The view from the other shore

After all that's written in the U.S. press about our own education system, here's an interesting view from across the pond. The Underworked American is one of the more read/commented on/emailed articles in the British publication The Economist right now. The columnist Lexington points out that while Americans are knowns for working a lot of hours, it's the reverse when it comes to our schoolchildren. Our students have the shortest school year, the shortest school day, and probably the least amount of homework. On top of this, the structure of our school year, with a long summer break, leads to extra "learning loss." If we think we're the only ones who've noticed this discrepancy, we're sadly mistaken.

According to the article, "a recent report from McKinsey, a management consultancy, argues that the lagging performance of the country’s school pupils, particularly its poor and minority children, has wreaked more devastation on the economy than the current recession."