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News Coverage August 2009

August 26, 2009— Education Week —“U.S. Running with Pack on International Tests”
Students in the United States show little distinction compared with most other countries in reading, mathematics, or science at any grade level or age--and, according to one international test, are near the bottom of the pack in math, says a special analysis released by the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education. On the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, both 4th and 8th graders scored above the scale average in math in 2007, and scores for U.S. students increased since 1995. Fourth graders in eight of the 35 other countries taking the test scored higher on average than 4th graders in the United States. Eighth graders in five of the 47 other participating countries performed better than American students. Students in grades 4 and 8 in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan scored higher than U.S. students in those grades in math. (Subscription required)

August 7, 2009— The Baltimore Sun —“Maryland Plans to Boost Math, Science Learning”
O'Malley convened the panel last year in hopes of receiving a plan for keeping Maryland's work force competitive in a global economy that prizes knowledge of science, technology, engineering and math. Statistics show that U.S. students are falling behind in those disciplines, known in the education world as STEM. "STEM education is the foundation of our ability to be a prosperous nation going forward," the governor said, echoing a sentiment often expressed by President Barack Obama. According to the task force report, only about one-third of Maryland's 2008 high school graduates took the minimal math and science courses needed to enroll in college-level STEM courses. But one of the plan's earliest goals is for two-thirds of the state's 2011 graduates to meet those minimum standards.

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