A riddle wrapped in irony
The leading industrialized nations are aware that the U.S. reports that 50% of its high school graduates do not meet minimum proficiency in reading, writing, or math according to NAEP standards.
Surprisingly, despite its internal challenges, the U.S. K–12 system is viewed by other developed countries as the best in the world.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/best-countries-for-education
United States #1 in Education Rankings No Change in Rank from 2023
Per the U.S. News and World Report, “It’s also worthwhile to note that while the Best Countries study is certainly respectable, other studies use different methodologies or emphasize different criteria, which often leads to different results. For example, the Global Citizens for Human Rights’ annual study measures ten levels of education, from early childhood enrollment rates to adult literacy.”
World Population Overview
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/education-rankings-by-country
Education Rankings by Country 2024: United States #1, United Kingdom #2, Germany #3, Canada #4, France #5, Switzerland #6, Japan #7, Australia #8, Sweden #9, Netherlands #10.
Click the + to see more and the — to see less.
The "Best in the World" contradiction
Not only are U.S. NAEP results dismal, but international tests such as PISA and TIMSS also rank the United States embarrassingly low among industrialized nations.
So, why do other industrialized nations regard U.S. education as the best? And why do families around the world make significant sacrifices to send their children to the U.S. for both public K–12 and higher education?
The world's answer to the U.S. K-12 riddle
As demonstrated by NAEP assessments in reading, writing, and math, nearly 50% of U.S. students in the K–12 pipeline do not meaningfully participate in America’s extraordinary K–12 learning opportunity. Even among those who meet minimum proficiency—often just barely—their performance frequently falls well below their true talent and potential.
As other industrialized nations may observe, it is this “subpar” participation by U.S. students that skews both domestic outcomes (e.g., NAEP) and international assessments such as PISA and TIMSS.
Further, these nations note a striking disparity: one school in a U.S. community may rank among the highest performers nationally, while another school just miles away ranks among the lowest. The underperforming school may be of similar age, possess comparable institutional resources, and serve students with similar potential. The gap in outcomes is vast; the difference in students is not. The difference is participation.
One final observation: other industrialized nations are often struck by the sheer scale of the U.S. K–12 education system. It spans a vast geographic area, serves an extraordinarily diverse and non-monolithic population, includes students from every background, and—unlike many systems abroad—does not engage in selective filtering. Faced with such demands, counterpart education systems would collapse.
Caution!
Do not rashly modify the U.S. K–12 system—one of the most resilient and inclusive education systems in the world.
Do not hastily impose programs like No Child Left Behind, or otherwise distract from or add to the burdens of its dedicated teachers.
Instead, consider this: a competent and powerful U.S. public K–12 education system is already in place.
To unleash its full potential for all students—without disrupting the system itself—call on true innovation.
Implement and test the HSe4Metrics platform.
The U.S. public K-12 system, as we know it today, can work brilliantly for all of its students.
An innovation that successfully reintegrates the K–12 pipeline’s lost 50%—while significantly enhancing outcomes for the top 50%—has the potential to ignite the greatest socioeconomic transformation of human capital the U.S., or the modern world, has ever seen—with results measurable in hard numbers.