A Marshall Plan for Education to Restore America's Prestige in the World

As we look forward to Obama's inauguration, we anticipate the beginning of America's restored standing in the world.

In his acceptance speech, Obama addressed the issue directly when he said, "To all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals."

A sure-fire way President-elect Obama can immediately restore America's place in the world and spur our economic recovery during his first term in office is to export one of our most powerful assets: education. Specifically, we need a Marshall Plan for Education that will help seed the ideals of democracy, liberty and opportunity that Obama described in his speech.

After World War II, Truman's Marshall Plan re-built infrastructure so Europe could withstand Communism. Today, infrastructure is intellectual. Knowledge is the pathway to economic growth. Education will also enable the world's youth to resist radical fundamentalism. The battle over the hearts and minds of the world's future leaders and future armies is being fought in classrooms. Al Qaeda and other terrorist forces educate orphans.

It's in our national security interest to provide an excellent education to children in Africa, Asia, and the Americas -- an education that gives them world class skills and trains them to be leaders. Education will transform their lives, build economic self-sufficiency, create hope from despair. Because the challenges we face can not be solved by military intervention or nation to nation diplomacy alone. We must build partnerships to confront the threats we face and to repair our economy. Partnering with the peoples of the world to educate their children is a good place to start.

Providing children with marketable 21st Century skills, will restore America as a visionary leader. And it will help our economy. President-elect Obama said, "Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.... we rise or fall as one nation; as one people."

The financial crisis taught us something else: that America's fortunes are inseparable from Main Streets of other countries as well in today's global economy. We've seen a domino effect in the world's markets after the U.S. economy started spiraling downward. Today's flat world will rise or fall as one.

A Marshall Plan for Education wouldn't require starting from scratch. There are already models, led by partnership between local governments and nongovernmental organizations on the ground in countries like Uganda and South Africa that are getting results. My organization, LEAD Uganda, a US-Ugandan partnership, molds leaders from motivated AIDS orphans, former-child soldiers, working children, and youth in refugee camps. We place them into top schools and imbue them with a strong work ethic, a devotion to democratic values, and a desire to serve. It works. Last term, one-fifth of our scholars were first, second, or third in their class. One child, who had been working in a rock quarry, received a $20,000 scholarship to attend the African Leadership Academy, possibly the best high school on the continent.

There are thousands of young Barack Obamas out there. They must be sent to the best universities if they are to obtain the skills needed to lead others to a better future. We've learned that the most important principle that helps young people get there is to not to set limits on what they can achieve. Universal primary education, while laudable, is not enough to provide the change we need. We need to train leaders, which requires mentoring the best and brightest children so they can attend university.

Another key principle is to keep the footprint local. Most international aid is run top down from the West, We need to forge partnerships with teachers, and community leaders and train local staff and turn the program over to them. A bottom up approach creates strong partners and loyal friends.

Compared to the vast potential for international goodwill at stake, the cost of educating children in these countries is low. The equivalent of what we spend daily in Iraq -- $329 million dollars -- could educate nearly a quarter million children at the best schools and universities in their countries.

President-elect Obama's historic ascendance to the White House has the potential to be a new dawn of American leadership. A signature policy would be a Marshall Plan for Education that trains smart, dedicated children affected by war, AIDS, and poverty to be leaders. Let's bring America's best principle -- equal opportunity -- to the disenfranchised youth of the world. When we help the world's outsiders realize their dreams, they will stand with us to create a safer world.

America used to be seen as the beacon of the world. We can become that again.

Comments

[EspressoAtNoon]

Let's see, our country is close to bankruptcy, and we continue to borrow trillions to fund an unnecessary war, to bail out Wall Street, Insurance Companies, and now Detroit. We have the worst education system in the industrial world. And now you're proposing we borrow even more money to educate everyone else's children?

We could start by taking care of our own. Our public school system is a disgrace. If we can't even get it right here then how are we going to educate everyone else's children?

Look around - we're about a couple years away from resembling one of those third world countries ourselves. On paper we're the poorest country in the world. We're worth negative trillions of dollars.

[stephenshames]

You say, “Let's see, our country is close to bankruptcy....We could start by taking care of our own.
Another person said, “A Marshall Plan for Education that would address primary education in THIS country could replace the broken rungs which have occurred in the economic ladder in the past few decades.”

I agree we should do things in this country. That is obvious. President-Elect Obama has pledged to do that. Congress just appropriated 600 Billion dollars to that end. Obama promised a public works program. During the campaign he pledged to fix the medical care system and provide a college education to anyone who does community service. Etc... What is the point of writing about something that Obama is already going to do?

I wrote about something that is not being discussed.

[vegas9999]

Another reason why spending on higher education may correlate with negative economic growth is that once students get into an academic environment, they are saturated with leftist politics and want to become lawyers or environmental activists who sue companies for creating products and try to prevent anybody from doing anything ("The Phantom Gains of College Aid," Steve Malanga, PostOpinion, Dec. 11).

If colleges encourage more students to study engineering and science, something useful might come out of it.

[lj9283]

You had me until "export".

A Marshall Plan for Education that would address primary education in THIS country could replace the broken rungs which have occurred in the economic ladder in the past few decades.

[stephenshames]

This applies to the next entry -- and what I wrote there also applies to your comment. Sorry I posted these in the wrong order.

Why is it our responsibility to educate the rest of the world?

I write this on Christmas Day. Please meditate on the meaning of what you may be celebrating today and then tell me we should not reach out to others. Yes, I am suggesting we do something selfless. But I also believe we will benefit.

We still have enormous resources. In addition to financial resources, there is a talent pool in America that came from around the world. That is why America is unique. American greatness is not the result of our being different from others. American excellent exists because we are the best of every culture that has emigrated here. We are the world. Whatever we give to the world comes back to us. Obama’s Kenyan roots are one example of this.

One last point. Consider this: A son of Africa who was educated to be a leader in the best schools might well save America. Think about the deeper meaning of that. That is the point of my article. That is why I propose we create a Marshall Plan to educate leaders.

[Drwho1300]

I agree that education is the key to stabalization of the world and to promote a new generation into an age of prosperity. However, the current Amercan format is not what we want to export. It is not about the dollars spent as much as it is about the efficiency of that spending. Education is not a short term profit machine. Its profits are reaped in taxes paid and revenue generated from educated and productive citizenry. New industries created by individuals and organizations who have been trained to think critically. Political leadership that had a broad understanding and knowledge pool to draw from to make better deicisions. Our children are not being taught to lead, or to think. They are taught that getting by is good enough.

[RightWingMarine]

given the state of American education is this really something other countries would want to import? We waste so much of our children's time learning about alternative lifestyles, about Earth day, about how the white man stole this land and is the cause of everyone else's problems that very little time is spent learning reading, 'riting or 'rthimitic. Not to mention the gall involved in going to someone else's country and telling them that they aren't able to teach their own children and the Americans have to come and rescue them.

Lastly, why is it our responsibility to educate the rest of the world? What part of the Constitution gives Congress the power to spend money on the American education system let alone education for non-Americans?

[stephenshames]

I never suggested we export our educational system or even our ideas. The program I started in Uganda is run by Ugandans. They do to their way. It is a true partnership. America is a deeply involved in the world. Our economy is tied to many others. If educated leaders create prosperity in their countries, they will purchase our products. Do you believe the American auto industry can survive on domestic sales alone? Building leaders in less developed economies will be the best long-term way to help American auto workers.

We spend billions fighting terrorism. General David Patreaus and others have stated that the fight against terrorism and radical fundamentalism can not be won by the militarily alone. We need to address the political component. Educating leaders in the majority world will help us because THEY will combat terrorist elements in their countries -- more effectively than we can. One mistake President Bush made in Iraq was to try to do it alone. Education stands in contrast to the cowboy approach. It is people to people.

What we need to do is be a partner, not a bully. The disastrous Bush doctrine of empire and domination is what I am proposing we stop and become a partner to others in the world. If we take that approach, we will help create a more prosperous, safer world. We are all connected today. There are no “them” and “us”. This is one world and we will rise or fall together.