Pacific Asian countries – South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong, China – round out the top four of 39 countries in a recent Global Index of Cognitive and Educational Attainment published by Pearson, a multinational publishing and education company headquartered in London. The United States ranked No. 14.
The index is “a poll of polls,” combining a number of international rankings, including the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), for example. It also factors in measures of adult skills, employment, crime and myriad education data on learning outcomes such as literacy and graduation rates.
An accompanying report, The Learning Curve, was written by The Economist Intelligence Unit to interpret data about 50 of the world’s education systems.
Some of the report’s major conclusions:
- Pacific Asian countries continue to rise by combining “effective education systems with a culture that prizes effort above inherited smartness.”
- Countries face “the significant challenge of improving skills and knowledge in adulthood for people who were let down by their school system.”
- Education correlates with economic growth. The report notes that half of the economic growth in developed nations in the past 10 years can be attributed to better skills.
- Teachers, along with student and parent engagement, are some of the most important factors for improved academic performance.
“Even in the richest countries, fewer than half of school students are career or college ready, with the result that higher education institutions and employers often find themselves re-skilling school leavers before they embark on the next phase of their lives,” writes John Fallon, Chief Executive of Pearson, in the forward of the report.
The report identifies a new range learning goals and pathways that are important for 21st century success:
- Leadership
- Digital literacy
- Communication
- Emotional intelligence
- Entrepreneurship
- Global citizenship
- Problem-solving
- Team-working
“In recent years it has become increasingly clear that basic reading, writing and arithmetic, while essential, are not necessarily enough,” the report says. “The importance of non-cognitive skills – usually defined as abilities important for social interaction – is also pronounced.
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