Worker Wellness Blog: PISA Test Scores
Date Posted: December 12, 2023
Posted In: Discussion, Workforce,
by Dr. John Gaal
Editor’s Note: Each week, Dr. John Gaal, director of worker wellness for the Missouri Works Initiative, a non-profit workforce formed by the Missouri AFL-CIO, collects and comments on news and trends in workforce wellness and life balance. Construction Forum carries the Worker Wellness & Well-Being Blog as a regular feature.
The MO Works Initiative focuses on creating healthy and recovery friendly workplaces; connecting laid-off workers with job-search or upskilling resources for future employment; and collaborating with community partners to offer innovative points of entry to traditional apprenticeship opportunities.
This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics concerning how suicide deaths increased in 2022—especially when it comes to elderly men; to the matter of the Sacklers bankruptcy move to protect their personal assets now landing before the US Supreme Court; to how a small medical trial shows some promise for people who suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) by means of an implanted electronic stimulation device.
Today, I wish to shed some light on the topic of PISA test scores. Earlier this week, the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development) released the findings from the Program for International Student Assessment in 2022.
In general, this is a test that samples 15-year-olds’ subject matter knowledge (reading, science, and math) in nearly 40 counties across the globe. The OECD last tested students in 2018. Needless to say, COVID-19 is suspected to have played a large role in the decline in learning among most countries’ students with the exception of Canada, Estonia, and Japan (all of which saw improvement in each subject area).
More specifically, while US students held their own when it came to reading and science their math scores decreased by 13 points (20 points is considered to be equivalent to a year’s worth of learning)…ranking the US 28th out of 37.
So, why is this topic important to us as an industry, community, or nation? Because experts suggest that math nurtures critical thinking and problem-solving skills…essential for children’s mental development. In essence, decreases in our students’ math scores may not only put our nation at a competitive technological disadvantage but can also result in overwhelming implications for mental health.
If the pandemic has taught us a few lessons, one is that those in the workforce development space can no longer afford to silo hard skills and soft skills!
Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: moworksinitiative.org/blog
Sources:
https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/pisa-2022-results-volume-i_53f23881-en
https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/pisa-2022-results-volume-ii_a97db61c-en