The National Center for Education Statistics released two of its most important studies today: the 2011 The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the 2011 Progress In International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS).
And believe it or not, America did well!
For all the flak the U.S. has gotten for its education system, U.S. students still placed toward the top on both studies.
The Boston College-backed studies, which are released every five years, rank international student achievement based on test scores and educational benchmarks that compare "the performance of U.S. students relative to their peers in other education systems in 2011."
We ranked the countries with the smartest kids based on science, math, and literacy scores for fourth graders.

Top 16 countries for education

Windham Schools: What went wrong?   A windhamweek rerun