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By Aliya Sternstein

The higher education community is divided on how much weight should be given to a report issued Tuesday that found U.S. high-school students overall are performing below average in science. But many concur that low U.S. test scores are largely due to the country's failure in reaching out to its underclass and immigrant population.

The United States ranked 21st on an international survey of 15-year-olds' knowledge and skills in science, known as the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA.

University of Washington Computer Science Professor Ed Lazowska, a former co-chair of the now-defunct President's Information Technology Advisory Committee, said the report "once again clearly indicates the performance of U.S. secondary students in science and mathematics lags that of our competitor nations."

He said the results should effectively counter a widely publicized October Urban Institute report that claimed the United States, contrary to other recent reports, is not falling behind in science and math education.

Lazowska acknowledged performance gaps among segments of the U.S. student population. While "the best-prepared students in America are equal to the best in the world," he said, "a greater and greater proportion of America's students are not being prepared at this level and are not being equipped for success."