These problems aren't found only in our lowest-performing
schools; the typical US student does not receive the content coverage
needed to compete with students in other nations. While
some may want to hlame ineffective teaching or unmotivated
students for the mediocre performance of US students on international
assessments, research comparing states' standards (prior
to the Common Core State Standards) with those of high-performing
countries shows that a major factor is the lack of opportunity
to learn. On average, our state standards have been about two
grade levels behind.