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PISA Rankings: Tour The Top 25 Education Nations

PISA Rankings: Tour The Top 25 Education Nations

PARIS - The results are in, and half a million 15-year-olds from 65 countries have spoken.

This collective voice is the results of high-school students from around the world who were measured in a series of math, science and reading tests for the much-anticipated PISA rankings that were announced Tuesday.

PISA, which stands for Program for International Student Assessment, has become a global indicator of education levels (and discrepencies), tallied every three years by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

The test is designed to assess how students use what they've learned inside and outside of school to solve problems. Asian teenagers dominated in all areas in the latest ranking, which was administered in 2012, taking the top seven spots and knocking Finland down from its 3rd position in 2009.

The average score of all 65 countries was 494 out of 1000, coincidentally the same score as the UK (26th place), with Peru bringing up the rear with just 368. The United States is ranked 36th, a major drop from 17th place in the last rankings.

Here’s a look at the Top 25 countries on our Mondo map with excerpts of the PISA report. Read the full report here.


Photo by sazzydg via Instagram

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Geopolitics

The Pope's Bronchitis Can't Hide What Truly Ails The Church — Or Whispers Of Succession

It is not only the health of the Pope that worries the Holy See. From the collapse of vocations to the conservative wind in the USA, there are many ills to face.

 Pope Francis reaches over to tough the hands of devotees during his  General Audience at the Vatican.​

November 29, 2023: Pope Francis during his wednesday General Audience at the Vatican.

Evandro Inetti/ZUMA
Gianluigi Nuzzi

ROME — "How am I? I'm fine... I'm still alive, you know? See, I'm not dead!"

With a dose of irony and sarcasm, Pope Francis addressed those who'd paid him a visit this past week as he battled a new lung inflammation, and the antibiotic cycles and extra rest he still must stick with on strict doctors' orders.

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The Pope is dealing with a sensitive respiratory system; the distressed tracheo-bronchial tree can cause asthmatic reactions, with the breathlessness in his speech being the most obvious symptom. Tired eyes and dark circles mark his swollen face. A sense of unease and bewilderment pervades and only diminishes when the doctors restate their optimism about his general state of wellness.

"The pope's ailments? Nothing compared to the health of the Church," quips a priest very close to the Holy Father. "The Church is much worse off, marked by chronic ailments and seasonal illnesses."

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