Education in the USA will never compete globally until school time can be dedicated to academics, instead of parenting.  Schools teach stranger danger, healthy eating, bicycle safety, safe dating, proper diet, drug education, anti-bullying, the hazards of the Internet…actually there are too many to list.  In traditional countries, parenting is done at home and students learn academics in school.   Schools are expected to combat every societal ill.   Can you imagine what can be accomplished if we taught academics full time?   U.S. kids are equally capable as kids in other countries.  The focus of our educational system is not.