Linda Darling-Hammond on Becoming Internationally Competitive

TL;DR

Education in the United States needs to focus on higher-order thinking and performance skills in order to compete internationally.

Transcript

In the United States now, we're talking a lot about international competition, internationally benchmarked standards and so on. And I wanted to see what is actually happening in terms of teaching and learning in other countries. So I've looked at a lot of high-achieving countries, and it became very clear to me right away that the issue is not ju... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤔 American education needs to prioritize higher-order thinking and performance skills to compete internationally.
• 😫 High-achieving countries have a lean set of standards that focus on depth and progression.
• 🚄 Teachers in high-achieving countries are well-trained and supported with ample planning and learning time.
• 🥘 American education currently focuses on content coverage and multiple-choice testing, which leads to shallow understanding and low achievement.
• 💯 Science education is disappearing in American classrooms due to accountability systems that prioritize reading and math scores.
• 🤔 Common Core standards and new assessments are being developed at the federal level to address the need for higher-order thinking and performance skills.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does the United States compare to other countries in international assessments?

The United States ranks 35th in math, 29th in science, and has been declining in reading on international assessments. This shows a clear need for improvement in American education.

Q: What do high-achieving countries prioritize in their teaching and learning systems?

High-achieving countries like Finland and Singapore prioritize higher-order thinking and performance skills, using school-based and external assessments that include research, inquiry, and extensive writing.

Q: How do American education standards compare to those of other countries?

American education standards are often expansive and cover a wide range of objectives superficially. This leads to the reteaching of topics and a lack of deep understanding. In comparison, countries like Finland have a lean set of standards that focus on depth and progression.

Q: How do high-achieving countries train their teachers?

High-achieving countries like Finland provide three years of graduate-level teacher education before teachers even enter the classroom. This extensive training ensures that teachers can effectively teach all students.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The United States is falling behind in international assessments such as PISA, ranking 35th in math and 29th in science.

• High-achieving countries like Finland and Singapore prioritize higher-order thinking and performance skills in their teaching and learning systems.

• American education, in contrast, focuses on content coverage and multiple-choice testing, leading to shallow understanding and low achievement.