Why is the educational standard of the U.S. lower than other countries?

Question

I am a part time university student, and very often I admire how international students get surprisingly good grades than the avergae American students.

And I have read many reports of the U.S. early educational standard is lower than the other European and Asian nations'.

Why is the U.S. educational standard lower than the other countries?

Answer 1

I'm not sure the standard is lower, I would love to read the articles you speak of in your question.  After all you are aware that pre-schools have waiting lists now, right?  Did you know that That most  kindergartners have spelling lists now? In K!?.  I do know however that the methods of delivering instruction are different. Other countries have been using for years the techniques that are just becoming popular here (group work, hands on, discovery, etc.).

On the other hand, I feel like many of our students see school not as a privilege, but as a right which they take for granted.  I don't think your international counterparts are getting good grades because they are smarter, or had better schooling.  I think they are simply more driven.  They see the power of education and put the time and effort into getting good grades.  

Answer 2

oh oh! i can answer this one!

the american government put schooling on a back burner,and neglected to pay teachers what they're worth.

the teachers influenced by state testing gear the lessons toward the tests. i was never 'prepared' for IOWA testing, but I always did great. the CSAP here in golorado was used as a grading system for the schools, they even started bribing kids to take the tests!

and reading, how often do kids want to read a book? i love reading! i think theres an age of exposure. when i was little, i had books, as i got older my parents got us kids a super nintendo (my brother was at that age at the time) then as he got a little older they put him into sports, which he hated, but our littlest brother was at that age of exposure.

i love to read

middle brother loves video games

little brother loves sports of all genres.

and my final point: home learning. trips to the zoo, to the museum, to the library are sorely lacking. often both working to make ends meet. having cable so that the discovery channel is accessible is the best a lot of parents can do. I love watching learning channels, but its not a complete replacement for out of the house learning. and a lot of parents are simply not intelligent. dumb parents raising dumb kids to be dumb parents.

not all of them, but some parents are definately high on the idiocy scale.

all in all, its about standards. too many people scoot by, and leave their kids struggling to learn, turning them into the same parents. a vicious cycle.  

Answer 3

Because Americans don't take school seriously and don't care if they're CEO of a company, or a fry cook at Mc Donalds. It's sickening.

I'm American, by the way. And I TRY at school. Ugh, some losers just sit there and day dream. It's no wonder they're the ones with D's in every class.

Answer 4

We definitely have a number of bad public schools, especially in southern and urban areas. I also believe it's the fact that many Americans simply don't value education. In Asia and Europe, education is highly valued, and students are motivated to work hard. Although I go to a good public high school, I'm fully aware of the number of poor schools in America. I even have some friends who go to one. Incompetent teachers, lack of funding, and too much emphasis on standardized testing all contribute to a poor school.