Math and Science Education

Audio

11/09/2007

Nov. 09, 2007

Math and Science Education

Conventional wisdom says that U.S. students don't measure up well against students in many foreign countries when it comes to math and science skills. But is that really true? A team of researchers have re-assessed the results of several common measures of science education success, and they say the true picture may not be as gloomy as some analysts have said. "When it comes to math and science, American students are no worse, and often score better, than students from many leading countries," said Harold Salzman, one of the authors of the new Urban Institute report "Into the Eye of the Storm: Assessing the Evidence on Science and Engineering Education, Quality, and Workforce Demand." The researchers argue that some of the rankings produced by measures such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) are due to statistically insignificant differences in scoring. In this segment, Ira and guests talk about how U.S. students measure up in math and science classrooms.

Produced by Annette Heist, Senior Producer

Guests

Harold (Hal) Salzman
Senior Research Associate

The Urban Institute

Washington, DC
Shirley M. Malcom
Head, Education and Human Resources

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Washington, DC
Craig R. Barrett
Chairman of the Board

Intel Corp.

Chandler, Arizona

Nov. 09, 2007