A Think Twice Review of:

Education Olympics 2008: The Games in Review

Think Twice - Oct 15, 2008

Publisher/Think Tank - The Thomas B. Fordham Institute

Author(s) -

This report parallels the Olympics by awarding medals to top performing countries based on international assessments in reading, math and science. The report makes the claim that the low rankings of the U.S. on these tests will weaken the U.S. economy and jeopardize its future global standing.

Reviewer(s) - Edward G. Fierros, Villanova University Mindy Kornhaber, Penn State University

In their review of this report, Fierros and Kornhaber question the international rankings but save their harshest criticism for the report’s leap to unsupported policy recommendations. They write, “The Education Olympics report, driven by predetermined positions and lacking any rigorous demonstration of argument, theory, evidence or methods provides no bases for generating constructive policy for improving our nation’s educational performance.”