http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/12/mass_students_o.htmlGJ
"Massachusetts performed strongest on the fourth-grade science exam, coming in second worldwide just behind Singapore and ahead of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan. By contrast, the United States as a whole placed eleventh with a score that researchers characterized as significantly lower than Massachusetts.
"This is a tribute to the work of the Commonwealth's students, teachers, and administrators," said state Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester in a telephone interview. "This is a validation of the educational reforms undertaken in the last decade-plus and the financial investment that was made.""
