In Global Education Rankings, Asian Tigers Nip At Finland’s Heels

By Jacey Fortin. A new report has ranked Finland as the best educational performer on Earth. At first glance, the findings are a bit odd. You might expect the best performers – or the worst, for that matter – to come from the same general region.
Finland in first place? That’s no surprise -- those northern European countries always seem to do well on lists like these. But the next four countries are worlds away; No. 2 is South Korea. Then comes Hong Kong-China, then Japan, and then Singapore.
With a gang of Asian powerhouses in ascendancy, Finland is looking pretty lonely at the top. As for global superpowers, the United Kingdom comes in 6th. The United States is in 17th place. Russia snagged 20th; France, 25th. And of the 40 ranked, the three worst countries were Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia. The report, called “The Learning Curve,” was produced by the Economist Intelligence Unit, or EIU, and published by Pearson, an educational firm. It ranks countries according to various criteria, including standardized test scores, matriculation and literacy rates. More...