The Organization  for Economic  Co-Operation Development recently did a research study project that placed 65 international school systems in a list from the highest scorers to the least.  Known as the PISA, Program For International Student Assessment, the study took around 470,000 15-year- old students, chosen to represent their country, from school systems all over the world and gave them a series of tests based on math, reading, and science. After averaging the scores of  each individual country, they were placed in order of scores that were closest to a perfect 600 putting South Korea in first place with scores of 539 in reading, 546 in math and 546 in science. Followed by Finland, Canada, New Zealand and Japan creating the top five strongest education systems in the world.

But what stunned everyone was China’s results. Entering for the first time, China is home to the smartest city in the world, Shanghai. Kids there scored an average of 556, ahead of South Korea, most in part of its perfect 600 in math, according to the New York Times. The United States placed 14th with average scores of 500 in reading, 487 in math (below average), and 502 in science.

The U.S reacted to the test as a jump start for change.

“We have to see this as a wake-up call,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “I know skeptics will want to argue with the results, but we consider them to be accurate and reliable, and we have to see them as a challenge to get better. Tthe United States came in 23rd or 24th in most subjects. We can quibble, or we can face the brutal truth that we’re being out-educated.”

But the U.S isn’t the only country that should be worrying, Germany, France and the U.K place 16th, 18th and 20th. In all, the test was a way for other countries to see how their educational systems are faring compared to the world, and weather or not they should keep to what they’re doing or make dramatic changes.

Written by Omnia Saed  and Destiny Gammon, International Editors