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The
Globalist's
Global Connections
for High Schools
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The
Globalist Quiz > Global
Education
Getting Past High School |
By The Globalist |
More than ever before, obtaining a good education is the key to future success in the 21st century workplace. Obtaining a high school degree is only the first step on that ladder. We wonder: Which of the following countries currently has the lowest high school graduation rate?
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A.
South Korea
B.
Italy
C.
United States
D.
Russia
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A.
South Korea is not correct.
At 96%,
Korea’s current secondary school completion rate is one of the
highest in the OECD — ranking behind only Germany (99%) and
Norway (100%). It ranks just ahead of Ireland (92%) and neighboring
Japan (91%), according to the OECD.
Korea has increased its secondary school completion rate exceptionally
rapidly. Among older Koreans — those aged 25-64 — only 74% have
completed high school.
B.
Italy is not correct.
With a
current secondary school completion rate of 81%, Italy has risen
from near the bottom to tie the OECD average. Italy's completion
rate is also equal to that of France.
This completion rate marks a significant improvement over the
level reached by the current working-age population. Only 49%
of 25-64 year-olds in Italy have completed high school — compared
with 65% in France and 68% in the OECD as a whole.
C.
United States is correct.
In the
United States, the current secondary school completion rate
is only 75% — compared to 88% among 25-64 year olds. The United
States thus is the only major economy in which the high school
graduation rate has declined significantly. This is due in part
to the high level of immigrants, more than one-third of whom
lack a high school diploma.
For the current working-age population — the 25-64 year olds
— the United States has the third-highest level of high school
completion in the OECD. In contrast, among younger adults, the
United States has fallen to 16th place.
While the United States still has a higher rate of secondary
school completion than the major Latin American economies of
Mexico (38%) and Brazil (65%), its southern neighbors have been
narrowing the difference quite rapidly.
D.
Russia is not correct.
One of
the accomplishments of the Soviet Union was to provide its citizens
with a high quality education — and Russia’s secondary school
completion rate of 87% reflects this legacy.
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