All is not well in the U.S. education system, which has been battling many fires in recent times. The latest blow comes from the report, "Measuring Innovation in Education," recently released by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The study on global education standards spans across nations and compares everything from the number of thought processes to the latest tools used. What has emerged from the report is that the world's leading nation has to fight hard to maintain the status quo.

The U.S. has received low scores for education innovation, a key criterion for progress. Using data spanning from 2000 to 2011, the report has revealed that the classroom practices in the U.S. have not really evolved in the last decade.

Denmark, Korea, the Netherlands and surprisingly Indonesia have showcased the most innovative educational systems in the world. Of course, as the author states, innovaiton doesn’t necessarily show superiority, but rather their willingness to change.

But the U.S. shouldn't be complacent in our thinking that we are ahead of game. This unwillingness to change, improve and bend is the first sign of stagnation. Innovation cannot breed in stagnation, and perhaps it is this thought that is manifested in the report, which we should consider our due warning.

Lack of innovation is detrimental for our future generations, but since the impact is not evident right away, not many will agree to the fact. A more immediate effect can be seen in the area of higher education, which is seeing a massive decrease in foreign applications. Tuition from foreign students is a big source of revenue for U.S. colleges, which are already facing massive fund crunch.

Another report estimates that South Korea, which has been the third-largest source of international students to the United States, has seen an all-time drop in enrollments in the last five years. A major reason for this was a lack of opportunities back home since the two educational systems cannot be connected.

Of course, there are a lot of economic and social factors in these countries that determine the shifting trend. One of those factors is an increasing number of joint partnerships with international universities that allow students to earn U.S. degrees without having to travel abroad.

Countries like South Korea and now China are investing heavily in great resources, labs, study material and faculty as well as top-notch research. A foreign degree is no longer the edge in a crowded job market. With improving education systems, the opportunities international students used to get in America can be attained at home.

In other words, this means that we have not progressed as much as they have. What is worrisome is that the coveted U.S. degree can so easily become a dispensable factor.

At home, a survey conducted by Smithsonian and the Pew Research Center found that American parents are quite dissatisfied with the standard of science and math taught at school today. For some time now, supporters of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education have been warning administrators and authorities that U.S. students are falling behind other nations in technical subjects.

This survey is a quiet validation for their fears that a nation oft heralded for its progress and innovation is falling behind emerging countries now. These countries are showing more promise in innovative pedagogic practices with more personalized teaching, realistic interpretation of data and text, and in more successful linking of lessons and life.

Various tests conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) have revealed an alarming weakness and falling standards of quality and innovation in the U.S. education system as well. It is clear that we cannot rest on our past laurels as harbingers of modern education anymore.

Our past success is no longer defining our future.

To keep up with the changing global educational standards and meet the demands of the global economy, our education system needs to have more innovative teaching methods, to inculcate new skills in children and most of all to challenge them to think outside the box. It is only then that we can recover the lost diadem of innovation that has hailed the U.S. as a leading nation.