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WaPo: Presidential Candidates Need To Spotlight Education
Research shows the US falling far behind other nations in educational progress and skill-growth of its children — but do the candidates care?
The Washington Post argues that education has to become a central issue in the presidential election.
New research shows that only one-quarter of America’s 52 million K-12 students perform on par with the average performance of the world’s five best school systems — which are now in Singapore, Hong Kong, Finland, Taiwan and South Korea.
In addition to this troubling finding, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has found that currently the US produces less than 50% of the advanced math students as 16 other countries. This is extremely disturbing for the future growth of science and engineering within the US as it indicates a future need to import scientific talent to make up for the failing performance of home grown math and science students.
The United States spends more on schools than most wealthy nations as a share of GDP yet ranks in the middle to the bottom of the pack on international comparisons. McKinsey estimates that the cost of this achievement gap vs. other nations is up to $2 trillion a year — the equivalent of a permanent national recession.
Despite the critical importance of this shortfall, only 1% of time in Republican debates have candidates even touched upon educational matters. This seems as bizarre as it is obvious that the future economic welfare of a society hinges upon the education and skill growth of its current children.
Joel Klein, chief executive of News Corp’s education division and former New York City Chancellor of Schools, argues that:
The accountability regime set up by No Child Left Behind likewise left the design of standards to the states. The result has been what many consider a “race to the bottom,” as states eased requirements to create the illusion of progress.
NCLB has also recently been neutered by the Obama administration’s widespread granting of state waivers to head off the inevitability of the state’s failure to reach the standards set out in the bill. Klein also argues for a professionalization of the teaching profession.
There is almost universal consensus that effective teaching is the most powerful way to improve student performance. But we’re not serious as a nation about making teaching an attractive career. Finland, Singapore and South Korea recruit 100 percent of their teachers from the top third of high school and college students. Their teachers train in prestigious institutions that accept only one of every seven or eight applicants. By contrast, only 23 percent of new U.S. teachers come from the top third (14 percent for high-poverty schools). Our teachers are trained mostly in open-enrollment institutions seen as second-rate; poor pay and working conditions compel the best to leave the classroom within a few years. A trade union mentality makes it hard to reward excellence and promote accountability.
The US is among the top global spenders ($ spent as a share of GDP) on schools, yet ranks in the bottom half of international comparisons. If these issues aren’t addressed soon by politicians currently unwilling to provide what could be a politically unpopular mandate for reform, then the danger is that instead of a child, an entire nation may be left behind.
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Comments
Considering there is NO Constitutional grounds for federal involve-
ment in education (enumerated powers, or implied), why should a
presidential candidate enter into the issue? Northwest Ordinance
AND Amendment 10 gives the responsibility to the states and/or the
people!
Having states handle education might be a dream of states-rights dreamer but for practical purposes, having fifty two different education systems is destined for failure. We need to have uniform standards in the United States so that a high school graduate from Alabama can compete against a high school graduate from New York. Besides, the U.S. Government stumps up the money for education, so it should get a say. As far as keeping the Fed out of schools, that ship has sailed, as MattW explained.
I certainly agree that presidential candidates should know enough about education to be able to recommend sensible curricula and to reject our horribly failed “progressive education”.
What is “progressive education?” Is that when we teach facts like evolution and comprehensive sex education, instead of fantasies like “intelligent design” and useless things like “for the love of god, just don’t have sex, mmkay?”
No, the original Constitution doesn’t say anything about education, but I have some news-It’s NO LONGER 1789!. Once an administration took the necessary legal steps to create the department of Education it BACAME a Federal issue. And it is covered by the “Necessary and Proper Clause” of that same document. The Constitution doesnt say anything about an Air Force, does it mean that we should abolish that?
Besides, Education is a NATIONAL concern therefore should be on the agenda of the Federal government. The states have a majority stake in it, but It is still something that needs to be handled on a Federal level. EVERY nation that is eating our lunch has a nation wide plan for education. They don’t leave it up to individual locales to try to come up with something coherent.
Every nation eating our lunch is also a much more homogenous culture. Oops, there I said it. Coincidence?
Matt, I’m seriously troubled by the last two comments of yours that I read. You want to say something, say it. Own your opinions. Stop wink-winking like this. Do you think it’s a coincidence? If you asked the question, you could give your point of view. These “oops did I just say the wrong thing?” cute thing you’re doing is insulting to people trying to discuss serious issues intelligently.
I think you meant Mike is Making the “oops” statements.
I’m sorry I can’t type with inflection, or it would be obvious that I don’t think a homogenous culture would lead to higher test scores. But, you see it is insulting to my intelligence to be told that it is inappopriate to point that out. These simply are the issues we are faced with and to get shouted down because it isn’t PC to say those things it to ignore the problem. You can live in your fantasy world all you want but it won’t fix the problem. Now, to be clear I in no way condone not having our diverse culture, I just think it will add a degree of difficulty that perhaps can’t be overcome or in the very least all of the current reforms will not address.
That should be homogenous cultures do lead to higher test scores.
http://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/matthew-lynch-the-academic-consequences-of-poverty/
perhaps if you would like to fix american education, you could address the root problem
I respect Matthew Lynch, but while poverty is a big problem with education, it isn’t the only problem with education and we need to stop pretending that it is.
no you need to stop pretending ignoring it will somehow make progress
you need to stop pretending “solving” all these non existent problems that are rooted in poverty will make a difference.
and most importantly you need to stop pretending we should turn to anyone but educators to improve education
Ok let’s wait until government solves the problem of poverty and not work on improving education for poor kids in any other way. I’m sure that’s going to work great.
i’m working on solutions for poor kids, every day.
your in an online forum attacking people like me because you need someone to blame for problems that you don’t want to solve.
All the solutions proposed (charters, vouchers etc) don’t actually “help” improving education for the poor, they only suck money away from those who are actually trying to do the work