U.S. Students Performed Badly in Relation to Other Students from Other Countries

There is a new report showing that US students performed badly in relation to other students of the same age around the world in regard to science and math.  Some people are alarmed by this, while others point out that US students have never done well compared to other countries on this type of test, but that the US still dominates the world economy and produces the best universities.

http://news.yahoo.com/us-students-far-first-math-182447591.html

1)  Should this test be taken seriously?

2)  If US students are so poor in math and science, why does the US have the strongest economy?

3)  Do you think this test actually measures anything of consequence?  Or does this test just measure good test-taking skills?

4)  Is the Asian educational system "better" than the American system?  Some Asian students who come to America say that in the American system there is more active learning and participation in class.  Can both systems learn from each other?

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Yes, I'm the guy who caused the "scandal" in Asia two years ago :P http://www.shoutcastblog.com/2010/05/11/wondergirls-were-mistreated-by-jyp-entertainment/

Yes, I'm also the guy who wrote the very funny ESL book: New York City Sucks, But You'll Wanna Live Here Anyway http://www.amazon.com/Sucks-Youll-Wanna-Anyway-ebook/dp/B004TSPAQS