One problem with this article is that it attempts to exonerate some American districts (that happen to be some of the most affluent urban regions in the country

One problem with this article is that it attempts to exonerate some American districts (that happen to be some of the most affluent urban regions in the country) by pointing out they can compete favorably with the world's top nations. That is an Apples to Oranges comparison. They're being compared to those entire nations including all children from their affluent urban suburbs to their impoverished backwoods one-room schools. If you compared Boston's math performance to only the richest urban areas of Finland, South Korea, or Canada you'd find the disparity as stark as ever.