Dive Brief:

• Pearson Education's Learning Curve 2014, a global educational performance report, examines why Asia — particularly South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong —​ consistently tops education rankings. 
• Based on the results, Pearson found increased education spending doesn't necessarily mean higher academic achievement and that the top four regions all emphasize basic skills such as mathematics and reading.  
• The United States ranked No. 14 overall, climbing two spots since the previous report in 2012.  

Dive Insight:

Pearson's finding that increased per pupil funding doesn't necessarily mean higher scores could be a tough pill for America to swallow. According to The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. ranks No. 1 internationally for education spending. The Learning Curve report indicates that our emphasis on spending as the solution to education inadequacies may be misguided.  

The fact that the top three countries and one region (Hong Kong) all emphasized developing basic literacy and math skills does, however, conflict with recent pushes to emphasize critical thinking skills. Sir Michael Barber, Pearson’s chief education advisor, toldMENAFN.com, “The rise of Pacific Asian countries, which combine effective education systems with a culture that prizes effort above inherited ‘smartness’ is a phenomenon that other countries can no longer ignore.” 

At the same time, it's also notable that education experts in those top-ranking countries have criticized their focus on testing, saying such efforts have failed to produce well-rounded, critical-thinking individuals. 

Recommended Reading:

Forbes: Why Asian Nations Dominate Global Education Rankings