Tägliche Diskussion - 4. Dezember 2024

Schlechte Testergebnisse von Schülern in Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften in den USA

U.S. scores were no better than when the tests were first given in 1995. In math, the recent declines wiped out years of gains. American science scores have fallen since 2015, although the latest drops from 2019 weren’t statistically significant.

The results come as President-elect Donald Trump has criticized America’s education system and pledged to abolish the federal Education Department. Wednesday’s release did come with a slice of good news, though: U.S. students still score above international averages, which include countries with a range of economic levels.

Some other…   countries’ scores also declined since before the pandemic, but U.S. rankings slid comparatively on some measures, falling to 24 out of 45 education systems in eighth-grade math and 15 out of 63 in fourth-grade science.

Countries whose performance moved ahead of the U.S. included Finland in math, England in science, and Poland for both subjects in fourth grade.

High-scoring countries included Singapore, Japan and England.

Officials say it is difficult to determine why some places excel and others struggle. The quality of a country’s schools, as well as other factors like poverty, can influence test performance. Carr said some countries use curriculum that is more closely aligned with the TIMSS exams.

Even as U.S. schools have long since returned to normal from Covid-19 closures, educators struggled with new challenges. More teachers have left the profession. Student misbehavior and absenteeism jumped.

“Coming out of Covid, parents and students got comfortable with the idea that it’s OK to stay home,” said Suzan Harris, a middle-school principal in Butts County, Ga. Chronic absenteeism rates have improved recently, but remain elevated compared with prepandemic figures, according to an American Enterprise Institute compilation of state data.

In the years before the pandemic, national exams showed that school achievement was already stagnating or declining.

Südkorea im Chaos: Präsident sieht sich mit Hochverratsvorwürfen und Massenprotesten konfrontiert

South Korea’s opposition parties moved swiftly on Wednesday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, hours after his failed attempt to impose martial law triggered the country’s worst constitutional crisis in decades.About 190 lawmakers from six opposition parties submitted an impeachment motion, intending to discuss the bill in parliament on Thursday before a vote on Friday or Saturday.As pressure built on members of Yoon’s own party to support the impeachment bid, thousands of protesters against the president gathered in central Seoul.“[Yoon] is someone who can press the button to start war…   or declare martial law again. He is the one who can put South Korea in biggest jeopardy now,” said Cho Kuk, leader of one of the opposition parties, who urged the country’s legal authorities to arrest Yoon immediately for investigation over treason.“We should immediately suspend his presidential duties by impeaching him.”The move to try to oust Yoon heralds further political turmoil in the country of 52mn, Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a key US ally.It came after the conservative president declared martial law in an unscheduled national broadcast late on Tuesday, saying he needed to purge South Korea of “anti-state forces” and “normalise the country”.Yoon backed down hours later, lifting the order after it was unanimously rejected by the opposition-controlled legislature. Troops sent to surround the parliament building were withdrawn.Defence minister Kim Yong-hyun, a high school contemporary of Yoon’s who had previously headed presidential security, offered to resign on Wednesday evening. Yoon’s own conservative People Power party had previously called for the president to sack Kim, whom it believes suggested declaring martial law.Party leaders are discussing if Yoon should leave the party, according to state-run Yonhap News, while the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, has called for an indefinite strike until the president stepped down.South Korea’s main opposition, the Democratic party, labelled the declaration of martial law “a clear act of treason” and “a perfect reason” to impeach the president.“[Yoon] is likely to make another attempt as his first attempt at a martial decree failed,” Lee Jae-myung, the party leader, told a rally in the parliamentary compound. “But we face a bigger risk where he can provoke North Korea and run the risk of an armed clash with North Korea by destabilising the divided border.”