Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

Is the education system working?

PISA, the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment, measures 15-year-olds’ ability to use their reading, mathematics, and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges. Its league table of results suggests which of the 90 participating countries have been able to improve their education system and student performance.

But when we look back at people throughout history who have made a significant impact on society, it’s not their school reading, math, or science test results that measure their success.

One well known winner of the Nobel Prize for physics was told by his teacher at school that he would ‘never amount to anything.’ For Albert Einstein, it was his fascination with the invisible forces that deflected a compass needle and a book on science that ignited his lifelong fascination with the world around him. But how do we strike a balance between the core curriculum and the invaluable importance of developing a child’s hard and soft skills, their curiosity, and their creativity?…Read More

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The link between early childhood education and PISA scores

Buried under the  headlines of the last week  about the newly released Program for International Student Assessment results — which showed American 15-year-old students nowhere near the top on the 2012 math, reading and science tests, is an interesting bit of data, the Washington Post reports. It’s the connection between early childhood education and the top-performing PISA nations. PISA is given by an organization called the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which is made up of 34 countries, including the United States, China, Germany and Japan. In the majority of OECD countries, more than three quarters (79%) of 4-year olds are enrolled in early childhood education programs. And according tothe report on 2012 PISA scores released last week, across OECD countries, students who attended early childhood programs performed better—a full year ahead of their peers…

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PISA results yield 4 key actions for U.S. education

“Stagnant” U.S. PISA performance is a call to action, experts say

US-PISAU.S. students lagged behind their international counterparts in reading, math, and science, and students’ performance remained flat as other countries’ students improved, according to much-anticipated data from the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

The PISA is an international study launched in 1997 that assesses 15-year-olds in reading, math, and science every three years in an effort to evaluate worldwide education systems.

This year, test results focused on math in particular. According to key findings, the U.S. ranked 26th out of the 34 OECD countries. While math performance was below average, science and reading performance stayed close to average, with the U.S. ranking 17th in reading and 21st in science.…Read More

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How PISA results will impact U.S. schools

International PISA test results can help guide U.S. schools, experts say

PISA-rankingsMuch debate has focused on the role of international rankings and assessments in U.S. education. Experts say U.S. education leaders can use data about top performing countries to inform U.S. education practice.

One such test is the PISA, an international study launched in 1997 that assesses 15-year-olds in reading, math, and science every three years in an effort to evaluate worldwide education systems. PISA results will be made public on International PISA Day, which takes place on Dec. 3.

The test reveals the “importance of deeper learning skills such as critical thinking and problem solving,” said Robert Rothman, a senior fellow with the Alliance for Excellent Education (AEE) during a PISA preview webinar on Nov. 21.…Read More

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The top 10 ed-tech stories of 2010: No. 9

President Obama launched several new initiatives in 2010 aimed at improving STEM education.

Results from the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment, released in late 2010, showed the United States continuing to fare in the middle of the pack in terms of math and science achievement; U.S. students ranked 25th out of 65 industrialized countries in average math scores on the exam, and 17th in science.

But even before the new PISA figures came out, federal officials had ramped up their efforts to boost science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.…Read More

What U.S. schools can learn from abroad

Experts say PISA results are a good indicator of future economic success.

U.S. students once again placed near the middle of the pack in the latest international comparisons in reading, math, and science—and the program’s organizers have issued a list of key characteristics that top-performing nations share.

These keys to success include training, respecting, paying, and empowering their teachers more fully; emphasizing preschool education; pairing successful schools with struggling ones; and personalizing the learning process for students.…Read More

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