I am in Chicago today talking to education reporters about what might help urban teachers to meet the enormous challenges placed before them-- 50% and higher drop out rates, single digit percentages of students actually meeting test standards, whole city school systems on the verge of going into receivership (taken over by the state). Given that huge percentages of our students in the US are attending these schools, I wonder why this has not been a bigger issue on the campaign trail. I understand that we appear to be in an economic meltdown and bread and butter issues are always the most important to voters. It has even taken over almost all discussion of the Iraq war where we continue to lose soldiers daily and where the nation's treasury is being invested. (Even the massive buy outs of AIG and others pale by comparison to the money we have dumped in Iraq.) But, when this economic crisis passes, who will work in this economy? Who will be able to get jobs? What will we do about the millions of young people who are unable to get a job--or create one-- because they are so woefully undereducated?
Sometimes in the academy our focus gets narrowed to the kids whom we see in our classrooms --the winners in the education lottery. But the reality is that most American kids don't go to college or get a degree, and proportionally fewer are getting a high school diploma than 20 years ago. If you are black or brown and go to school in the innercity your chances of getting a diploma are often worse than 50-50; chance of getting a college degree are miniscule. In fact, in the last few years we have slipped from number one in college completion to about number 16 internationally. And as our school age population is increasingly poor, innercity, and minority, those figures continue to slip backwards. Mexico was doing a better job of getting degrees to those who went to college. People can debate these rankings, but there is absolute consensus internationally --the US is no longer the world leader in either K-12 OR higher education.
I, too, wonder why there isn't more discussion of a key presidential qualification being how "smart" that individual is. But, knowing what I do about IQ testing, I worry much more about how "educated" that person is. And I worry a lot about how educated the voters are --and will be--who will be casting the votes. If you haven't been given a decent high school education are you going to worry a lot about the Ivy League education of your president? I suspect you are going to worry about the chances your child has, growing up in impoverished schools, and looking at a dead end future like your own. Why aren't the campaigns talking more about this? (I don't think that a few lines about getting more charter schools constitutes a conversation.) While McCain may not really know this issue, Obama KNOWS this is a huge issue-- maybe the biggest facing the nation--but even he isn't really talking about it. Why not? And if it is because the analysis is that it isn't a vote getter in this election, why is it that those of us who consider education to be the lifeblood of society aren't making it an issue?
On-topic comments that add to the discussion are welcome. Please respect each other and the forum by using your real name and a civil tone. Spam and comments judged by UCLA to be libelous, offensive or abusive may be deleted without notice
Education has been always an issue the problem is that politicians are not paying the attention that it deserts and requires. A high school degree should be mandatory for all citizens as it is in other countries. Now everyone is talking about the crisis and how it can be solved, there are no magic formulas for these and education should not be leave aside.
http://www.automaticaccess.co.uk/
Francis R,
Unfortunately seems to be that we have other priorities than education, the economical crisis, poverty, criminality, etc… What we don’t realize is that all of these issues are one and the same “a decaying educational system”
EDUCATION is the core of our society and it’s absolutely necessary to put these issues on top of the list.
http://www.myfreeiphone.co.uk/
Sam Terry,
I was shocked when I read that in other countries like Japan 100% of all kids are in school there is no dropout… But in our country that number is not even close to our precarious reality. EDUCATION must be our number 1 concern, if we reality want to maintain our worldwide reputation as “Land of Opportunities”.
http://fatbikez.com/
Daniel Barnes,
50-50 chance is pretty sad, hopefully we'll be able to increase those numbers.
__________________________________
http://www.deadseabathsalts.org
