Good discussion of recent PISA scores

I'm usually disappointed at the superficial discussions of US rankings on TIMMS and PISA scores.  The scores certainly challenge our vision of American Exceptionalism, and it is difficult for many to accept that we might not be in the top 10 (or even top 20) rankings on these international Math or Science exams.

While I'm glad we consider these data, I like to point out that there are a lot of confounding variables and other considerations that are regularly overlooked:

1. Nearly all of the countries outranking the U.S. are mono-cultural;
2. Nearly all of the countries outranking the U.S. are less socio-economically diverse;
3. Nearly all of the countries outranking the U.S. have kids in schools much longer each day;
4. Some countries outranking the U.S. have kids in schools an extra 30 days per year;
5. Few if any countries outranking the U.S. have as much religious influence on politics;
6. Few if any countries outranking the U.S. have as much religious influence on school policy;
7. Few if any countries outranking the U.S. have as as many religious leaders promoting anti-intellectualism; 
8. Many of these countries outranking the U.S. send delegations to the U.S. to learn how to promote creativity and innovation; and
9. Few if any countries outranking the U.S. combine sports with schools!

Fareed Zakaria leads one of the most thoughtful discussions I've heard recently.