Comparing America’s Public Schools: Lessons from Top Scoring Nations is very unique. Most researchers, journalists, and authors who compare America’s schools with other nations do not directly compare American public schools with just public schools in other nations. They compare whole country data. This book focuses just on public schools. The analysis of the status of our schools in light of this comparison leads to many very different comparisons and conclusions than by others.

Further, the author explores the uniqueness of American schools in comparison with those in other countries, especially Canada, Finland, Japan, and South Korea. We have an extremely unique school system, funding, school population, and school culture.

American schools have multiple strengths, usually not recognized, that need to be celebrated. We also have many problems uniquely more significant in the U.S., such as the extent of poverty and its impact on our students.

The author also compares major academic achievement gaps among the focus nations. The major academic problems within American schools are enumerated and analysis of the major international tests by countries.

The last chapters focus on a proposed national plan to improve America’s schools in the absence of any national plan in existence. Many recommendations do not cost any additional funds, while about half the recommendations do require additional funding.