When it comes to international tests like the PISA exam, the U.S. doesn’t have much to crow about. On the most recent assessment the U.S. ranked 23rd in Reading, 24th in Science, and 38th in Math, continuing America’s slump in education. What gives?

A recent report from the left-leaning Brookings Institution may shed some light on the answer to that question. In section two of the 2017 Brown Center Report on American Education, researchers take a look at the attitudes and opinions of foreign exchange students experiencing life in American high schools. From their perspective, schooling looks a lot different in the states than it does at home:

”International students think American students devote less time to schoolwork. In 2001, 34.0% said much less, a figure that grew to 44.0% in 2016. When the 20.5% who answered ”˜a little lessâ’ are also considered, it means that nearly two-thirds of foreign exchange students (64.5%) believe U.S. high school students spend less time on schoolwork than their peers do back home.”