The poorest 10% of Vietnamese students performed better on an international exam than the average American teen
The United States ranked lower than third-world countries on the Program for International Student Assessment
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the results of its 2015 global rankings on student performance in mathematics, reading, and science, on the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA.
Once again, the United States did poorly compared to other countries and territories, outranked by 38 countries in math, 24 in science, and 22 in reading.
The results are especially stark when looking at US student achievement compared to much poorer countries, Andreas Schleicher, director of education and skills at the OECD, noted on CNN Monday.
“Today the 10% of the most disadvantaged children in Vietnam — and they grow up in very poor households — those children do better than the average American child,” Schleicher said.
Vietnam outperformed the US in both math and science. The average income of a citizen in Vietnam is US$5,070 yearly, compared with US$53,470 for the US.
It’s a point that President-elect Trump repeatedly hammered on during his campaign.