(U-WIRE) HOUSTON – The United States may be the world’s richest and most powerful country, but it’s not necessarily the best educated.

A recent survey by the Organization for Cooperation and Development, a 30-nation group that evaluates, among other things, education systems around the globe, found that the United States is falling behind its peers. It was ranked ninth in the number of people with at least a high school diploma. When it comes to college degrees, the United States ranks seventh.

According to the figures in the study, the United States has fallen quite a bit. In the 1980s, the country was ranked highest for high school and college graduates.Now, the United States has been outpaced by Finland, Korea, the Netherlands, Japan, Canada and Belgium in a variety of aspects. The one area of U.S. superiority remains in research conducted by the nation’s universities.

Interestingly, money is not an issue – the U.S. bankroll for education allows for $11,152 to be spent on every student every year, making the United States the second-most generous when it comes to education spending

For the investment we’re putting into education in tax dollars and tuition, the country ought to be performing better in the classroom.

Allowing our educational standards to slip will surely endanger our economic and political vitality.

Staff Editorial

The Daily Cougar (U. Houston)