Not only is the US being outdone by many countries on a global scale when it comes to studies, it is not even the best North American country. Apparently, PISA exams proves Canadian kids are smarter than American kids in math, reading, and science. The US has never really fared well in the PISA exams and has fallen even further behind, as shown by the 2015 test rankings. It would be bad enough for the country to place behind Canada in any skill, but to fall behind, and by a distance, in all three is simply outrageous.
While Canada ranks tenth, third and sixth in math, reading, and science respectively, US students could only place 40th, 24th, and 24th respectively. It’s not that there’s just a gap, it looks more like a chasm that cannot be closed. However, is the situation as dire as the scores indicate? Before we delve into the discussion, we suggest you take a look at the related topic – 20 Countries That Have Smarter Kids Than America, and see which other countries, besides Canada, can boast about having more intelligent children than America.So, is the statement “PISA exams proves Canadian kids are smarter than American kids in math, reading, and science” really true?
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As mentioned earlier, US students have generally scored poorly in these tests, but the number one economy in the world and the only superpower is still the US by far. Critics may argue that the tests indicate that it is the next generation that will face issues and could lead to the US losing the edge it has over other countries, but I digress. Some of the most valuable companies in the world, such as Apple and Facebook, have been the brainchild of Americans. There is no other country in the world that has such an encouraging market. Therefore, even if the average kid in the US is not as smart as the average kid in Canada, the smartest kid in the US may still be a lot smarter than the smartest kid in Canada.
On the other hand, this could also indicate that countries such as Canada take the test much more seriously, prepare its students better for the test, and ultimately perform better when compared with countries such as America. But does this mean that there are absolutely no issues in US education? Not really. There are definitely issues in the education system in the country, some of which we will discuss to determine why Canadian kids are smarter than American kids.
Children out of school
We are continuing with the elaboration of the statement “PISA exams proves Canadian kids are smarter than American kids in math, reading, and science” further more – to earn an education, one needs to go to school. It is a simple trade-off but one many American parents have failed to adhere to. Over a million American children are not going to primary school, or a ratio of 5.64 children per every 1,000 students. On the other hand, Canada has a ratio of 0.0615 students per every 1,000 who do not go to school. This difference is vast. It could be quite possible that one of the most brilliant children on Earth is currently in the US, but cannot apply his intellect due to being unable to get an education.
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The level of teachers
Teachers mold children, often more than even their own parents do. That is why it is absolutely integral and important to make sure that teachers are competent in their jobs and can take care of the kids. Canada has strict training regiments and requirements for anyone who wants to become a teacher, while it is comparatively easy to become a teacher in the US. Furthermore, teachers cannot be overburdened with students. You could be the best teacher in the world but if you have a class of over 50 people, your impact will be close to none, especially where the younger kids are concerned, who need more one-on-one attention. An important statistic in this regard is actually in the favor of the US, showing that there are 4.58 teachers per 1,000 students in Canada, while there are 5.49 teachers per 1,000 students in the US. This early attention may be the reason why children feel they are allowed to be more creative, giving the US the reputation for providing a nurturing environment for the growth of geniuses. Can this be the reason why the statement “PISA exams proves Canadian kids are smarter than American kids in math, reading, and science” might be true?
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Uniform access to funding
One of the downfalls of the United States has been that the wealthy districts can easily obtain more funding while the poorer districts get the rest, if any at all. This creates a perpetual cycle of ensuring the rich remain rich while the poor remain poor due to lack of opportunities. While such gaps exist in Canada as well, they are on a much lower basis, and funding is much more uniform across the country, which may be the reason why the statement “PISA exams proves Canadian kids are smarter than American kids in math, reading, and science” is correct.
