A lie from start to finish are studies about America's youth (described here) stating that there's an enomous loss in IT students and that US students are falling behind in disciplines with mathematical background. At least so tells another study, done by B. Lindsay Lowell (Georgetown Univ., WA; funnily enough a Catholic/Jesuit university like Marquette, that came to different results) and Hal Salzman, Urban Institute). Accoording to them, the situation isn't that dark as described elsewhere: the authors doubt the validity of international test rankings that are used as evidence for the weakness of today's students. Over the past ten years they have taken more math, science and foreign language courses than in previous decades.

Additionally, other countries' good international rankings might not necessarily lead to innovation, better jobs and a better economy for them: Singapore is promoting a national "creativity initiative" to widen its narrow teaching plans; India owes it success to a small percentage of its citizens who are building up a new middleclass but are nonetheless a minority. Throwing all these countries together the authors find doubtful. Even testing methods are critizised by Lowell and Salzman, because in the U.S. a broader selection of students than would be eligible in other countries has been tested.

Not all things are going smoothly, though: the "zip code determines education quality" phenomenon becomes a real problem. But compared to Germany's harsh social selection mechanisms where lower middle class children (and below) have significantly bigger problems in visiting good schools, making good graduations and getting good jobs than upper middle class children (and above). I'm not knowing much about trends and development in American society, but I hope that social egality is more distinct there than it is here.

Stay tuned: the next ten years will tell. (Source)