Teenage Wasteland...USA!

Well, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has just released their yearly account of how well children are learning in a number of different countries. Students are rated on Math, Science, Reading and Problem Solving skills. Finland consistantly tops the list, and Canada usually does fairly well. The US, on the other hand, in the bottom half of the world. Again, this is not a measure of the grade level success of students, but of their real skills.

It is obvious that the "No Child Left Behind" initiative is not doing what it claimed it was doing...improving the knowledge & skills of the students...it seems to mearly be improving the ability of teachers to prepare their students to take the standardized tests. You can read some perspectives on it here:

The US Perspective: CNN

The Canadian Perspective: CBC

And the report itself from the OECD

ttyl

yet another quiz...

You Are a Visionary Soul

You are a curious person, always in a state of awareness. Connected to all things spiritual, you are very connect to your soul. You are wise and bright: able to reason and be reasonable. Occasionally, you get quite depressed and have dark feelings. You have great vision and can be very insightful. In fact, you are often profound in a way that surprises yourself. Visionary souls like you can be the best type of friend. You are intuitive, understanding, sympathetic, and a good healer. Souls you are most compatible with: Old Soul and Peacemaker Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?