Education Test Scores

Families’ interest in their kids’ education is falling in many high-income countries as school systems struggle with plunging test scores. That's according to newly released results from a standardized test taken by 15-year-olds around the world. Over 760,000 teenagers in dozens of countries took the Programme for International Student Assessment last year. Results were released Tuesday. Average scores in math, reading and science are all at their lowest point ever among highly developed economies. That includes continued declines in reading and math scores in the United States. China, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea scored the highest marks on the test.

The Trump administration has proposed rules for a new federal scholarship program that launches at the start of next year. The scholarship can help families pay for private school, homeschooling and other educational expenses. Taxpayers who donate to the scholarship funds will get a federal tax credit. The program aims to support school choice and is expected to benefit about 96% of children in participating states. At least 30 states have opted in so far. The program also allows public school students to use scholarships for tutoring or special education therapies. The IRS and Treasury Department predict it will eventually fund up to 2.2 million scholarships annually.