Students at the University of Sheffield have donated four tonnes of goods to city charities. As...
Why Recent Graduates Should Join Code for America
Sympathy for the dodgy salesmen of Australian politics
Babel Rising
T.C. Boyle: Incorporating Environmentalism in Art
The Stone Roses confirm all planned shows to go ahead after Ian Brown calls Reni a 'c**t' onstage
Waiting... and waiting... and waiting for Superman
Waiting... and waiting... and waiting for Superman

By Caroline Kitchener (The Daily Princetonian, Princeton University)

"Top Test Scores from Shanghai Stun Educators.”

On Tuesday, that was the title of the most viewed article on The New York Times website. I stared at my computer screen, baffled by the verb choice.

Stunned? Really?

We have been talking about falling behind China since the 1980s. Thomas Friedman said it in his book “The World is Flat,” President George W. Bush said it when promoting No Child Left Behind, and, most recently, director David Guggenheim said it in his newest documentary, “Waiting for Superman.”

Here are the “stunning” statistics: Out of the 34 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States now ranks 25th in math, 17th in science and 14th in reading on the Program for International Student Assessment. Shanghai, however, ranks first across the board.

This article is published at The Daily Princetonian- click the link to read more or for more information

blog comments powered by Disqus
 
Will We Heed President Obama's Call for a More Empathic Society?
14 jan  |  Will We Heed President Obama's Call for a More Empathic Society? . . read more
Student Sues University For Right To Bear Arms On Campus
3 feb  |  The lunacy of the Second Amendment is something that is tearing the U.S apart and making the world think that the country must be mentally deficient. Here we see lunacy at its most ridiculous when students feel they need to pack heat on campus. Incredible.  . . read more
Report Details Hacks Targeting Google, Others
4 feb  |  It’s been three weeks since Google announced that a sophisticated and coordinated hack attack dubbed Operation Aurora recently targeted it and numerous other U.S. companies.

Until now we’ve only known that the attackers got in through a vulnerability in Internet Explorer and that they obtained intellectual property and access to the Gmail accounts of two human rights activists whose work revolves around China. We also know a few details about how the hackers siphoned the stolen data, which went to IP addresses in Taiwan. About 34 mostly undisclosed companies were breached

Kim Zetter writing for WIRED explains more  . . read more

As tuition rises, more students reconsider community college as a new alternative
3 feb  |  In a supposed meritocracy it has always seemed strange to me how difficult it is for poor but capable young people to study at university in the U.S. It seems that the gap between the haves and the have-nots is widening meaning even more people will be left by the wayside; however Shosee Jau from the Daily Bruin- UCLA's daily student newspaper- speaks to her admissions director about a different option for prospective students . . read more
Patriotic Teen Fails Spanish
26 mar  |  Jean Anne Whorton goes Beyond The Facts, talking to the high school sophomore who has become a conservative hero for refusing to learn his Spanish vocabulary.

Are you fighting for freedom? How are you protesting and reacting against America's decline? Tell us and remember...Disqus!  . . read more

Team of Rivals: U.S., China Come to Japan’s Quake Aid
17 mar  |  Team of Rivals: U.S., China Come to Japan’s Quake Aid . . read more
Beijing suspects false flag attack on South Korean corvette
29 may  |  Beijing suspects false flag attack on South Korean corvette . . read more
UCLA Student Rant On Asians Video
16 mar  |  Ana Kasparian and Cenk Uygur break down an offensive YouTube rant by a UCLA business major who decries (among other things) 'rude' Asians talking on their cell phones in the library while she's trying to study for finals. She doesn't have much sympathy for those who might be calling to check on family members in Japan in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami.

What's your thoughts tell us and remember...Disqus!  . . read more

HPD Travel: When you lose the right
10 may  | 

By Sean Maguire

For most young Westerners, traveling is seen as an inalienable right and a rite of passage when becoming an adult. With the story that Chinese dissident writer Liao Yiwu has been refused permission to attend an Australian literary festival - perhaps this right needs rethinking.

We need to realise that while international borders might seem more fluid and more open in this era of globalization; for the world's most dangerous thinkers their country can act as an enormous prison stopping them from leaving to learn from foreigners and spreading messages their government doesn't like.

It's time we realise that traveling is still a luxury enjoyed by a privileged few that has to be used to learn and change situations where it is still restricted.

What do you think about the story of Liao Yiwu? Has it made you rethink your ideas on travel and the responsibilities that this comes with? Tell us and remember....Disqus!

 

 . . read more
'Wattle Day' by Chris Johnston Schooling in the classroom without walls
6 feb  |  The furore that erupted when Chinese-American mother Amy Chua accused Westerners of being too soft on their children masks a subtle sharpening of middle class parental expectations in Australia. by Catherine Marshall  . . read more
blogs   100words
 
"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." -- Ronald Reagan (1986)