Australia consistently performs in the top ten countries in the world in reading, mathematics and science. The most recent OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA2006_PISAinbrief.pdf) put only five countries statistically significantly ahead of us in reading, only eight countries in mathematics and only three countries in science. The UK is behind us in all three areas, and the US in two areas, despite their more detailed school reporting.

Recently, the ABS released its Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey. Contrary to the widespread claims of dumbing down over the past few decades, the survey showed that, with the exception of teenagers, older people have lower levels of literacy than younger people:
‘Literacy levels tended to decrease with age, with higher proportions of people in the older age groups attaining skill scores lower than Level 3. The exception to this was the 15 to 19 years age group, which had lower levels of literacy than the 20 to 24 year age group.’

Just under 40 per cent of those aged 20-24 scored at only Level 1 or 2 on prose and document literacy, while around 50 per cent of those aged 55-59 did so, with even higher proportions of those who were older failing to get higher than Level 2. The patterns for numeracy and problem solving were generally similar. You can find the tables at:
<a href=http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/4228.0Main%20Features22006%20(Reissue)?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=4228.0&issue=2006%20(Reissue)&num=&view>Adult Literacy Survey</a>

Victoria has gone the furthest in the marketisation of education. Work by Stephen Lamb of Melbourne University has shown how damaging this has been to students in the poorer areas of Melbourne.

What we really need are better teachers and to get those we will have to reverse the decline in pay, staffing, working conditions, security of employment and room for professional say that has occurred over the last two and three decades.

We also need to reduce the administrivia that is bogging schools down and let them get back to teaching.

Finally, we need to stop consigning children in working class areas to the recycled fad of the open classroom.

There is a sort of ranking available in NSW through the standard tests (eg Basic skills Years 3 & 5), which show how a student compares with the average. Not having one in front of me, I can't say if the school ranking against the average is show to parents, or if that is known only to the school - anyway it should be available to parents. Mind you some schools (?most) cheat in these tests, which are sent out well in advance, by coaching the particular topics covered each year, as soon as they find out what it is. From my observation this is regarded as quite acceptable within the school community as long as the actual questions are not taught. The pressure on individual teachers to thus demonstrate their 'success' is obviously strong, likewise for the principal to demonstrate that the school's standard of literacy and numeracy is improving. Politicians are complicit, as the government like things to be improving too. Only problem is the students, who anyone in the field knows are definitely not becoming more literate or numerate at all!

The problems I have seen reported with some ranking systems around the world is that they become all-consuming and an administrative nightmare for the schools and of no benefit to the students.

Swordfish, I have a lot of sympathy for some of the voucher proposals I have seen, but to claim that public education is responsible for keeping people in poverty is in direct contradiction with well over a century's worth of history in all developed nations.

If you increase the importance of the national tests, e.g. through league tables the results will become increasingly meaningless as school falsify the results more, e.g. opening the tests prior to the test day and coaching students, helping during the tests, pointing the the right answer, writing clues on the blackboard etc. All pretty widespread already. I know.