Does behavior like that of the administrator in the story cause our math and science scores to be lower, or do the lower math and science scores cause the behavior of the administrator? It’s hard to tease apart the causality here. It may very well be that the administrator wouldn’t have called the police if American students tested higher in math and science. That is, our lower math and science scores make us less knowledgeable in these areas and thus more prone to fear when it comes to an ominous looking device with wires.

In all likelihood it’s probably both, with feedback going both ways.