A Need for ChangeBy Sarah Woodring

The wealth of a nation lies with its people.

In 1983, A Nation at Risk urgently recommended reforms in education warning "the United States is under challenge from many quarters".  Today we're at greater risk than ever. The Government Education Monopoly continues to imperil our economy by failing miserably at preparing the workforce. Business increasingly looks for talent overseas.

--U.S. Commissioner of Education Statistics

The world's greatest concentration of PhD's is in Seoul, Korea and half of Americans can't even find Seoul on a map.

--U.S. Commissioner of Education Statistics

As many other countries invest heavily in science and engineering research, graduate a record number of scientists and engineers, and increase incentives to attract outstanding international students and scholars, it is a dangerous time for the U.S. to neglect our science and engineering enterprise.

--National Science Board

Fin

ish

United States

China

India

The U.S. is a leading producer in high-tech manufacturing and knowledge-intensive services, but several Asian countries, led by China, have rapidly increased their global market share.

--National Science Board

“Though it might be tempting to forego the long-term investments in the face of short-term challenges, neglecting scientific research and education now will have serious consequences for the future of our country. We must bear in mind that investments in our scientific and technological workforce, infrastructure, and basic research are not luxuries – they are critical for long-term prosperity and security. As other countries now actively seek to emulate our success by building their own innovation infrastructures, we must be ever vigilant to enhance our own innovative capacity.”

--National Science Board

•By the time our students are ready to leave high school - ready to enter higher education and the labor force - they are doing so badly with science they are significantly weaker than their peers in other countries.

Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)

•Our idea of "advanced" is clearly below international standards.

--TIMSS

•There appears to be a consistent weakness in our teaching performance in physical sciences that becomes magnified over the years.

--TIMSS

Math test scoresGrade 12

Netherlands 560Sweden 552Denmark 547Switzerland

540Iceland 534Norway 528France 523New Zealand 522Australia 522Canada 519Austria 518Slovenia 512Germany 495Hungary 483Italy 476Russia 471Lithuania 469Czech Republic 466United States 461Cyprus 456South Africa 446

--Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)

Science test scores

Grade 12Sweden

559Netherlands 558Iceland 549Norway 544Canada 532New Zealand 529Australia

527Switzerland 523Austria 520Slovenia

517Denmark 509Germany

497France 487Czech Republic487Russia 481United States 480Italy 475Hungary

471Lithuania 461Cyprus 448South Africa 349

--Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)

United States awarded the lowest proportion — 17 percent — of degrees in science, mathematics, and engineering in comparison to other G-8 countries.

--US Department of Education G-8 Report

What did those American students major in instead? According to the report, they earned degrees in education and in a broad category embracing social sciences, business, and law.

--US Department of Education G-8 Report

The high school exit exams that most states require students to pass before they graduate are far too easy. The exams generally test eighth- or ninth-grade level work.

--American Diploma Project

Value of the High School Diploma??

The high school diploma is losing its value quickly, as a growing number of graduates leave school without the math and reading skills that colleges and employers demand.

From American Diploma Project

Russia has more adults with a higher education.

Russia has the higher proportion — 55 percent — of adults, age 25 to 64, who have completed a higher education. Canada, at 45 percent, was second; the United States, at 39 percent, was third, closely followed by Japan, at 38 percent. Italy, at 11 percent, was last.

--US Department of Education G-8 Report

Over an adult's working life, high school graduates can expect, on average, to earn $1.2 million; those with a bachelor's degree, $2.1 million; and people with a master's degree, $2.5 million.

High school dropouts can expect to earn $1 million dollars or less over their lifetime.

--U.S. Census Bureau

Rich-Poor Gap Tripled Between 1979 and 2006

Causes for Failure in our schools

The biggest deficits are found at the middle school level. In middle school, most countries shift curricula from basic arithmetic and elementary science in the direction of chemistry, physics, algebra and geometry. Even poor countries generally teach a half-year of algebra and a half-year of geometry to every eighth-grader.

Our schools’ curriculum does not compare to our competitors schools.

Curricula

--From 4 Choice

U.S. textbooks treat topics with a "mile-wide, inch-deep" approach. A typical U.S. eighth-grade math textbook deals with about 35 topics. By comparison, a Japanese or German math textbook for that age would have only five or six topics.

Textbooks

--From 4 Choice

Among teachers of high school biology and life sciences classes, approximately 31 percent of them do not have at least a minor in biology. Among high school physical science teachers, over half, 55 percent, do not have at least a minor in any of the physical sciences. Again we might question the focus of the teachers on social re-engineering instead of subject areas.

Teachers

--From 4 Choice

Among other countries, China and India are out-pacing America in education.

www.2mminutes.com

So what are we going to do?

What will it take to change education?

•A rigorous curriculum

•Curriculum that is meaningful and interesting

•Alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment

•Leaders that create visions within their school

•A sense of urgency among educators

•Courage

Call To Action