{"id":17238,"date":"2026-09-17T14:12:51","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T21:12:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mattfife.com\/?p=17238"},"modified":"2026-09-12T13:15:55","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T20:15:55","slug":"the-last-10-years-have-been-a-major-educational-decline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mattfife.com\/?p=17238","title":{"rendered":"The last 10 years have been a major educational decline"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Despite all the supposed enlightened teaching methods and policies, the data speaks for itself. Whatever policies we have been enacting the last 10 years have been failing our kids – globally (though Oregon has a special place in becoming some of the worst schools in the country with bottom 5 reading and math scores. Maybe it’s because they actually removed reading and mathematics skills as a requirement for graduation). – Economist<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Test scores in many other first world countries (the focus of this special report) shows gloomy trends. For two decades analysts at the OECD<\/small>, a club of mostly rich countries, have been asking 15-year-olds in dozens of places to sit comparable exams for what is known as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA<\/small>). In 2018 these tests found that a typical 15-year-old in the OECD<\/small> countries was no more adept at maths, reading or science than had been the case in the early and mid-2000s (see chart). In science and reading, scores had generally risen until 2009 and 2012 respectively, after which they fell back down. In maths they largely plateaued. This was the case even though spending per pupil had been going up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A lot of Europe is pointing their fingers directly at digital learning and banning digital learning devices:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweden<\/strong><\/u>:<\/strong> Dropped compulsory digital tools in preschools, banned tablets for children under two, and invested millions in physical textbooks to reverse declining reading scores.
The Netherlands<\/strong><\/u>:<\/strong> Removed phones, smartwatches, and tablets from classrooms, corridors, and cafeterias, with most schools reporting better concentration and behavior.
Denmark<\/strong><\/u>:<\/strong> Banned mobile phones and tablets during class hours, returning to physical textbooks after a decade of heavy digital learning.
Spain<\/strong><\/u> (Madrid):<\/strong> Planned restrictions to limit computer and tablet use in primary state schools to two hours a week.
Other Nations:<\/strong> Finland and Norway are reintroducing physical books in early education, while France and Italy enforce strict bans or limits on mobile devices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I suspect it’s more than that. There’s an amazing preponderance of evidence that social media is causing untold amounts of anxiety, inability to concentrate or hold attention, and other psychological problems in young people.
There’s also a growing body of evidence that modern educational methods are ineffective and failing compared to methods used previously<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite all the supposed enlightened teaching methods and policies, the data speaks for itself. Whatever policies we have been enacting the last 10 years have been failing our kids – globally (though Oregon has a special place in becoming some of the worst schools in the country with bottom 5 reading and math scores. Maybe it’s because they actually removed reading and mathematics skills as a requirement for graduation). – Economist Test scores in many other first world countries (the…<\/p>\n

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