When I saw the three-in-one kind of ranking below, which is creatively (or comically?) created by summing the PISA scores from Math, Science, and Reading, those aggregates make some high-GDP countries like the U.S. look much better than their actual performance in each individual subject, especially when American students nationwide have so far disappointingly performed below the global average in math and science.
The PISA “overall score” table prompted me to irreverently tweet the following:
[Fake] Math News: DJT plans to inflict higher tariffs on no fewer than 17 “allies” because of their “rigged” PISA scores—they’d allegedly stolen “American IP” to give their students an asymmetric or unfair edge over their MAGA counterparts.
In the mind of the “very stable genius,” the “low mathematical proficiency of nonwhite/immigrant/migrant kids” (from blue or woke states?) could arguably be attributed to the nation’s unacceptable pseudo-PISA ranking. Not a promising sign for America’s “Golden Age”!
Maybe the tariff thug should federally restore the Dept. of Education to MATH (Make America Think Harder!), or to pull the “exceptional country” out of PISA and TIMSS, because the true performance of its students isn’t being reflected accurately—others are cheating by unfairly “over-preparing” their exam-smart students to rig the ranking.
What’s noticing about this unofficially created PISA table is the absence of heavyweights like China, India, and Russia. At least, Communist China (not just Taiwan), which took part in past PISA surveys and performed unsurprisingly well, ought to show up in the top three or five.
Had autocratic nations like North Korea and Iran taken part, it probably wouldn’t have been surprising to see them outrank the U.S. However, this prediction would probably fail for most African countries, which have generationally been plagued by wars, corruption, and dictatorship. For instance, would decades-long crime-ridden South Africa even make it in the top twenty in PISA or TIMSS even if “white privileged students” (or children of allegedly “persecuted white farmers”) weren’t excluded from the global comparative study?
Flawed or biased as they are, PISA (and TIMSS) rankings do subtly reveal a fair bit about how much each government around the world values the education of its citizens, while recognizing that more spending doesn’t always translate into better students’ performance.
The U.S. and most oil-rich countries are living examples of that educational failure—where mostly corrupt lawmakers and monarchs seem to pay lip service to raising the literacy and numeracy levels of their people, or often undervalue math educators, by paying them less than ICE or security personnel.
Could these underperforming nations continue to prosper without importing or allowing foreign (legal and illegal) talents to their shores? Do the millions of “America First” patriots who’re being “marginalized” due to the influx of “foreign cheap white-collar labor” have the immigrant mindset or the skill set to achieve their American dream?
Educationally & competently yours
© Yan Kow Cheong, August 19, 2025.