Editing Education in the United States (section)

====International comparison====
{{see also|List of American universities and colleges outside the United States}}
In the [[OECD]]'s [[Programme for International Student Assessment]] 2003, which emphasizes problem-solving, American 15-year-olds ranked 24th of 38 in mathematics, 19th of 38 in science, 12th of 38 in reading, and 26th of 38 in problem-solving.<ref>{{cite web |title=International Outcomes of Learning in Mathematics Literacy and Problem Solving |url=http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2005/2005003.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050516053839/http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2005/2005003.pdf |archive-date=2005-05-16 |access-date=September 21, 2013 |publisher=National Center for Education Statistics}}</ref> In the 2006 assessment, the U.S. ranked 35th out of 57 in mathematics and 29th out of 57 in science. Reading scores could not be reported due to printing errors in the instructions of the U.S. test booklets. U.S.<!--PISA---> scores were behind those of most other developed nations.<ref>{{cite web |title=PISA 2006 Science Competencies for Tomorrow's World Volume 1: Analysis. |url=http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/39703267.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907200146/http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/39703267.pdf |archive-date=2015-09-07 |access-date=April 14, 2010}}</ref>
[[File:PISA Reading Scores (2018).png|center|On the 2018 PISA Reading test, Asian Americans, Asians, and European Americans outclass their global peers.]]

In 2007, Americans stood second only to Canadians in the percentage of 35 to 64-year-olds holding at least two-year degrees. Among 25 to 34-year-olds, the country stands tenth. The nation stands 15 out of 29 rated nations for college completion rates, slightly above Mexico and Turkey.<ref name="bfp081207" />

In 2009, US fourth and eighth graders tested above average on the [[Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study]] tests, which emphasizes traditional learning.<ref>{{cite news |author=Jay Mathews |author-link=Jay Mathews |date=October 19, 2009 |title=Tests don't always offer right answers |pages=3B |newspaper=Washington Post |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/class-struggle/2009/10/politicians_and_pundits_are_us.html#more|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130224114743/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/class-struggle/2009/10/politicians_and_pundits_are_us.html#more|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 24, 2013}}</ref>

In 2012, the OECD ranked American students 25th in math, 17th in science, and 14th in reading compared with students in 27 other countries.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Carnoy |first1=Martin |last2=Rothstein |first2=Richard |year=2015 |title=What International Test Scores Tell Us. |journal=Society |volume=52 |issue=2 |pages=122–128 |doi=10.1007/s12115-015-9869-3 |s2cid=143594805}}</ref>

In the 2013 OECD Survey of Adult Skills, 33 nations took part with adults ages 16 to 65, surveying skills such as: numeracy, literacy, and problem-solving. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) found that millennials—aged from teens to early 30s—scored low. Millennials in Spain and Italy scored lower than those in the U.S., while in numeracy, the three countries tied for last. U.S. millennials came in last among all 33 nations for problem-solving skills.<ref>National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). "No Time to Lose, How to Build a World-Class
Education System State by State." NCSL, Aug. 2016. Web. 07 Oct 2016.
<http://www.ncsl.org/documents/educ/EDU_International_final_v3.pdf>.
</ref>

In 2014, the United States was one of three OECD countries where the government spent more on schools in rich neighborhoods than in poor neighborhoods, the others being Turkey and Israel.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 24, 2015 |title=Education, and class. America's new aristocracy |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |url=https://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21640331-importance-intellectual-capital-grows-privilege-has-become-increasingly |access-date=January 29, 2015}}</ref>

According to [[U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Ranking|a 2016 report]] published by the ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'', of the top ten colleges and universities in the world, eight are American.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/rankings|title=Top World University Rankings – US Best Global Universities|work=U.S. News & World Report|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022072047/http://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/rankings|archive-date=October 22, 2016}}</ref>