Schools in RICH countries are failing. The latest scores on PISA(国际学生评估项目) tests of reading, maths and science, released on September 8th, are the worst since the tests, administer(实施；管理；主持)ed by the OECD(经济合作与发展组织), began in 2000. Educators can no longer blame it all on covid-19 lockdowns, which badly messed up lessons and caused PISA grades to drop. The pandemic is now over, but scores have continued to fall roughly as fast. In 35 rich countries that take part in the tests, a typical 15-year-old now reads no better than a 14-year-old did a decade ago.(在参与测试的35个富裕国家中，如今一个普通15岁学生的阅读水平，还不如十年前一个14岁的孩子。) A slow-motion disaster(慢动作灾难；缓慢逼近的灾难) is under way.
富裕国家的学校正在失职。9月8日公布的最新PISA阅读、数学和科学测试成绩，是自经合组织2000年启动该测试以来最差的一次。教育工作者再也不能把责任全推给新冠封锁——封锁严重扰乱了教学，导致PISA成绩下滑。疫情如今已经结束，但成绩仍在以大致相同的速度继续下跌。在参与测试的35个富裕国家中，如今一个普通15岁学生的阅读水平，还不如十年前一个14岁的孩子。一场慢动作的灾难正在上演。
Test scores are not the full measure of a child. But they are a good predictor(预测指标；预示因素) of desirable outcomes and a bulwark(堡垒；屏障；保障) against many of the worst ones. Kids who do well on tests tend to earn more, live longer and healthier lives, and commit fewer crimes. By one estimate, pushing up PISA scores by a mere quarter of a standard deviation might increase annual growth in rich countries by half a percentage point.(据一项估算，PISA成绩哪怕只提高四分之一个标准差，富裕国家的年经济增长率就可能提升半个百分点。)
考试成绩并不能全面衡量一个孩子。但成绩能很好地预测理想的人生结果，也能抵御许多最糟糕的结局。考试表现好的孩子往往收入更高、寿命更长、身体更健康，犯罪也更少。据一项估算，PISA成绩哪怕只提高四分之一个标准差，富裕国家的年经济增长率就可能提升半个百分点。
Perhaps, though, as artificial intelligence improves, the fact that children struggle intellectually will not matter so much? The adults of the future will be able to outsource their thinking to clever machines, just as they use machines to perform innumerable physical tasks.(未来的成年人可以把思考外包给聪明的机器，就像他们用机器完成无数体力活一样。) So why sweat about swotting(为死记硬背发愁)?
不过，也许随着人工智能不断进步，孩子们在智力上吃力这件事就没那么要紧了？未来的成年人可以把思考外包给聪明的机器，就像他们用机器完成无数体力活一样。既然如此，何必为死记硬背发愁呢？
Rigour warning
严苛警告