The majority of participating countries have a national curriculum, with only nine, including the U.S., leaving curriculum decisions to educators at the local or state levels. Even though they are falling behind in mathematics, it is interesting to note that, on average, students in the U.S. spend more hours in mathematics and science classes than do students in Germany and Japan. Curricular comparisons with Germany and Japan show that less high-level mathematical thought is required of U.S. students. Through talking with teachers it was discovered that the primary goal of U. S. mathematics teachers is to teach students how to obtain answers, while teachers in other countries are more concerned with helping students understand mathematical concepts. U.S. teachers generally have more college education than their international counterparts.
Tracking seems to be implemented differently in the U.S., Germany, and Japan.
Students of differing abilities are typically divided into separate classrooms in the U. S. and Germany, but in Japan there is no ability grouping until after testing at grade ten. Also, differences in the content of mathematics courses were noted among different ability groups in the U.S., while in Germany and Japan the same concepts were addressed in all groups, with differences being limited to the depth or rigor of approach. More homework is given and more class time is spent discussing it in the U.S., but time spent on homework out of school was about the same for all three countries. S. In mathematics, U.S. 8th-graders outperformed peers in 17 nations, and performed lower than peers in 14. In science, U.S. 8th-graders outperformed their peers in 18 nations, and performed lower than peers in 14.