Students in America are Lagging in Science Scores Internationally

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Students in America have been lacking on science scores compared to the international scores from other countries. It is well-known that science can help move civilization to the next level, but it all starts in school.

“Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.”-Carl Sagan. The imagination of the future revolves around the skills taught in a science class. The 21st century is predicted to produce aircraft such as jetpacks and man-flying bikes and many more extravagant inventions. Based on the science scores, it seems Americans have to wait another century before eye-popping inventions are introduced or until other countries reach the mark. America is ranked fifteenth in science and twenty-fifth in mathematics. Countless amounts of money have been placed on education reforms, but where should the money go to improve such a trench? Many corporations and leaders have a solution for the issue. America is in a difficult position regarding science education, but there has been a lot of participation from leaders who can solve the issue and keep America ahead in technology, as it was in the previous centuries.

Students in America are lagging in science scores internationally. The Washington Post described a trend in which 40 of 65 countries and economies has grown relating to the length of students education and increase in workers. The international test is called Programme for International Student Assessment or PISA for short. It assesses students in math, english, and science. America has been ranked around fifteenth in all sections while rivals are at the top of the list.(1) Shanghai is listed with the highest scores in all sections and focuses primarily on the preparation of the teachers and pla...

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...ss.” (Charette)

So many people complain about being in the 21st century and not being able to see flying cars as the norm. Most people don’t realize that there is a lot of groundwork that has to happen before those “eye popping” inventions come to life. One aspect is that there has to be a bigger variety of classes for math and science. More has to be researched and experimented with in order for more to be produced. If class is more interesting and students actually want to go to class, then science education as a whole will be positively affected. Students that are interested in the possibilities of the future have to realize that they are the only ones who can change the future. We can only have flying cars if someone learns how to defy gravity. A lot has to be completed before any one person just thinks up “the answer” to all of science’s questions.

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