The use of technology and learning from other countries are two good ways to boost the US education system, Bill and Melinda Gates, cofounders of the charitable organization the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, told CNBC Friday.
“In the US, we are involved in pioneering new measurements [for teachers] and letting them learn from the very best,” said Bill Gates, speaking from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Citing international examples, Gates said that Singapore has "a way of managing their teachers and measuring their performance. There are many levels that you have to prove yourself."
Bill Gates, who is Chairman of Microsoft, noted that US students haven’t fallen behind in math and reading skills, but that the levels have flattened.
At the same time, among students in places like Singapore, Korea and Finland those skills among students have jumped ahead.
Melinda Gates said that computers and technology in general can be used as aids to teachers, in which children learn on their own to some degree on the computer. Then the teacher steps in to help when the student hits a snag, she added.
