U.S. adults lag behind counterparts overseas in skills
Greg Toppo, USA TODAY 5:03 a.m. EDT October 8, 2013

Americans trail adults in other countries in math, literacy, problem-solving.

Americans have been hearing for years that their kids are lagging behind the rest of the developed world in skills. Now it's the adults' turn for a reality check.

A first-ever international comparison of the labor force in 23 industrialized nations shows that Americans ages 16 to 65 fall below international averages in basic problem-solving, reading and math skills, with gaps between the more- and less-educated in the USA larger than those of many other countries.

The findings, out Tuesday from the U.S. Department of Education, could add new urgency to U.S. schools' efforts to help students compete globally.

The new test was given to about 5,000 Americans between August 2011 and April 2012.
. . .
The oldest Americans in the sample turned in a higher-than-average performance in reading, with 9% of test-takers between 55 and 65 years old scoring at the top proficiency level, compared to just 5% worldwide. In math, however, they were even with the 7% international average.
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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/natio...ricans/2935909/

Hmmmm . . . I wonder if flooding the country with illiterate illegal aliens and brand new immigrants, combined with the deterioration of our educational system had any impact ???

Additionally I wonder if, as is done testing students, other countries tested the brightest and best while we tested the most diverse?