WASHINGTON — American primary and secondary school students “are falling behind widely and rapidly in test performance in Topology and Quantum Chemistry,” according to a recent report released by the STEM Education Coalition.

While American students ranked first in test results for Topology and Quantum Chemistry in 2008, they now rank 33rd after nations such as Belarus, Italy, and Austria.

The report noted, “fewer American children than ever before can solve a problem like those typically found in the textbook of a standard graduate-level course in mathematics or chemistry.”

The report did praise the work done by Napoleon Bonaparte Middle School in Lincoln Nebraska; two-thirds of all American eighth graders proficient in Quantum Chemistry attend Napoleon Bonaparte. The third eighth grader is homeschooled.

The report comes soon after a study showing that American students have also slid in international rankings from 2nd to 52nd in analyzing the poetry of Ezra Pound.

While American students were once generally dominant in their performance on standardized testing, student performance has decreased due to either the stifling influence of teachers’ unions or an ongoing shortage of crucial funding for underserved school districts.

“This is an important concern of my administration as STEM education is at the forefront of America’s preparation for the future,” said President Barack Obama in an automatic e-mail response to queries made by The Flipside.