Shameful

In homage to the Emperor and his fine new clothes, the U.S. has withdrawn from the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The study is an international measure of high school seniors' abilities in algebra, geometry, calculus and physics. Get a load of this:

In the past, the American results have been shockingly poor. In the last survey, taken in 1995, students from only two countries—Cyprus and South Africa—scored lower than U.S. school kids.

No kidding. Cyprus and South Africa. We should be very proud.

Conspiracy theorists suggest that the U.S. government withdrew from the study without making any announcement because it anticipated another poor showing.

Ya think?

But, wait--

Federal officials deny the charge. Mark S. Schneider, the commissioner for the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, says the decision was made after a number of other countries decided not to participate. “We looked at the countries who are participating, our scarce resources and our overextended staff,” says Schneider, “and we decided to give it a pass.”

Ironic choice of words, don't you think?

The full article is here.