Backwards Nation

In his Washington Post column this week, Jay Matthews wrote that he just doesn't buy that students in China and India, who routinely outscore their American peers, are a threat to our economic competitiveness. "The more prosperous they are, the more prosperous we are," he writes, "since they will have more money to buy our stuff." The point that Matthews misses is relative -- yes, other nations are doing better, but while they're moving forward, we're falling behind. The real fear is that the next Microsoft or IBM will be in Bangalore, not the United States.

Now Matthews is a smart guy, but he doesn't get [what's at stake if we don't do a better job of preparing our kids for the future. This is nothing if not an economic issue.

If America could raise the skills of its students to the middle of the pack of European nations over the next decade, our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would grow by an additional five percent over 30 years. That would mean an extra $1.5 trillion in 2037 alone -- more than triple what we currently spend on K-12 public education. Over a 50-year period, this increase in skills would yield incomes that are an additional 64 percent higher.

We can all agree that it is to our benefit if the Chinese and Indians are more prosperous. But for our continued economic success, we must keep our students at the top of the heap, not at the middle or the bottom. If the next generation of great thinkers and entrepreneurs are born in India and China, then it is the future success of our country that is threatened.

It's clear from a number of indicators that we're losing pace internationally. In past, U.S. students have faired relatively poorly on assessments, like PISA -- 15th in reading, 24th in math, 19th in science, and 24th on problem solving. This year, U.S. students scored statistically below the international average in math and science, and our average scores on both tests are below the US averages from the 2003 test. It's not just that China and India are getting better -- we're getting worse.

In the 21st century, the growing reality is a flat world, a borderless global economy where jobs and intellectual capital are not bound by geography but instead are driven by competition for the best and brightest workers, wherever they live.

The discouraging part of our declining test scores is what it says about our nation's long-term well being. From the light bulb to the microchip, the United States historically has been at the forefront of developing groundbreaking technology. Why? Because the United States consistently developed or attracted the world's greatest scientific and entrepreneurial minds. But as we lose that intellectual advantage, we also lose an economic advantage. Our students are getting their lunch eaten by other countries -- nations like China and India are demonstrating a superior ability to teach their kids, and we don't need a crystal ball to predict that capital investments and high-paying jobs are going to flow to those nations with the best educated workforce.

It's time for us to wake up. American must preserve the strong economic engine it's always been. This isn't just about math and science, although those subjects are the easy comparisons. It's about making sure that we control the new jobs and economic opportunity of the 21st century.

The lack of attention given to education thus far in this election is telling of one thing: the candidates and the media, including Matthews, do not fully understand that our failure as a nation to educate our young people for college, work and life will play a pivotal role in virtually every other issue facing our country.

We risk losing the American advantage -- and our country's middle class standard of living -- if our future leaders don't address this pending crisis.

Comments

[medeanj]

The fact of the matter is that parents are not taking responsibility for their children. They allow their children to sit in front of the computer, tv, and video games with only one-way interaction and not with other human beings; rather they allow these devices as a sort of baby-sitter. Children are not given enough play and outside time. Parents do not sit with their children often enough to be read to them (preferably the same annoying story over and over again...he­y, small kids like repetition).

Like the other poster mentioned, we are feeding the equivalent of garbage to our children instead of making real wholesome food. Start raiding the cookbook or Internet and start cooking. Use a crockpot if you don't have time to cook. Kids might turn their noses up at the sight of peas or green beans...to­o bad. They will get the message and will eat when hungry.

On the flip-side, every kid is different and there is no one cookie-cutter education system that fits everyone. We need more charter schools with different educational methods (even foreign language schools for our immigrants to study the required curriculum in their native tongue, and still learn English...­once proficient­...get them into the regular system).

I can go on as to how to cut costs without compromising our kids, but school districts and the 800-pound gorilla would not like what I have to say.

Oh, yeah. Get rid of that joke called Standardized Testing...­We all know that the bulk of the time in school nowadays is teaching how to take a test instead of learning how to, heaven forbid, 'think critically', 'problem solve', and learning practical life skills. They way I see it, I am seeing products of apathetic mindless drones.

[clr2]

Do all children in India and China get an education or do they pick and choose who gets one?

[clr2]

The educational systems in all other countries don't have to deal with what the US system does. Everyone in China speaks Chinese - go into any class in LA and you might have at least 10 children in every class who don't speak English. If we really want to do something about our educational system we must do something about our illegal immigration problem.

[loisteagulp]

Maybe teachers could...yo­u know...tea­ch them English.

[clr2]

While teachers are "teaching them English" what is the other half of the class doing? Teachers have to focus on those who don't speak English at the detriment of those who do.

[realitytrumpsbull]

If teachers have been politically brainwashed, then they will be unfit as instructors.
The primary job of 'a teacher' is to instill in the prospective student the capacity to learn,
and, once having done that, then provide that student with educational materials. Then, their 'job' is to slowly back away. But, I don't think that's what really happens.
Rhetorical question: How much of 'education' is little more than a jobs program? How much?

NOW you know why it takes 12 years, I think.

[Zenobius]

Hmm, not saying that this is not a problem, but it is not clear how to solve it. After all, one effect of being well off is that except for the small minority that love doing research for its own sake, people do stuff that is easier to do.

Also, as a Republican, you are ignoring the role of Republicans and business as causes of the problem. Inflation adjusted salaries for engineers and technical professionals have been flat or declining since 1973. Let's just say that the salaries, and relative status position, of lawyers and MBAs have not. Many tech companies have decided to hire their geeks, or many of them, from China and India. This inevitably affects the attitudes of men who seek status, to impress girl friends, etc. It is hard, when engineering is seen as grunt labor to contracted out to India, to be respected for wanting to be an engineer.

The rise in inequality and decline of the middle class may also mean that high school students don't see a payoff from studying hard. The US has a lot of kids who are never going to graduate from a four year college. Does it make sense for these kids to work hard in high school, if they are not going to get into Berkeley?

The trends you deplore cannot usefully be addressed without attacking problems in the attitude of society towards both educated people and inequality. The Republicans are, by and large, promoters of the causes of the problem you deplore.

[Cathexis]

Now THIS was one of the most clear-sighted responses I have seen on this subject. Thanks, Zenobius!

[shano]

The other advantage they have:

they eat REAL food. Not the crap laced corn saturated gruel Americans eat.

Yea, they eat vegetables, they have miso soup for breakfast, they eat tumeric in curry, they eat fruits. Their kids are not smashed on sugar, soda and white flour.

And they dont spend all their free time on video games, movies because they freakin' talk to people. They even talk to adults! At meal time! Where they eat real nutritious food!

Listen up parents.

[maggieb]

Part of the reason American students cannot compete with say the Chinese or Indians is because they are not encouraged or cannot be encouraged to put away the gagets and hit books. Nothing beats reading and reasoning. Additionally, they are accustomed to being spoon fed and does not know how to think for themselves. Kinda fits right into the American culture anyway, see how many have fallen "victim" to the Obamamania. Sorry but I had to go there!!

[Cathexis]

I am sick and tired of hearing how it could all be settled if only kids weren't lazy and/or stupid.

You know, it doesn't matter how bright or industrious kids are; unless American workers are willing to work for 1/6th or less the average American salary, we will lose jobs.

And we just can't "compete" on that level and maintain the "American standard of living."

[maggieb]

Your comment only supports the argument that Americans are indeed ignorant. It is as a result of the Chinese and Indians' ability to outsmart/outwit our policy makers why they are able to present the simpliest idea and we gullibly accept it without questioning their motives. America is raising a nation of students who accept everything at face value, because they know no better. We had better wake up.

[Jude2004]

I see two major problems with education: unmotivated students and too much standardized testing.

[anfractuous]

In a perverse way, this makes me happy, since I see these self-absorbed little ignoramuses - with three different earplugs in each ear, prattling away to their equally obtuse friends every single day and cannot determine why. Their concept of themselves; their concept of the world, is so narrowly asphyxiating that their future misery ( and perplexity) will be almost rewarding to watch.
The only remedy is to encourage young people in competing nations to be even more vacuous than ours. Given our momentary advantage in advertising, this might be our only chance.

[Advocate123]

The typical liberal solution to education is always:

1) Fund schools more by taxing wealthy;
2) Pay teachers more by taxing wealthy;
3) Increase size of Department of education, which will set uniform standards;
4) Support the teacher's union at all cost.

When our entire economic system in America drives costs down and creates massive amounts of goods and services, why are we using an educational system that is no different from a socialist Nation.

While I do not advocate home schooling children with my personal life, those students score in the 99 percentile on Average. Because parents have more control. It has nothing to do with funding.

The solution is to bring competition into the marketplace, from the bottom up.

1) Remove the Department of Ed and give local control of schools;
2) Let Parents decide where to send their kids with dollar values attached to their heads;
3) Allow bad teachers to be fired.

[clr2]

So true. Throwing money after the problem isn't the answer. There is plenty of money in education. We need to look at how it is used.

[research]

Kinda of a mixed bag:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE1D91039F935A25752C0A966958260

[sixxcue]

I'll make your argument even more simply: teach them the same way kids have been taught all along.

You always here how such and such great success was educated in the inner city public school. Well then why don't we do the same s**t they did then? Reading is reading and math is math, what the f**king problem?

Bothe liberals and conservatives are doing a disservice to these kids. Teach them the friggin fundamentals 'til theyare blue in the face and then add ur political or religious preferences around that foundation as you see fit.

[research]

"no different from a socialist Nation"

All the countries that are beating us in education have "Socialized" education.

Social services DO NOT EQUAL USSR "socialism".

Rethugs=ne­ocon=conse­rvative=co­rporatist=­fascism=ro­bber barons=wannabe kings