PISA envy?

How relevant are PISA scores [link]? And does Asian countries have great education systems?


Our Asian schooling infatuation: the problem of PISA envy

<<When we consider the emerging Asian “PISA stars” a number of things become apparent. The first is that most are not nations at all but cities or city states.

They are also predominantly authoritarian in their governance. Most have a tradition of rote learning, cramming and testing and all have placed a major premium on improving their PISA rankings.>>

<<Research on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) reveals that there is a negative correlation between TIMSS scores and how much children enjoy mathematics and how confident they are in their abilities.>>

<Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) [link]

 has been used to make an annual assessment of entrepreneurial activities, aspirations and attitudes in over 50 countries. The drive and capacity to be innovative are behind the sort of international competitiveness so beloved of governments everywhere.

...

Comparisons between the 23 countries which participate in both PISA and GEM reveal there is a strong negative correlation between the two measures: high on PISA predicts low on GEM. Copying from “the best” may thus also mean learning to lose an innovative spirit – a lesson no-one would wish to learn.>>

<there is a crisis in Australian schooling

 and this has eroded our self-belief and confidence. As a result, we are madly looking around for quick, simple solutions.>>

A very interesting article :)