The chart shows that American 15 year olds are below international standards in mathematics. The US did manage to beat Mexico, Italy and Russia which suffered a political and economic collapse in 1991. The percentage of high school students that graduated with the skills and education necessary for college entrance was 34% in 2002, despite federal spending on education increasing 128% since 1971. The high school graduation rate has remained flat, going from 72% in 1991 to 71% in 2002.[source: Manhattan Institute for Policy Research]