Learning in Crisis
Symposium Addresses How Education in U.S. Can Keep Its Competitive Edge Worldwide
By JENNIFER GAVIN
Education in the United States is falling behind that of many other countries to a degree that should alarm policymakers and spur new policies and approaches, according to studies cited by education experts and economists meeting at the Library on June 27.
The Library and the organization Strong American Schools sponsored the conference, “Remaining Competitive in a Flat World,” which focused on the linkage between the nation’s educational attainment and its competitive standing in the world.
C-SPAN carried the forum live on the same day that the Associated Press released the results of its national poll that sampled U.S. attitudes about education and perceptions about Americans’ relative place in international educational standings.
The poll showed that most Americans believe the United States is just keeping up with, or falling behind, the rest of the world in education. Complete poll results can be reviewed at the AP survey Web site, http://surveys.ap.org.
“As the Librarian of Congress, as a researcher, former teacher and as the grandfather of 12 children … I’m more convinced than ever that access to knowledge and information remains the bedrock of a free civilization,” said James H. Billington as he welcomed the nearly 80 people attending the forum.
Several of the economists and educational researchers who spoke at the forum noted that Americans seem unaware that their children’s academic performance isn’t holding up internationally as many competing nations make significantly greater gains in math, science and other educational pursuits.
One presenter, Gary Phillips of the American Institutes of Research, termed this the “Lake Wobegon Delusion,” in reference to Garrison Keillor’s fictional town in which “all the children are above average.”
“We need somebody to help wake us up,” said former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer, who heads the group Strong American Schools and is also chairing its “Ed in ‘08” campaign, which seeks to get education onto the radar of national policymakers during this election year.
Noting that education has been controlled largely at the local level in the United States, Romer said any attempt to improve education should not appear to be a federal takeover. He suggested that the new president early in his term convene a meeting of governors and charge a sizable group of them with setting high standards based on methods proven internationally, and then seek voluntary, wide adoption of those standards.
Romer also said the United States needs to devote more time to the process of learning, and said some method needs to be devised to guarantee that those who teach are capable. Now, he said, “We can’t get rid of those who ought not to be in the system,” and suggested, “Why don’t we buy them out?”
Speakers at the conference included Andreas Schleicher, of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, who showed a series of charts indicating that many nations are moving ahead in key areas of economically valuable education, causing the United States to be shoved downward in international standings in some disciplines.
Bill Bennett, who served as U.S. Secretary of Education from 1985-88, cited three major influences on U.S. educational levels: the quality of K-12 teaching, individuals’ realizations later in life that they may have some catching-up to do if they want to hold decent jobs, and the priority parents assign to education and transmit to their children.
Some Americans who didn’t get what they needed in school find ways to catch up later. For example, he noted, young students’ performances in American History tend to be the worst among all their subjects. Nevertheless, he added, Americans at some point become interested enough in history to make many historical writers rich from book sales.
“Americans learn after school, despite school, later in life,” using community colleges, online courses, and other catch-up methods, he said. “People become motivated by maturity, marriages and mortgages” or by the jarring reality of an ill-paid, dead-end job, he said.
Bennett urged more “front-loading” of emphasis on math and science in the early years, noting that students with free choice often choose away from those subjects by the time they’re in high school or college.
Phillips said many Americans are so deficient in science and math literacy that they can’t even compute the cost-per-ounce of a food item, calculate how many miles per gallon they got on a road trip, or figure out “a 10 percent tip on lunch.” Yet, he said, there is a general perception among members of the public as well as policymakers that education is at least adequate.
The conference was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and organized by Geraldine Otremba, senior adviser for special projects in education at the Library of Congress. Bennett’s remarks can be viewed on C-SPAN’s Web site under its “c-span archives” section and a webcast of the entire conference is available on the Library of Congress site at www.loc.gov/webcasts/.
Other participants at the conference included Tom Toch of the group Education Sector, who emceed the first panel; Frank Sesno of CNN, who moderated the second panel; and panelists Eric Hanushek of the Hoover Institution, Helen Ladd of Duke University; and Clive Belfield of Queens College.
