Perhaps it's time to admit that Americans as a whole are terrible at math?

"Teens from Asian nations dominated a global exam given to 15-year-olds, while U.S. students showed little improvement and failed to crack the top 20 in math, science or reading, according to test results released Tuesday."

I think the majority of us are totally capable, we just don't have our standards high enough.  I feel the curriculum has become easier in core classes through 12th grade, to accommodate a wider range of intelligence.  I believe college has become easier to accommodate more levels of intelligence.  High school AP classes have become where the majority of our students should be, if we want to compete on the world stage, but maybe most people don't want to bother with working too hard, it's too easy in the US for 3+ generation born people to survive without too much effort.  I'm glad many still have drive and the intelligence level to advance.

I have a friend from Hungary that said if you work as hard in the US, as you do in Hungary just to survive barely, you will get rich, it is so easy here compared to the old country.

I have seen a report about the Finnish system, it seems really good, get the best teachers possible, make it a highly desirable job, to pull in the best and brightest, and teach your students how to think; which leads to the ability to do anything, memorization is mostly forgotten.