here they seem to be considered as tax burdens, instead of being treated like the essential resource that they are. Parents spend way too much time arguing with teachers instead of respecting their educational authority. If not for teachers who would have a job?  \n\nJust my 2 cents.
424344
It is very good for education, however job prospects are not so good. USA is the best!
950787
If you mean inches and feet and such instead of metric??? I think we got that from mother England.  Most of the world is now metric but I am sure the USA is not alone.  There must be other stubborn backward countries left out there.
323042
None of the above. The problem that confronts American Education is the lack of people who are running our Education system at the top level.  I am an educator but refuse to go into the school system of today because of the hyprocracy that it represents. Our American Education system has started slipping about 30 years ago and is, maybe to your surprise, behind that of China, India and elsewhere. American schools have gotten away from the basics of the three Rs.
103488
Science scores are slipping in the U.S., and they need to emphasize the importance and generate interest in science if the U.S. is going to stay the leaders of the world in scientific advancement.  Our youth need to do better in science!
614464
That's a single data point.  I wouldn't assume that other country's systems are better without more information.  I think we just get firehosed with info when it happens in the US vs elsewhere.
743644
1.  There is never two countries identically for their educational system.  Instead of identity, there may be similarities between them like Canada and United States.\n\nThe grade level is just a very small pie of the whole educational system.  We can not assume that there are two countries have 5 -3-4-4 (US and Canada), so they are the same. They are NOT the same.\n\n2.  There are no criteria for the best one because every system has bad and good aspects.  Some "good" ones are United States, England, Canada, Singapore.\n\n3.   It's hard to determine which one better, like Europe you may have England better than Japan as England is well-known, but we don't know the rest.
452724
On the contrary.. the country will continue its downward plunge. Education, for example, has been downgraded in standards to meet the levels of illegals who are flooding our schools with free education. The United States, even at this present time, is being competed against by countries such as India and China whose school systems ares devoted to edukcation in the true educational subjects.. not subjects devoted to sex education and other such nonsense. The United States has already started to feel the pinch of being a country that cannot compete in technology, and the other essentials that keeps a country strong.
532650
From what I have seen, American High schools pale in comparison to schools in other developed countries.  What we seem to be about a school behind.  Our college is their high school, out high school is their middle school.\n\nWhen I went to Europe on an exchange, the students in 10th grade were learning calculus and they had to take like 4 languages.  At home I was taking geometry and one measly Spanish class.\n\nAnd Asia is a WHOLE different story.  Their 5 year olds are smarter than American high schoolers.\n\nI think its a bit of a shame, but our government is so scared to single people out or leave people behind.  Everyone has to have an equal opportunity.  And I am all for equal opportunity, but if a student refuses to take advantage of his opportunity, then screw him.  Our laws keep "dumbing down" the curriculum and forcing homogeneous grouping (no smart kids classes and dumb kids classes) so the motivated kids get bored and aren't challenged, and the lazy kids don't do any better because they don't want to and they have no intent of trying any harder.  Schools can't kick out students who don't want to learn, and teachers get put in the middle of the whole mess.\n\nAnyway, I will stop ranting now...
1173037
People who want to make the United States education system look bad, take testing scores from other countries' high schools... which ONLY take students that are college-bound, and compare them to our high schools, which take EVERYBODY.\n\nMost countries, after the 6th or 8th grade, track lower academic performers into apprenticeships, vocational schools, and clerical schools. These students are not included in their high school testing scores that are compared to the United States high schools.\n\nIn the United States, all academic abilities are housed in one building, and take the same academic performance tests.\n\nOf course we don't appear to be doing as well as other countries.
696435
University education in the US is pretty much the best in the world (check the THES rankings for confirmation of this), largely because so many higher education institutions are private with large budgets, so they are able to provide top-class facilities and cherry-pick the most talented academics from all over the world.\n\nSchool education (primary and secondary) is less well regarded, this FT article shows rankings of global education systems - the US is 15th overall, but 42nd for maths and science. Incidentally, the UK is ranked higher for maths and science but MUCH lower for overall quality. It's not the best, but it's not bad either. It's also quite variable - individual states can set their own curricula, and school funding comes for the area immediately around the school - so schools in rich areas have lots of money and tend to achieve better results than schools in poor areas.\n\nIf you go to nationmaster (see sources) then you can see tables and graphs of countries based on all sorts of education statistics, it's really interesting to play around with and get a feel for how American education compares.
481851
If the USA is so superior, then why are the people in Louisiana still not back on their feet? Why hasn't Bush stepped in the help those people? Why does the rest of the world come before his own country? To answer your question, the USA in not superior.
863347
There is still quite a difference between our two countries, and I'd say vive le difference.  Of course, our good institutions like medicare are being undermined by corporate U.S., and I'm sad to say we have lots of traitors in our government who set their policies in tune with U.S. government.  We lost a lot of our sovereignty when a former conservative PM integrated us a lot into the American economy, and the present conservative government is continuing this path.  For example, we are now becoming associated with deservedly hated American foreign policy and losing our reputation of being fair and peace keepers.
947842
It depends on what subject you teach. In the United States, there is a tremendous shortage of math and special education teachers. There is also a shortage of science teachers, but to a slightly smaller degree. There is a surplus of history and physical education teachers.
160154
Because of the Achievement Gap.  You can read about it on PBS.\n\nhttp://www.pbs.org/closingtheachievementgap/
260770
Because America is so arrogant that it doesn't think it needs to join in with the rest of the civilized world and use the metric system like everyone else. Before you all start, yes, I'm American.
1104646
i don't think the USA is better then other countries i watch  the national geographic channel and its so interesting to learn about all the beliefs and customs of the world