More than a century ago, Mark Twain popularized the phrase “Lies, damned lies and statistics,” noting that it’s possible to manipulate statistics to say whatever you want.

It’s worth keeping this in mind when we examine the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which tests the academic skills of 15-year-old students worldwide every three years. This makes it possible to compare countries and track progress over time.

ZWAAGSTRA: Canadian students doing worse than 20 years ago Back to video

According to PISA’s latest results released earlier this month, Canadian students score above the OECD average in math, reading and science. Shortly after the results came out, the Council of Ministers of Education issued a press release claiming that Canadian students “are among the world’s top performers in science” and “demonstrated strong performance in reading and mathematics.”

Keep in mind, however, the........

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