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January 06, 2006
Schools Mean Business
From Yahoo News...
U.S. business group will rank school performance
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The largest U.S. business association said Wednesday it would start ranking school systems' performance as part of efforts to raise a work force that could better compete in the global economy.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue said the United States could not maintain its economic lead while many of its schools performed poorly and its global competitors had increasingly well-educated work forces.
"The bottom line is that this nation cannot rightfully expect to lead the 21st century's information and technology-driven global economy when we have upwards of 30 percent of our young people not even graduating from high school," Donohue told a news conference called to announce the chamber's agenda for 2006.
In some minority areas, the number of students failing to get a high school diploma is closer to 50 percent. "This is a travesty," Donohue said.
The chamber, which in recent years has crusaded for legal reform, will now urge education reform by ranking the performance of state school systems and some local school systems, Donohue said. More details would be announced within six weeks, he said.
The chamber is already working with other business organizations to double the number of U.S. math, science and engineering college graduates by the year 2015.
Comments
Hi Julie,
I do not believe an improved education system can make us all the same. I do believe that a school system can create a workforce with basic skills that can create a better workforce and increase the standard of living.
Are you saying that just because we ask students to start to improve in science that suddenly they will all become strange conformists unable to think for themselves?
I don't think this will happen if we improve our science and math skills in schools. If anything, it'll create a freer workforce able to adapt to a changing economy and able to create wealth through ideas rather than labor.
We have yet to scratch the surface of the knowledge economy.
Statistics have shown for every job outsourced to a developing economy with cheaper labor rates, three jobs are created that cannot be filled because of the lack of science/math/critical thinking type people.
We need life long learning. We need a workforce that is adaptable not so it can get by and conform, but so that we can compete with anyone in the world at anytime from engineering to literature.
I have a deep respect for the power of the small business and the risk takers in our society. I think if anything, more education makes us all more different.
Scott
Posted by: Scott Blough at January 9, 2006 09:44 PM I am a mother of five and also have a BA in elementary education. Our taxes increased this year, as did the request for the most basic school supplies. I supply soap, dry erase markers, reams of copy paper, paper towels, tissues, etc. We are also required to purchase all the novels from our high schoolers' reading list, as well as her high school diploma. It never ends and this is in addition to fund raisers. We have spent thousands. Our tenth grader had to drop out of colorguard because of the costs associated with the program. We have a 'pay to play' policy. How can schools get away with this? NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND?
The board complains of lack of funding, but they are purchasing wireless tech. for all the elementary schools. They are also requesting parents to buy laptops. Our cost 800 to 2200 dollars depending on the school!
My senior is a National Merit Scholar and a well rounded kid. Mostly due to parenting and great teachers. I kept her off of the computer for most of her childhood. She had no trouble picking it up, it's not much more difficult than the remote!
HELP!! Debbie
So, I'm not the only one who's noticing that while we're teaching everyone to go to college, we're leaving them all behind!
Posted by: Julie at January 9, 2006 06:07 PMEveryone learns differently, likes different things, and doesn't like the same things! How dare we make cookie cutter young adults! It won't work! It isn't so far!