On the positive side, there was, for instance, the rugby-style score in Arsenal's 7-5 victory over Reading, or Bradford's semifinal upset of the Premier League's Aston Villa.

WSJ: U.K. Soccer's League Cup Hosts a Cinderella Story

In that time they have lost 5-0 in India and 6-1 to Australia and arguably they only won in the West Indies because John Dyson made a mess of reading the Duckworth Lewis score-sheet.

BBC: Jonathan Agnew column

The graduating class of 2012 posted an average score of 496 in reading, a one-point drop from 2011 and a 34-point decline since 1972, the first year the College Board began tracking the scores of "college-bound" seniors.

WSJ: SAT Scores Fall as More Students Take Exam

According to a recent study from the National Center for Education Statistics, African-American students continue to score significantly lower in reading and math than their white counterparts.

CNN: Obama: We must fix education in black communities