"failing"
It is a well-known fact that American education is in crisis. Black
and Hispanic children have lower test scores than white and Asian
children. The performance of American students on international tests is
mediocre.
Less well known are contrary facts. The black–white
achievement gap, as a recent report put it, “is as old as the nation
itself.” It was cut in half in the 1970s and 1980s, probably by
desegregation, increased economic opportunities for black families,
federal investment in early childhood education, and reductions in class
size.1
Another
little-known fact is that American students have never performed well
on international tests. When the first such tests were given in the
mid-1960s, our students usually scored at or below the median, and
sometimes at the bottom of the pack. This mediocre performance is
nothing to boast about, but it is not an indicator of future economic
decline.
-- Ravitch,
School Reform
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