Schools in the United States fall down in preparing students for the work force, the American Federation of Teachers concludes in a study of three European educational testing systems.
Students in France, Germany and Scotland reach higher levels of achievement, and do so earlier than American students, the study released Tuesday reported."The harsh truth is that the United States currently has the worst school-to-work system in the industrialized world," said a statement accompanying the report. The union represents about 875,000 public school teachers and other education workers.
The report notes that the United States has the largest number of university graduates in the world, but it raises concerns about the education given the 75 percent of U.S. students who do not graduate from college.
It indicates that U.S. schools are concentrating too much on preparing youngsters for college and ignoring students who will be seeking jobs in a rapidly changing world.
Students in Europe "are motivated to work hard because they see a direct relationship between their performance in school and the options that will be available to them after they complete their compulsory education," the report said.