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Low Test Scores in Latin America: Poor Schools, Poor Families, or Something Else?

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  • Theodore R. Breton
  • Gustavo Canavire-Bacarreza

Abstract

Latin American students consistently score low on international tests of cognitive skills. In the PISA 2012 results, students in seven Latin American countries had an average score of 395, or about 100 points lower than the average score of 497 in four Scandinavian countries. We examine why Latin American scores are lower and conclude that 50 points are explained by Latin American families’ lower average educational and socioeconomic characteristics, 25 points are explained by Latin America’s weak cultural orientation toward reading books, and the remaining 25 points are explained by the lower effectiveness of educational systems in teaching cognitive skills.

Suggested Citation

  • Theodore R. Breton & Gustavo Canavire-Bacarreza, 2016. "Low Test Scores in Latin America: Poor Schools, Poor Families, or Something Else?," Documentos de Trabajo de Valor Público 15008, Universidad EAFIT.
    • Handle: RePEc:col:000122:015008
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10784/9015
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    Cited by:

    1. Gregorio Gimenez & Denisa Ciobanu & Beatriz Barrado, 2021. "A Proposal of Spatial Measurement of Peer Effect through Socioeconomic Indices and Unsatisfied Basic Needs," Economies, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-20, May.

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    Keywords

    Latin America; test scores; PISA; books; school quality;
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