What practices have you seen in other countries that could be applied successfully in the United States?

Can anyone tell me just exactly how these stats are gathered?  I have never known anyone who has taken an international test that would prove who was outperforming whom- any type of test that could compare one country to another would have cultural bias - so just how is this determined?

I have to also wonder (as teachme2 did) how the stats are gathered.  We have heard time and time again that other nations only test their brightest students and certainly do not test their special needs population.  Our nation tests close to 100% of our student population.

I also have to comment about our nation falling behind in Science and Engineering.  If in fact we are falling behind in these subjects I have to blame the fact that science is almost non existant in elementary schools across the U.S.  Reading and Math encompass about 95% of the day.  I understand the need for a good foundation in these areas for our students but there are some really bright budding Scientists and Engineers that check out long before they get to high school because they are not introduced to Science at an early age.  We need to bring back the Sciences!

Check out this link:

http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9605&page=82

This is just one source amongst many that articulate the data gathered from international testing, and how yes, it provides a valuable comparision from which to make improvements going forward.

You will see answers to such questions as:

Did TIMSS Compare All U.S. Students with Just the Best Students in Other Countries?

Aren't Students at the End of Secondary School Too Varied in Age, from One Country to Another, to Compare Them?

Isn't TIMSS Just a ''Horserace'' That Puts Too Much Emphasis on Test Scores Without Revealing Substantive Insights into Our Educational System?

Don't Cultural Differences among the TIMSS Countries Render Test Score Comparisons Meaningless?

Our political leaders are charging forward without the least regard to the most fundamental of problem-solving skills!   Typical of modern American culture!

FIrst and foremost:  find a model to emulate!  Any fool can google "what country has the best school systems in the world" and find a model to emulate!

I doesn't matter what I say, you say, they say...it doesn't matter... a model exists that is far better than ours!  Begin by adopting the Finnish model, and adapt it from there!

I find it absolutely grotesque that we don't hear about Finnish schools from EVERYBODY that talks about educational reform!

Get with the science!  Start telling people to do their own friggin' research, and do what's best!

We have to admit: Learning can not happen unless good behavior is in place. Let us start with respect. Most asian students would not dream of even addressing their teachers by their first names. It is always Mr. So and So; Mrs. So and so; Dr. so and so. They revere teachers and  follow the rules and instructions given them even more so than they do their parents. They would not dream of violating a mistake twice; feel very very sorry for commiting one the first time to begin with. Teachers have total control of the classroom as a result because the students know they ARE the students and the teachers ARE the teachers. There is that built in distinction between students and teachers and about who is and is not incharge of things. 

SHAME. SHAME AND HUMILIATION.

I taught English as a Foreign Language in South Korea earlier this year, and now I'm teaching high school in the San Francisco Bay Area. When I was in Korea, I heard horror story after horror story about corporal punishment and fourteen hour school days from my college and high school students.

>____>

I think we could use this model! Obama says it works, and just look at their math scores. Let's do it!

I had my early education in Cuba in the 1950's (c'mon,  I am not that old).  I feel I benefitted for my entire life from skills I learned, a bit different than in the US.  Rote learning had value. The appreciation for information about other cultures and geography was very important. History was a very important subject as well as civility in society.  American society has to change not just the way we teach and learn.

Give kids a framework and some structure. Their day should be a day (9 to 5), not half a day. Part of that day should be used to do their homework. Teach them the basics before trying to instill critical thinking skills. They should rely on a teacher to teach them how to go through a problem, how to write an essay, how to learn a lesson... Basic knowledge and reasoning are fundamental. Tests should be overhauled, multiple choice abandoned. Students should have to show in a test how they go from the question/problem to the answer/result and teachers should consider all the steps to grade them. This would show any weakness in the reasoning process or any lack of basic knowledge that needs to be addressed. America fosters creativity and kids should be encouraged in that sense. This is one of the great strength of this country. But, in my opinion, novelty in the classroom (video games and the such) should be given room only after the basics are taught, learned and understood. The tools to learn, whether they are modern or old, cannot substitute the learning itself.

Finland has a good and internationally well recognized public education system.

There the focus is in learning, not as much in teaching, because learning is understood to be an individual experience. No high stakes testing before the end of High School. Short school days with lots of recess time. Students are given time to learn and think. There is excellent Early Childhood Education system - for all children- that helps students be school ready when they arrive to 1st grade (in August of the year they turn 7).

Children start learning their first foreign language on grade 3 (usually English), and history biology, georgaphy, chemistry and physics on grade 5. Yet their school days are 6 hours or less, and there is a 15 minute recess break after every 45 minutes of class time.

Instead of blaming the politics and everything else, important thing to be removed from US education system is to remove the "Hotel Mentality" of academic institutes across the board.