I think the other side is equally likely (if not already happening) in that countries seeking 'excellence' succumb to the manager's fallacy of using metrics to reward and punish, at which point Goodhart's law kicks in like it did for no child left behind. Are chinese students cheating on their exams because its only the score that matters, for example?
The lowest denominator, lowering of standards, and grade inflation I believe are all symptoms of 'education' not being about learning and skill building, but about credentialization. If only the certificate matters anymore, then rest is just theatre.
That doesn't stand up to scrutiny, the US is famously politically and ideologically divided. I understand the impulse to say "no, you" but we can do better than that here.
Point taken about the snark, but ideological conformity is a growing pressure everywhere, and the fact that it has two poles in the US doesn't lessen the negative effects on education.
That's a not just a problem in education. Lowest denominator thinking is endemic throughout America.
Don’t be surprised if countries that seek excellence, like China, eventually have economic growth that outpaces America for this reason alone.