Every month brings a new round of media reports claiming that American students are slipping compared with those in other countries. America prides itself on being a nation of fast talkers whose verbal and reading skills are world-class. To some extent, this is true. But Americans dropped to eighth place by the age of fourteen. Earlier this year, an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education noted that only 75,243 students scored 600 or above on the verbal Scholastic Aptitude Test in 1992, compared with 116,630 in 1972.
American children lag still further behind in the areas of math and science.
But Nancy Mead, who directed the 1992 IAEP study, offers little comfort to parents who want to rationalize its findings. To say that we are mediocre is kind. The answer is low expectations. Other countries assume that it takes effort. The dismal report card on U.S. schools has sparked a call for national standards.