Latin America, U.S. do lousy in student math tests

(Photo: Desmond Boylan – AP)

The results of the new international PISA tests of 15-year-old students should be ringing alarm bells throughout Latin America: they show that 63 percent of Latin American students lack basic skills in math, and in some countries that figure is as high as 91 percent.

The figures are a strong reminder that education should become the No. 1 issue in Latin America’s political agenda. In an innovation-driven global economy in which math, science and engineering are keys to countries’ prosperity, the region’s poor academic performance is one of the biggest obstacles for economic progress.

The standardized test run by the OECD, a club of wealthy nations, was taken by more than half a million students in 70 countries and major cities. It is considered the world’s most important measure of countries’ education levels, and measures student skills in science, math, and reading comprehension.

The world’s top PISA test performer in math this year was Singapore, followed by Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and Japan. The United States ranked in an embarrassing 40th place in math, although it did much better in science (25) and reading (24.)

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