Why are our students behind? part 1

As a teacher and a parent I am worried about the future of our educational system and its effect on our place in the world. I believe there are 3 main reasons students seem to be "falling behind."

NUMBER ONE: Stop relying on our international  rankings! The US is ranked:

• 33rd in Reading. We're below MEXICO!
• 27th in Math. Better.
• 22nd in Science. Top 25, woo hoo?

These numbers aren't very comforting. This is because the United States is different than the rest of the world! I love this article. We should not be compared to the world without considering the differences between our countries.These facts should be taken into consideration that most other countries in the world do not have to worry about. 

• Consider that 11% of students in the US are ESL - that means English is their SECOND LANGUAGE! and that was 7 years ago! In the rest of the countries, the students and teachers speak the same language. I couldn't find any statistics otherwise because I'm sure it's not worth tallying.
• Our immigrant friendly cities are bringing our national average down and our poverty levels up. We welcome everyone to our free country and and want them to succeed. We, as a nation, love to help others. You can't put love and effort into statistics. And we should not be downgraded for it.
• No child left behind - I agree with this in that I don't want anyone to fail. But we cannot lower our standards to make sure those who need more time are pushed through. It doesn't do anyone any good. And it is hurting our average.