The latest results of a respected international exam given to teenagers ranked the U.S. ninth in reading, but 31st in math literacy out of 79 countries and economies. America has a smaller-than-average share of top-performing math students, and scores have essentially been flat for two decades.
One likely reason: U.S. high schools teach math completely differently than other countries.
Classes here often focus on formulas and procedures rather than teaching students to think creatively about solving complex problems involving all sorts of mathematics, experts say.
Да если б они учили формулам и алгоритмам, им бы цены не было!