Asians Better in Math

American students, even in low-performing states such as Mississippi and Alabama, perform better on math and science tests than students in most foreign countries, including Italy and Norway, concludes a new American Institutes of Research study. However, American students in even the best performing states such as Massachusetts are significantly outperformed by students in Asian countries such as Singapore and South Korea. "In this case, the bad news trumps the good because our Asian economic competitors are winning the race to prepare students in math and science," says the study's author and chief scientist Gary W. Phillips. The study compared standardized test scores of eight-grade students in all 50 states with those of their peers in 45 countries. Gage Kingsbury, a director at the Northwest Evaluation Group, which administered testing in 1,500 school districts, praised the study's methodology, but says it is difficult to compare scores internationally because in many countries children do not start school at the same age and often not every child attends the eight grade. Kingsbury says such differences mean it would be a mistake to infer too much about the relative success of the education system across the states and nations examined in the study. Education Sector co-director Thomas Toch says the real value of the study is that it provides a high-level perspective of the nation's education system. "It shows we're not doing as badly as some say," says Toch.