Facts and Figures

Now I have it in writing! All the statistical data I've been learning about in my education courses are now stapled together for quick reference; thanks to the first assignment. I actually enjoyed reading these stats which is not the norm for me. My interest in the issues regarding education have been piqued.
The "Nation's Report Card" whipped up many thoughts for me. I began to ask questions such as; at what age Americans lose their value for education? It seems to me that a possible reason 4th graders excel in their subjects is that they still have the desire to learn. I wonder too whether these students continue to excel; are they tested again in 8th and 12th grade? I hope so. I hope that these figures are studied later.
Speaking of studying, I'm curious why many other countries have better scores on the assessment tests. Perhaps, we should study some techniques used by other countries to present material to their pupils. On this topic so many possibilities come to mind. Additionally, a primary possibility is that America is still forming in the sense we have many immigrants. Immigrants come here experts in their homeland dynamic but as students in US. They need to completely assimilate into American culture while fully acruing the flux of their 2nd language written. Things are always lost in translation. This is why nothing is ever 100%.
Give it all more time. I believe these statistics will change for the better. I don't mean in 10 or 20 years. But down the line... this country will prove to be all that it can be! =-)