Reading scores among 15-year-olds in the United States have fallen to the lowest level in about 25 years, according to an international education assessment.
On Tuesday, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released findings from the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a global metric for educational achievement.
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The results showed that US reading scores fell 14 points from 2022, the last time PISA results were released.
The decline was part of a broader international trend, with an OECD average from 23 countries also dropping 16 points.
But the US stood out for the size of its performance gap. Some 25.7 percent of US students were ranked as low performers in reading, while 13.3 percent were flagged as top performers.
“Looking across all 90 participating countries, there was not a single country with significantly wider inequality in reading scores than the US,” Michael Kieffer, a professor of literacy education at New York University, told Al Jazeera. “What is clear is that we are under-serving many students.”
The PISA results come as the administration of US President Donald Trump seeks to reshape the federal government’s role in education.
In March 2025, Trump issued an executive order calling on Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin the process of dismantling the Department of Education, a federal agency that tracks student achievement, distributes federal education funds and enforces civil rights in schools.
The Education Department, however, does not establish school curriculums or academic standards. That responsibility has traditionally fallen to state and local authorities.
Still, Trump pointed to slipping test scores as a reason to shutter the department. He has also denounced the department for its “entrenched bureaucracy” and called for its responsibilities to be redistributed to the states.
In response to a request for comment on Tuesday, McMahon sent a statement to Al Jazeera echoing Trump’s push.
“The United States of America is a nation built to lead the world, yet our one-size-fits-all federal education bureaucracy has shortchanged our children and stifled our future,” McMahon wrote.
The White House has argued that federal education spending is excessive and has failed to translate into higher standardised test scores.
Since the Education Department was founded in 1979, it has spent more than $3 trillion, according to the White House.
“This moment is a stress test for our nation’s future,” McMahon said in her statement to Al Jazeera. “To pass it, we must enact a hard reset that stops protecting a failed status quo and instead builds a system that empowers state leaders and embraces innovative learning options through school choice.”
“School choice” has been a rallying cry for many US conservatives. The term refers to the practice of diverting taxpayer money away from public education to help parents finance alternative choices for their child’s schooling, like charter schools, homeschooling or private institutions.
The practice is controversial. Critics have accused the “school choice” system of weakening public education in favour of less regulated school systems that receive money with little oversight.
But since returning to office in 2025, Trump has embraced “school choice” as a form of “educational freedom”.
Last year, the Education Department announced $500m for its Charter School Program, touting the funds as the “largest investment” the initiative has ever received.
The money was earmarked to allow states to expand their charter school systems and fund new charter-school developers.
In July 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act – Trump’s signature piece of legislation – also created the first federal tax credit for donations to organisations that provide scholarships for primary and secondary school students, including for private-school tuition and tutoring.
Last month, Trump hosted a “school choice”-themed event at the White House to kick off the start of the new school year.
But critics warn that greater investment in education is needed across the board to reverse diminishing test scores.
“PISA 2025 shows that reversing declines in student performance is urgent,” OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said in a statement.
“The most successful education systems focus on fewer areas in greater depth, invest in teachers, engage parents and provide targeted support for the students and schools that need it the most.”
ALL departing flights from UK airports including both Heathrow and Gatwick are majorly disrupted due to an “air traffic control failure”.
Thousands of passengers have been stranded across the country as flights are grounded.
Passengers have been stranded as all departing flights face major disruption including at HeathrowCredit: AlamyUK airports are in chaos as departing flights are disrupted or cancelledCredit: @flightradar24/ X
The country’s air traffic control service NATS has a “technical issue” causing widespread chaos for departing flights.
Planes arriving into airports are not impacted.
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A Heathrow spokesperson said: “The air traffic control service NATS is experiencing a technical issue which is affecting departing flights at UK airports.
“We are supporting our local NATS team in their efforts to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
Major airports like Gatwick are included in those affectedCredit: AlamyPassengers have been warned to expect disruption (stock image)Credit: Getty
“We will provide updated information when we have it.
“We apologise to those disrupted and advise passengers to check with their airline for the latest flight information.
“This is affecting all UK airports, not just Heathrow and Gatwick.”
Fuming passengers told The Sun they’re stuck abroad because their flights are unable to leave over the issue in the UK, and have been warned they may have to get hotels for the night.
A National Air Traffic Services spokesperson said in a statement: “We are investigating a technical issue which is causing some disruption to flight departures.
“Our engineers are on site and we will provide an update as soon as we can.
“We apologise for the delay this will cause to journeys, passengers should check with their airline on the status of their flight.”
Are you affected? Email emily.davies@thesun.co.uk
It said in an update: “We have identified that the issue was in our flight processing system. Our engineers are on site and working urgently to resume normal operations as quickly as possible.
“We recognise the ongoing disruption to travel, for which we sincerely apologise. Flights are still departing and airspace is open, but recovery will take some time.
“We will provide further updates as soon as possible. Passengers should check the status of their flight with their airline.
“We will provide further updates as soon as we have confirmed information, at http://www.nats.aero and on X at @NATS.”
Airport management at Heathrow said all outgoing flights have been temporarily halted.
Belfast City Airport also warned of “some disruption” to flights.
Manchester Airport Group, the company that operates Manchester Airport, Stansted Airport in Essex and East Midlands Airport in Leicestershire, said flights from all three had been affected by the air traffic control issue.
It grounded 500flightsacross the UKand Brits were stuck for hours on a Bank Holiday.
The “one in 15 million” event led to thousands of flights being cancelled and delayed.
An investigation launched by NATS revealed that a flight plan errorresulted in the failure, which meant the air space was forced to close down – and only resumed 10 hours later.
In the aftermath, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said NATS could raise the amount it charges airlines by 25 per cent to ensure “safety and quality service”.
The fee increased from £47 to £64 per flight, an increase of 43p per passenger to £2.08 on average.
Sarah, from Manchester, said that people were left “confused and upset” by the chaos while at Lisbon Airport.
She told Sun Travel: “We arrived at the correct time for our 4.30pm flight to Heathrow but were then told our flight was four hours delayed.
“The queues are backing up at the BA check in desks with confused and upset people and crying babies.”
A spokesperson for Jersey Airport said: “UK air traffic control is currently experiencing issues which is impacting flights across the UK including services between Jersey and UK.
“Passengers are advised to check the latest flight information directly with their airline.”
Gatwick Airport added: “We are aware of a NATS technical issue that is currently affecting a number of UK airports, including London Gatwick.
“Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for more information regarding their flights.”
Disgruntled travellers have flocked to social media following the disruption.
One said: “Still stuck next in line on the runway at LHR. 90 minutes in.” Another said: “BA 742 back to engines off and waiting. Approaching 2 hour mark in 15 minutes.”
Another person posted on X: “We are currently sat on Alicante tarmac going to Manchester and this is affecting us. Not just London!”
A third said: “Luton airport too! We’re stranded on the actual plane.”
Four tips to help you claim back compensation if your flight is delayed or cancelled
MORE than seven million of us are expected to fly to European holiday spots this summer.
As peak holiday season hits, some delays are unavoidable.
If you’re one of those whose flight is disrupted, knowing your rights will help you claim back compensation.
GROUNDED: If your flight is cancelled less than 14 days before you fly, you are entitled to a new flight or refund and possibly compensation.
This applies to flights departing from a UK or EU airport, regardless of airline, and to flights arriving at a UK or EU airport, if operated by a UK or EU airline. In other cases, you’ll probably be entitled to a refund or an alternative flight, but you may not get compensation.
LATE LEAVING: Again, for EU or UK flights or airlines, if your arrival is delayed by more than three hours, you’re usually entitled to compensation — unless the delay was caused by circumstances beyond the airline’s control, like severe weather or air traffic control strikes.
Email or phone the airline, providing flight details and booking references, as well as the length of the delay. The amount you’ll get depends on the delay length and journey distance.
MEAL MATHS: If a flight is delayed by at least two hours for short flights or three hours for medium-distance, or four hours for long-haul, the airline must provide free meals and refreshments.
If the delay means you have to stay overnight, the airline must provide hotel accommodation and transport between the airport and the hotel.
If it doesn’t provide these and you end up paying for food, a hotel or transport yourself, keep all receipts so you can claim back reasonable expenses later.
PAPER TRAIL: Airlines often dispute compensation, so arm yourself with clear evidence.
Take photos of delay announcements on departure boards, and gate changes.
Keep emails, text alerts and boarding passes.
You can claim for delays that happened up to six years ago.
George Lucas and Mellody Hobson want their massive spaceship of a museum to be an experience. Across 300,000 square feet and 11 acres of park space, there’s a lot to take in. Staring up at the 90-foot-diameter oculus four stories above the entrance plaza makes one feel like a speck in the galaxy.
Instead of trying to conquer everything on a first visit — there are more than 1,300 works — hit our highlights below. If you aim to walk around the striking building to view a mishmash of masterpieces, children’s illustrations, movie memorabilia that’s heavy on “Star Wars” and comic strips, you’ll have a good time. If you’re hoping to learn about what’s on display or how adjacent pieces relate, curb your enthusiasm. It’s almost as if the museum is making a statement: you don’t need some analysis to connect with the works. If you complain about the collection, the co-founders don’t care. “Is it fine art? It’s finer art because it’s actually telling a story,” Lucas said at a museum party last week.
The 90-foot-diameter oculus provides unique viewing from the fourth-floor gallery.
(Ariana Drehsler / For The Times)
The gee-whiz elevators at the entrance of the museum.
(Ariana Drehsler / For The Times)
Whoosh up in the glass-tube elevators to the massive fourth floor to begin. Best to explore the bulk of the galleries when your gas tank is full. Then head up a floor to see the murals. Take a break at the rooftop Skywalker Grill before ambling to the library and grounds. Skip the first floor’s “History of Narrative Art.” The exhibition is mostly screens, projections and reproductions, with a handful of great works from the 16th and 17th centuries and feels superficial at times. If you care about whether something is an original or a copy, check the gallery labels. Hungry for more detail? There’s a $30 exhibition catalog in the gift shop.
Prepare to get your steps in and feel a little turned around once it opens Sept. 22. Admission is $25 for adults, free for kids.
US Central Command says its forces struck three Iranian crude oil carriers on Saturday, in retaliation for Iranian forces firing ballistic missiles towards two US warships ‘patrolling regional waters’.
PITTSBURGH — Jared Jones pitched six strong innings, Jake Mangum had an RBI double in the second inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the skidding Angels 1-0 on Friday night.
The MLB-worst Angels (53-88) lost for the 10th time in 11 games. The Pirates have won five of six games.
Jones (3-6) blanked the Angels on three hits to win for the first time in eight starts since beating Cleveland on July 18. He struck out nine, walked one, and threw 63 of 91 pitches for strikes.
Wilber Dotel pitched two innings, and Mason Montgomery worked the ninth to complete the four-hitter and the Pirates’ ninth shutout of the season. Montgomery had his ninth save.
Ryan Johnson (3-8) was the hard-luck loser, giving up one run and four hits over six innings with six strikeouts and two walks. He has a 1.67 ERA in his last six starts and has given up zero or one run in five of those outings.
Prized rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin returned from the injured list for the Pirates and made an immediate impact when he scored the lone run from first base on Mangum’s one-out double to right field in the second inning.
Griffin had been sidelined since July 6 after undergoing surgery to repair a torn tendon in his left ring finger. The Pirates signed the 20-year-old to a nine-year, $140-million contract, the richest in franchise history, in April.
The Angels hit back-to-back singles to open the top of the second, but Jones got Christian Moore to foul out, then struck out Jose Siri and Adam Frazier. The Halos have been shut out 12 times.
Up next: Angels LHP Yusei Kikuchi (0-5, 5.65 ERA) faces RHP Braxton Ashcraft (14-5, 3.59) on Saturday night in the middle game of the series.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. A set of jumper cables walks into a bar and orders a beer. The bartender eyes it suspiciously and says “I’ll serve you as long as you don’t start anything.”
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This just in
The big news is whatever is going on with Shohei Ohtani. He went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts against St. Louis on Wednesday and seemed to be in pain. He didn’t play Thursday. He’s not talking to reporters and Dave Roberts said, “He definitely doesn’t want to take the day [off]. Speaking for him, I know he feels that he needs to post and be in the lineup, and if he’s upright, he should play. I respect that. But if he’s feeling the way that it visibly looks, then it’s really not helping anyone. So that’s the conversation I’ll have with him.”
I’m sure we’ll have more to discuss on this in the next newsletter, once we have more clarity.
Most and least valuable?
Who have been the most valuable Dodgers this season? Well, if you go by WAR, which considers pitching, hitting, fielding and base running, the most valuable have been:
Shohei Ohtani, 6.5 Andy Pages, 5.4 Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 4.8 Max Muncy, 3.9 Freddie Freeman, 3.9 Mookie Betts, 2.6 Tommy Edman, 1.8 Justin Wrobleski, 1.8 Tanner Scott, 1.7 Tyler Glasnow, 1.6 Dalton Rushing, 1.4 Jack Dreyer, 1.2
The least valuable Edwin Díaz, -1.3 Cole Irvin, -0.4 Chuckie Robinson, -0.4 Kyle Tucker, -0.3 Emmet Sheehan, -0.3 Eliezer Alfonzo, -0.2 Ben Casparius, -0.2 Jonathan Hernández, -0.2 Will Klein, -0.2 Ben Rortvedt, -0.1 Teoscar Hernández, -0.1 Kiké Hernández, -0.1 Alek Thomas, -0.1 Charlie Barnes, -0.1 Kyle Hurt, -0.1
I think we can safely call last offseason the worst free-agent signing group of the Andrew Friedman era. Two guys are getting a combined $80 million this season and have a combined -1.6 WAR. Do I have to say their names?
Then you factor in Teoscar, and the outfield is a mess, especially with Pages out.
And if your last name is Hernández, this is not a good year for you to play for the Dodgers.
Some might be surprised to see Betts so high, considering he is having a poor year offensively. But Betts gets a strong boost from his defense. He is in the top three in most defensive metrics.
Which brings us to his hitting. He has had some injuries the last two seasons, so we could blame his decline on that. We could blame it on moving to shortstop. Or it could be both those things. Or neither. Some things just don’t have a provable cause.
But let’s look at how Betts has hit in his career at different defensive positions:
DH (55 plate appearances), .319/.400/.574 Second base (446), .309/.406./.550 Right field (4,458), .293/.372/.528 Center field (968), .287/.349/.492 Shortstop (1,421), .265/.337/.436 PH (17), .267/.353/.267
To be clear, the Dodgers are not moving Betts back to right unless something unexpected happens. It’s also true that Betts has hit much better as the leadoff hitter in his career than anywhere else. These are just things to make you think.
Back to WAR for a moment. Is it a perfect stat? No. There is no perfect stat. It’s just one tool in a drawer of tools. A mechanic never uses one tool for all jobs. A chef doesn’t use one kitchen utensil. And when looking at stats, you shouldn’t make a determination based on just one stat. But it can give an indication of how things are going.
Here’s how WAR basically grades out:
Replacement player 1 or fewer WAR Role Player 1-2 Solid Starter 2-3 Good Player 3-4 All-Star 4-5 Superstar 5-6 MVP 6+
Chris Taylor returns
Chris Taylor, his wife Mary and son Theo watch a tribute video of his career as a Dodger on Wednesday.
(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)
Former Dodger Chris Taylor returned to Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, where he received his 2025 World Series ring and threw out the first pitch before the game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Taylor is one of those guys who become a fan favorite because they seem to be wringing every ounce of athletic ability out of their body. We could identify with Taylor, because we could imagine us playing the way he did. Play like Ohtani? No. But play like Taylor? We could fool ourselves into believing that if we just stuck with it, we could have been Chris Taylor. He was us on the field.
This newsletter began a couple of weeks before the 2015 season. And I believe the first group of angry emails I got about something the Dodgers did was June 19, 2016, when the Dodgers traded pitcher Zach Lee to Seattle for some guy named Chris Taylor.
Lee had been touted as one of the best Dodgers pitching prospects in years. In the minors in 2015, he went 13-6 with a 2.63 ERA. Sure, he had a terrible outing in what turned out to be his only start with the Dodgers (4.2 IP, 11 hits, one walk, three strikeouts, 13.50 ERA), but that could happen to anyone. He was the pitcher of the future. Until he wasn’t. And to trade him for this Taylor guy, who in three seasons with the Mariners hit .240/.296/.296? Surely they could have gotten more for him than that! (They couldn’t and don’t call me Shirley.)
Here’s a guy who was with the team from 2016-25, and what do we know about him? Not much. He never sought the spotlight, just did his job every day to the best of his abilities.
“He is the consummate pro, the way he did a trust fall when he got here,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said when the Dodgers released Taylor last season. “He came in hungry and wanting to get better, and dove in with our hitting guys, with our position coaches. … He was a huge part of so much success that we’ve enjoyed. Can’t say enough about the human, the worker, the teammate, the player.”
Before Wednesday’s game, Mookie Betts told Cary Osborne of Dodgers Insider, “Having CT on the team was like having a Swiss Army knife. I think he was one of the first Swiss Army knives (in the majors). He made an amazing career out of it. It’s really hard to do, to be essentially a utility player and make a full career and be an elite utility player. He did it with flying colors.”
And it was fitting that he threw out the first pitch before the game against the Cardinals. His most important homer may have been his walk-off in the 2021 wild-card game against St. Louis. You can watch that here.
He made an incredible catch in Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS against the Brewers. You can watch that here.
—Rosters expanded from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1, and the Dodgers activated catchers Will Smith and Dalton Rushing and pitcher Justin Wrobleski from the IL. They also brought infielder Alex Freeland up from the minors and designated catcher Ben Rortvedt for assignment.
Rushing, who has a torn UCL, isn’t expected to catch but will be available as a hitter off the bench.
“From a hitting side, I think they felt comfortable with how much I’ve been hitting off [the pitching machine] and how much I’ve just really just been hitting over the last three weeks,” Rushing said. “The swing never really took a break. Usually, you hit the IL and it’s like you do nothing for a week or two, and thankfully for me, it was just no throwing, so I was able to still progress with the bat and feel as comfortable as possible. So I think making this call to allow me to obviously help us off the bench, I think, is an easier call for them.”
As for Smith, it turns out he had an annular tear in his neck. An annular tear is a small crack in the outer fibrous ring of a spinal disc. That doesn’t sound pleasant at all.
“It was frustrating early, just looking for answers why it was taking longer,” Smith said. “But we finally got those answers. And then it was kind of a pretty straightforward process from there. So last month or two hasn’t been too bad.”
Forgotten Dodger: Babe Herman
Babe Herman in 1933 with the Cubs.
(Associated Press)
Babe Herman was a great hitter and a lousy fielder who will always be remembered for doubling into a double play.
On Aug. 15, 1926, the Dodgers were playing the Boston Braves. With one out and the bases loaded, Herman launched a flyball to right that looked like it would be caught, but it hit the wall. The runner on third scored, but the runner on second, Dazzy Vance, rounded third and stopped, unsure if the ball had been caught. The runner on first, Chick Fewster, saw Vance round third and assumed he was going to score, so Fewster rounded second and continued to third, where he met the confused Vance. Meanwhile Herman, head down all the way, came sliding into third with what he thought was a triple. The base belonged to Vance, so Fewster and Herman were tagged out, inning over.
What often gets overlooked, the run Herman did knock in turned out to be the winning run in the game.
It also led to a story, possibly apocryphal, of a Brooklyn man hailing a cab. The driver has the Dodgers game on the radio and the passenger asks “What’s going on with the Dodgers?” the driver answers “they have three men on” and the passenger responds, “Oh yeah? Which base?”
Also, Herman played so well that season that the Dodgers released aging future Hall of Famer Zack Wheat, convinced Herman could replace him.
Herman’s best season came in 1930, when he hit .393 with 48 doubles, 11 triples, 35 homers and 130 RBIs. Tempering those numbers a bit is the fact the entire league hit .303 in 1930 and despite those lofty numbers, Herman amazingly didn’t lead the league in anything. Herman led the team in homers in RBIs in 1931 and hit for the cycle twice. He got into a salary dispute after the season and the Dodgers traded him to Cincinnati.
He left the majors after the 1937 season and returned to the minors, playing several seasons with the Hollywood Stars. If you have ever watched the move “The Pride of the Yankees” starring Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig, then you’ve seen Herman. He served as the movie’s technical consultant and was a stand-in for Cooper in long shots of Gehrig hitting.
In 1945, with the Dodgers in a pennant race and players scarce because of the war, general manager Branch Rickey asked Herman, who had been playing in the Pacific Coast League, if he would like to return to the Dodgers. Herman, 42, said sure and hit .265 with a double, homer and nine RBIs in 34 at-bats. He retired for good and became a longtime scout for various teams, as well as raising turkeys and owning an avocado farm. Herman died in Glendale on Nov. 27, 1987, at age 84.
Dodgers poll
We asked, “How do you think the Dodgers will do in the postseason this year?”
After 11,146 votes:
They will win the World Series, 40.7% They will lose in the NLCS, 32.9% They will lose in the NLDS, 16.6% They will lose in the wild-card series, 5.4% They will lose in the World Series, 3.9% They won’t make the postseason, 0.5%
Up next
Friday: Washington (*Jackson Kent, 1-2, 5.59 ERA) at Dodgers (*Blake Snell, 2-1, 2.42 ERA), 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Saturday: Washington (Cade Cavalli, 12-5, 3.12 ERA) at Dodgers (Tyler Glasnow, 4-0, 2.79 ERA), 6:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Sunday: Washington (*Andrew Alvarez, 2-6, 3.47 ERA) at Dodgers (TBD), 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
