Western Nations See a Decline in Test Scores for 15-Year-Olds

A variety of reasons are suggested for the drop, but no mention of the (woke) elephant in the room

Photo by Taylor Flowe on Unsplash

By Igor Stravinsky (Teacher, commentator)

Results for the Program for International Student Assessment – the so-called PISA test, written by 15-year-old (grade 10) students are in, and they are down across all developed nations. The test includes sections on reading, math, and science, which are regarded as the core areas of school curriculum. 

Who are the top 5 performers on the 2023 PISA tests? 

1. China

2. Singapore

3. Estonia

4. Japan

5. South Korea

Western nations fall in below these leaders.

“While it is evident that some countries and economies are performing very well in education, the overall picture is more worrying,” wrote OECD Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher in a report about the PISA 2022 test, which focused on math.

“In more than two decades of global PISA tests, the OECD average score has not changed drastically between consecutive assessments. But this cycle saw an unprecedented drop in performance.”

Reasons given include the pandemic, a general decline in perceived teacher support and the “extensive use of technology for leisure”. What is not mentioned is the ideological capture of Western nations and the resulting changes in educational policy that have occurred over the past few years.

Ontario Minister of Education Stephen Lecce serves as Chair of the Council of Ministers of Education here in Canada. He characterizes the test results as “overall, a very positive reflection” of the quality of education in Canada. That is a curious conclusion when Canada (and Ontario) is lagging behind China and Estonia, both of which are poor, economically, compared to Canada (and other Western Countries).

The fact is that in the early 2000’s Western countries were the leaders in educational outcomes. Finland was once top dog, and was regarded as the one to emulate. These days it has dropped down to mediocrity. 

Ministers of Education talk a good game but are of course politicians. As such, the decisions they make regarding education policy are motivated, primarily, by political concerns. These may result in maintaining or improving the quality of education, but often they do not.

The primary concern of governments of all stripes when it comes to the education system is keeping the costs down. There is of course nothing wrong with that. Taxpayers want value for their tax dollars. 

Nevertheless, it is easy to blame declining per capita spending on education for the slide in test results, and Teacher Unions and left-leaning political parties always do. Who can deny that, well invested, more funding means more programs and supports for students, especially underprivileged ones and those with learning disabilities?  

But the cold hard fact is that there does not seem to be much correlation between money spent and test results at the top of that list. To be sure, there are many more, arguably equally important, metrics by which to measure the quality of an education system than standardized test results, but anyone who pretends those test results don’t matter is either a liar or a fool.

So, if it isn’t money, what IS the common denominator among the highest achieving countries on these tests?

Ideology. Western countries have prioritized “equity, diversity, and inclusion” (EDI) and “decolonization” whereas the leaders of top ranked countries remain laser-focused on the pursuit of academic excellence. They want to compete globally- and win.

For an education system to get the best performance from its most talented and dedicated students, it must challenge them at every turn to strive for excellence. That simply can’t happen when your highest priority is equal outcomes for identity groups (be they race-based, gender-based, or what have you). 

To achieve “equity”, resources and opportunities must necessarily be taken away from students who are members of groups who are high achievers and handed over to students who are members of lower-achieving groups. Given the finite amount of resources the system can access, this can only mean one thing- mediocrity. 

The most obvious example is de-streaming, which I have written about extensively. But efforts to elevate students from “traditionally marginalized” groups (in a Canadian context we’re usually talking about black and indigenous kids), are ubiquitous in the system. Academic and behavioral expectations are simply lower for these kids. This creates the illusion of “equity” (more equal outcomes) but the reality is that a mark of 80% simply does not necessarily mean the same thing for an Asian kid as it does for a black kid. And on top of that, admission standards for postsecondary programs are much higher for Asians (the highest achievers) so they are often passed over for black kids with lower marks. The whole system is being dumbed down.

If we in the West want to continue to be leaders in the world economy and continue to enjoy a high standard of living and hope and dream for a better future, we cannot afford to water down our education system by arbitrarily providing handouts and shortcuts to kids based on race. We don’t have the luxury to delude ourselves by believing that actions taken now can erase group-based discrimination and marginalization that took place decades or even centuries ago. 

We cannot change the past. We need to ensure that the best and the brightest are given every opportunity to help us prepare for the future right now. 

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Thanks for reading. For more from this author, read The Farcical Saga of the Math Test for New Teachers Continues

Also, for more evidence of the ideological indoctrination in Canadian education, read Yes, schools are indoctrinating kids! And also, Yes, The University is an Indoctrination Camp!

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