Illinois State University math professor John Dossey, who co-wrote the report, said the study compared math test scores at 11 large U.S. urban school districts and dozens of foreign school districts, The Chicago Sun-Times said Thursday.

Dossey said while math scores by Chicago public school students have increased since 2003, those scores fell far below math scores earned by students in Japan, Singapore and Taiwan.

The professor said with only 13 percent of eight-graders in Chicago public schools earning math proficiency scores, the city's school system ranked near third world countries like Bulgaria, Cyprus, Jordan and Macedonia.

"Our urban district students are performing no differently than many third world nations,'' he said. "It doesn't bode well.''

School system spokesman Mike Vaughn acknowledged such educational problems exist citywide.

"We know we have a lot of work to do,'' Vaughn told the Sun-Times.