{
  "id": 6415623,
  "title": "Are teenagers growing dimmer?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/are-teenagers-growing-dimmer",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-09T11:37:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times - World News",
    "slug": "hindustan-times-world-news",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/are-teenagers-growing-dimmer-101788942908776.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Every three years, the OECD releases international school test results for 15-year-olds worldwide. Despite hopes of improvement after the pandemic, scores in mathematics, reading, and science have fallen further among rich countries, including Britain, which now ranks inside the world’s top ten in all three disciplines. Asian school systems continue to lead the pack, and even in developing nations, scores in maths and reading are trending downward.\n\nThese findings suggest long-running factors are negatively impacting achievement in schools, and without swift correction, students' abilities could decline further. The OECD's PISA project, which measures young people's aptitudes near the end of their compulsory education, reveals that the gap between low- and high-performing students has reached its highest level ever recorded in all tested disciplines.\n\nVarious factors may contribute to this decline, including the lingering impact of the pandemic and increased rates of absenteeism. Children who were around ten when covid-19 hit may have been more adversely affected by school disruptions. Additionally, the rise of technology and social media could be diverting children from complex texts, with rising numbers of \"hasty readers\" who quickly skim through assessments without fully comprehending the material.\n\nEducation ministries and policymakers seem to be falling short in addressing these challenges. Some concerns include complacency in schools and an overreliance on unproven educational software, which may lead to students being treated as \"crash-test dummies.\" Furthermore, some data suggest that schools have become noisier, with teachers spending more time managing discipline.\n\nWhile PISA itself may share some blame for influencing school reform in a questionable direction, addressing these issues requires robust policies in schools.",
  "summary": "The latest global school tests reveal shocking new declines",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}