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 @ISIDEWITHNewsEducationUnited StatesUS politicsU.S.QatarLobbyingForeign Influence•••11mos ago

Ex-Reagan Education Secretary Paid by Qatar to Defend Its Influence in U.S. Schools

William Bennett, who served as Secretary of Education under President Reagan, has registered as a foreign agent and accepted a lucrative contract from the Qatari government.

Bennett's role involves advocating for Qatar's involvement in American higher education and countering criticism that Qatari funding promotes Islamism or antisemitism. The move comes as Qatar faces increased scrutiny over its influence in U.S. institutions, but instead of retreating, the Gulf nation is ramping up its lobbying efforts. Critics argue that Bennett's involvement raises ethical concerns about foreign influence in American education policy.

The story highlights ongoing debates about transparency and foreign funding in U.S. academia.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

U.S. Students Slide in Math, Science Test Scores

U.S. scores were no better than when the tests were first given in 1995. In math, the recent declines wiped out years of gains. American science scores have fallen since 2015, although the latest drops from 2019 weren’t statistically significant.The results come as President-elect Donald Trump has criticized America’s education system and pledged to abolish the federal Education Department. Wednesday’s release did come with a slice of good news, though: U.S. students still score above international averages, which include countries with a range of economic levels.Some other countries’ scores also declined since before the pandemic, but U.S. rankings slid comparatively on some measures, falling to 24 out of 45 education systems in eighth-grade math and 15 out of 63 in fourth-grade science.Countries whose performance moved ahead of the U.S. included Finland in math, England in science, and Poland for both subjects in fourth grade.High-scoring countries included Singapore, Japan and England. Officials say it is difficult to determine why some places excel and others struggle. The quality of a country’s schools, as well as other factors like poverty, can influence test performance. Carr said some countries use curriculum that is more closely aligned with the TIMSS exams.Even as U.S. schools have long since returned to normal from Covid-19 closures, educators struggled with new challenges. More teachers have left the profession. Student misbehavior and absenteeism jumped. “Coming out of Covid, parents and students got comfortable with the idea that it’s OK to stay home,” said Suzan Harris, a middle-school principal in Butts County, Ga. Chronic absenteeism rates have improved recently, but remain elevated compared with prepandemic figures, according to an American Enterprise Institute compilation of state data.In the years before the pandemic, national exams showed that school achievement was already stagnating or declining.

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