Flaws in Our Public Education America has remained the largest economy in the world for over 10 decades. Home to more than 50% of the highest-ranked colleges and universities, schools in the United States are considered one of the best in the world. However, for primary and secondary education, the level of achievement appears to have remained stagnant compared to other industrialized countries. In fact, a study conducted by University of Chicago economist James J. Heckman demonstrated that individuals with a GED did not fare better economically than high school dropouts (Gordon 1). To combat this trend, the United States must reform education policy systems across the country. As a country, the academic performance of the United States seems great, however compared internationally there is a problem. Every 3 years, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) conducts a study, PISA, on 15-year-olds around the world on their performance in mathematics, science and literacy. 65 countries participated in PISA 2012. The results show that: for mathematics the United States ranked 30th, for science 18th, and for literacy 18th. While the rankings aren't bad, the United States scored between below average and average on every test. Furthermore, “average U.S. math, science, and reading scores in 2012 were not significantly different from average scores in previous years of PISA assessments.” (“Program..”) While US scores remain constant, other countries are improving. If this trend continues, Americans will miss out on job and higher education opportunities. The government's role in education has proven ineffective. State and local governments primarily operate public schools in America. The state government is responsible for setting...... the middle of paper...... not be made public. It should only be used to show where the school needs to improve and to point out any warning signs that schools are failing to provide a good education to students. If public schools did not improve, American citizens would lose future educational or job opportunities to other academically improving countries. Crow, Michael M. and Silver, Mariko. “American Education Systems in a Global Context” Technology in Society 30.4(2008):279-291. Print.Greifner, Laura. Educational week “Standardized testing”. 26.33 (2007): 14. Web.Gordon, Robert J. “The Great Stagnation of American Education.” New York Times September 7, 2013: 5(L). Academic OneFile. Network. January 21, 2014. “Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)” National Center for Education Statistics. IES Institute of Educational Sciences. nd Web. 22 Wed. 2014