A new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which tracks education in 30 industrialized nations, finds that while the United States is among the leaders in public and private educational spending, America's 15 year-olds only score average on international assessments of math, reading and science.
The latest edition of OECD's report, Education at a Glance, also indicates that the U.S. high school graduation rate was below the world average in 2001. Nonetheless, the report reveals, American teachers are among the hardest working, spending 950 hours or more per year at school (compared to the international average of 792 hours).
In related news, after a 19-year absence, the U.S. rejoined the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Oct. 1. Secretary Paige led the U.S. delegation, and First Lady Laura Bush helped raise the U.S. flag over UNESCO headquarters in Paris. In his remarks, Secretary Paige noted the consistency between No Child Left Behind and UNESCO's education initiative, "Education For All," which pledges to provide primary education for all children and massively reduce adult illiteracy by the end of the decade. Secretary Paige's remarks are available at www.ed.gov/news/speeches/2003/10/10032003.html.
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