Need for Real Instructional Reform

In spite of the United States spending over 6.7 percent of its GDP on education, elementary through university, the most spent by any of the other Group of Eight nations, students in the U.S. performed in the middle to lower middle of students in other G-8 countries on international tests of reading, mathematics and science. Moreover the U.S. awarded the lowest number of first university degrees in science, mathematics and engineering-related fields, and the highest number of first degrees in arts and humanities [1]. The G-8 countries are among the world’s most economically developed countries, our leading global economic partners and competitors.

On international science achievement tests of fourth and eighth grade students in 46 countries, U.S. students ranked from 4^th to 22^nd [2]. The U.S. increased its per-pupil spending over ten times from 1921 to 1996 in constant 1982-1984 dollars, from $399 in 1921 to $4,090 in 1966—the last years for which figures were given [3]. Testing by the National Assessment of Educational Progress of fourth, eighth and twelfth-grade students from all over the U.S. found virtually no improvement in achievement between 1966 and 2005 in science, mathematics, reading and writing [4]

The relatively dismal achievement of students in spite of increased spending is not a unique problem of the United States. Reports by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development--rich countries representing 87 percent of the world economy--show they have also been pouring money and political energy into education [5]. Average spending rose by almost two-fifths in real terms between 1995 and 2004. But the latest report by the International Student Assessment shows the average achievement of over 400,000 students in reading, mathematics and science has remained largely flat. While comparable achievement data are not available for training programs in business and industry, there is no reason to expect them to be any more effective than those in education for which we have abundant data.

The instructional reforms that have been tried through out the developed world over the last half century have not been effective in dramatically increasing student achievement. In order to do so, we must take the road yet un-traveled. That is the purpose of this blog

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1 Miller, D.C., Sen, A., Malley, L.B., and Burns, S.D. (2009). (NCES 2009-039). Comparative indicators of education in the United States and other G-8 countries: 2009. National Center for Educational Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, Department of Education. Washington, D.C.

2 Martin, M.O., Mullis, I.V.S., Gonzalez, S.J., and Chrostowski, S.J. (2003). TIMSS & PRILS. International Study Center, Boston College.

3 Carter, S.B. (Ed.). (2006) Historical statistics of the United States. Cambridge University Press.

4 National Assessment of Educational Progress. (2009). U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Educational Sciences.

5 The race is not always to the richest. The Economist, (2007, December 8), pp. 69-70.