California is Chile. Georgia is Libya.
February 16, 2016 1:41 PM   Subscribe

This post was deleted for the following reason: This is going over like Djibouti in Alaska, amirite? -- LobsterMitten



 
HA HA poor Connecticut.
posted by poffin boffin at 1:48 PM on February 16, 2016 [2 favorites]


It is hard to express how many things are wrong with this awful chart – from the problems with assuming that average level of education are equivalent to a test score, to the differences between educational paradigms in different countries, to the problems with relying on "standardized tests" (which never are) in general.

Pretty much all of this not only can be disregarded, but should be. It is completely and utterly wrong. You can start with this ridiculously stupid conceit: "Americans like to think they are #1 in everything, but when it comes to education, the U.S. quickly loses boasting rights." "Quickly"? By most "standardized test" measures, that happened around 1952. Enough with this stupid crap already. These tests aren't measuring shit.
posted by koeselitz at 1:49 PM on February 16, 2016 [2 favorites]


(the gifs were fun tho)
posted by koeselitz at 1:50 PM on February 16, 2016


So, Hawaii graduates a lot of people, then bugger off someplace else because all they have left at home are call centers and tourist traps?
posted by lmfsilva at 1:51 PM on February 16, 2016


I have an actual degree in Geography so I feel qualified to say this: that is the worst map I've ever seen.
posted by theodolite at 1:54 PM on February 16, 2016 [3 favorites]


How Smart Educated Is Each State Compared To Other Countries?
posted by threeants at 1:54 PM on February 16, 2016


Nah, it doesn't reflect education, either. May as well not correct it.
posted by koeselitz at 1:56 PM on February 16, 2016


The point is that the United states educational system consistently across the board gets way lower results than it should. It may not be the best or most scientific way to go about it, but the USA does an extremely poor job of educating students.
posted by AlexiaSky at 1:56 PM on February 16, 2016


New Jersey is equivalent to Canada? What's *that* supposed to mean?
posted by Capt. Renault at 1:56 PM on February 16, 2016


I don't see too many Chileans or Finns sharing methodological hot garbage like this, so maybe the map is best seen as aspirational.
posted by RogerB at 1:57 PM on February 16, 2016 [2 favorites]


It is worth noting that American students have never received high scores on international tests. On the first such test, a test of mathematics in 1964, senior year students in the US scored last of twelve nations, and eighth-grade students scored next to last. But in the following fifty years, the US outperformed the other eleven nations by every measure, whether economic productivity, military might, technological innovation, or democratic institutions. This raises the question of whether the scores of fifteen-year-old students on international tests predict anything of importance"

The Myth of Chinese Super Schools

I think the linked critique of China is overzealous, but the point quoted above is worth reflection.
posted by yeolcoatl at 2:00 PM on February 16, 2016 [2 favorites]


Here's the entire method statement behind the shitty map, from the guy (apparently a sports/marketing journalist) who made the map on Home Snacks dot net (whatever that is):
We used the U.S. Census to get the numbers on each state’s high school graduation rate, and then compared those numbers to the education index of each country in the world, provided by the United Nations Development Program [broken link]
Can anyone even begin to make sense of this?
posted by RogerB at 2:01 PM on February 16, 2016 [1 favorite]


next i want to see how each state is categorized by the Sorting Hat
posted by poffin boffin at 2:01 PM on February 16, 2016 [5 favorites]


AlexiaSky: “The point is that the United states educational system consistently across the board gets way lower results than it should. It may not be the best or most scientific way to go about it, but the USA does an extremely poor job of educating students.”

Why, and in what sense, is the United States doing an extremely poor job of educating students? What's your evidence?
posted by koeselitz at 2:01 PM on February 16, 2016


Either way, I've done basic grade testing (TABE) on high school graduates in low incone Chicago areas for jobs. Most have a 6 to 8th grade reading level, and math was just dismal. (2nd to 4th grade was most common)

It was a real shock to me.
posted by AlexiaSky at 2:02 PM on February 16, 2016


That's fair enough, but my disgust with this chart is down largely to the fact that it's based on those standardized test scores. Standardized tests are the reason that the United States is doing such a bad job educating kids. We're sitting here pointing at test scores and saying, "why are we doing so poorly?" – I guess this is a bit zen, but the reason we're doing so poorly is because we won't stop looking at the test scores. Nobody learns reading comprehension by studying directly for the test.
posted by koeselitz at 2:05 PM on February 16, 2016


This is the United Nations Development Program data, the link was broken. But I don't understand how Texas and California can both be below average, while the only above US average states are the lower in population. Maybe they just used the rankings which is not super valuable.
posted by thetruthisjustalie at 2:05 PM on February 16, 2016


next i want to see how each state is categorized by the Sorting Hat

Mostly maladroit Slytherin, going by the state governments.
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:06 PM on February 16, 2016


Can anyone even begin to make sense of this?

"I wanted page views, so I ordered states by one measurement and countries by a completely different measurement, and matched them up even though that's nonsense, so that I get lots of people from lots of different states and countries to share my page on social media."
posted by miyabo at 2:07 PM on February 16, 2016 [3 favorites]


Indiana = Sri Lanka.

I have no idea what that means. Is it an insult to Indiana or to Sri Lanka?
posted by Thorzdad at 2:10 PM on February 16, 2016


new jersey is clearly hufflepuff

always mistakenly shunned, just wants a hug, small furious mammals abound
posted by poffin boffin at 2:12 PM on February 16, 2016 [3 favorites]


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