WHAT CAN WE DO TO AWAKEN IT TO DEAL WITH THE E-WORLD
Think about this: many students in the developing nations are working many hours a day– ten, sixteen, even twenty– to learn enough so they can get a good job or get into a prestigious university. Consider how much time these dedicated young people would spend watching the antics of "prostibimbos" like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton on TV. That should give you some idea of the huge gap between where those young people are going and where our young people are headed and how that portends the future of their nations versus ours. Kinda scary, huh?
The unprecedented and growing shortage of scientists and engineers in our nation is balanced by unprecedented growth of graduates in law and the social disciplines. (The US is by far the most litigious nation on earth.) Couple this with the rapidly declining skills in language, math and science of our high school graduates and we find that there is a huge crisis in education that threatens to soon bury us in a sea of technological advances from the developing nations. In fact, many experts feel that we have fallen so far that recovery will now be virtually impossible. The bulk of basic research and development is now moving to centers and universities in China, India and Russia where it costs much less than in the US. The e-world with its ability to instantaneously transfer information– huge quantities of information– to virtually any place on the globe for study, manipulation and publication, has moved much of the dog work of science and engineering out of the US to many places where it can be accomplished faster, cheaper, and with better accuracy.
In addition to foreign students now more likely to return home after completing their studies at US Universities in both China and India, universities in those countries are now turning out far more science and engineering graduates and post graduates than we are. This is resulting in a substantial "brain drain" that we can ill afford. Now it is the dog work that is going overseas, but how long will it be before the much larger and better motivated pool of Chinese scientists and engineers combine with government supported entrpreneurial effort to move the bulk of new and creative technology as well as the leadership thereof from the US to China. And there are numerous other nations trying to take the same or a similar path. And remember, every one of those scientists and engineers is able to communicate with and exchange information with every other scientist in the world, almost instantaneously. In the e-world, everything that can be digitized and that needs work will soon be moved to that place where the work strikes the best combination of speed, excellence, and cost. An office around the world is just as easily accessed as the one on the other side of the wall.
For these reasons– because of the Internet, e-commerce, e-science and email– we have serious and rapidly increasing competition in the fields of science and engineering from many parts of the world now including China, India, South Korea, and much of the Pacific Rim nations in addition to Europe including the Eastern Block, Russia and other parts of the old Soviet Union. With foreign students sometimes outnumbering Americans in science and engineering courses and especially in graduate schools at many of our prestigious universities we are producing far fewer of these important individuals than the growing need of our own science and industry. Until recently, the shortfall in scientists and engineers has been made up by foreign students who choose to stay in America and take positions here, but that is no longer the case. Many foreign students, especially Chinese and Indians now find they can obtain really good jobs at home so choose to return there rather than stay here to work. As a result, many tech jobs in America now go unfilled for lack of applicants with the needed skills, primarily in science and engineering. It’s all because of the e-world revolution– things have changed, dramatically.
With their booming economies, China, India and numerous much smaller countries are now building universities– high quality universities– primarily for science and engineering students. Secondary schools, even primary schools are increasingly concentrating on science and engineering curricula in order to prepare students for the rigors of jobs in the tech sector or further education in science and engineering. Unfettered with political or traditional limits and encouraged and supported by governments that now realize the huge potential to be gained by encouraging education and business entrepreneurship, these new universities are positioning their nations to succeed in an 3entirely new and different world. The e-world no longer divided by mountains or oceans– the e-world where distance and time have disappeared– are no longer a factor in the transfer of information.
Look at the leadership of these nations. Many are scientists and engineers who understand, who "get" the e-world and its many ramifications. In China, India and in numerous other "progressive" nations, science, engineering, business and industry are greatly admired and increasingly promoted. Those who succeed in business are treated with respect and honor. Entrepreneurs are supported by the leaders, in the media and in the public eye. They are rewarded for their service to improve the growth of their nation’s economy, prosperity and reputation in the world.
Look at the contrast with many nations and leaders in the developed west. Most are lawyers or social activists, politicians who are so wrapped up in the past and past dogma they don’t "get" much if anything about the e-world. These politicians haven‘t a clue about what has changed in the last ten years and what will change in the next ten. They, the media and the rest of the entertainment world of western developed nations, often resort to the use of class warfare as weapons of politics and cultural division, denigrating business and treating entrepreneurs as if they were nineteenth century "robber barons." For the most part, western democracies load down businesses with restrictive laws, punitive taxation, huge reporting requirements and in some cases, labor laws making it almost impossible to fire an employee. Labor unions promote and expect counterproductive, "make-work" practices that favor their members and raise the cost of products. Classic example: the American auto industry.
Not a few poor socialist nations are moving into the capitalist, entrpreneurial realm of the e-world with astonishing economic success. Several, China, India and Ireland for example, are doing so quite rapidly. The key to their success: their leaders are capitalizing on educating scientists and engineers, promoting entrepreneurial freedom, arranging laws about business startups and new industries that promote rather than hog-tie the initiative of business While there could be many pitfalls in the road from the gray, regressive world of socialism to socially conscious capitalism and the immense personal freedom and opportunity of the e-world, the rapid advancement of major parts of these nations in the throes of this change is quite evident to those who choose to see– to "get it." The very speed with which the world is changing has already left behind numerous nations that didn’t adapt to the new rules quick enough. At the same time, some of the present leader nations, including the US, seem to be poised for a possible plunge into the gray fog of hedonistic, anti-creative socialism. With news media more engrossed in sensationalism, sex and celebrity than with real news and a public more fascinated by the antics of "prostibimbos," than statesmen or scientists, and a public that values and idolizes sports figures over businessmen (and women) scientists and engineers, is it any wonder that our young people in their music, worship crime and brutality while completely ignoring the positive, enriching things of life? The "politically" correct crowd would have us ultimately ignore all human failings or achievement and condemn us to the slow death of submergence in a gray mud of anti-exceptional humanity with no high achievements or low degradations.
Is there any good news out there for the western developed world, or are we doomed to fall on the trash heaps of history like Carthage and Rome? In a word, yes. In spite of all the anti business sentiment from the entertainment world– media news is now firmly a part of this, entertaining even more than informing– there are still successful entrepreneurs building e-world enterprises In a business world almost without borders. Our universities are still graduating exceptional scientists and engineers and even multi national companies are still hiring American scientists and engineers. We can build on that by finding ways to encourage more bright American students to choose an education and career in science and/or engineering. Even business degrees should be encouraged– in spite of debacles like Enron and the dot-com shenanigans. Fortunately for America, those kinds of "business" people are actually few and far between.
More good news: the concerted effort to "dumb down" the products of our primary education system seems to have run its course. The increasingly challenging demands of the job market with its surplus of unskilled workers, many of whom are barely literate, and shortage of those equipped with marketable skills complained of by employers for years, is having an effect on educators, the public, and even a few politicians. With many secondary school graduates unable to handle math, English or social requirements of entry level jobs, employers are now demanding schools do a better job on the basics. Parents, alarmed at this situation are organizing and becoming more demanding of their children’s schools. Even those who wouldn’t dare to comment about the poor parenting of many minority students for fear of a racist label are beginning to speak out about this serious problem while now actively seeking remedies, even painful ones. Thank you Bill Cosby! Making those comments took real courage.
It’s about time the various and sometimes feuding elements and cultures in our country quit bitching about each other and start looking in the mirror for answers and solutions. The only person whose attitude anyone can change is their own. The only way anyone can become convinced to change their own attitude is with positive leadership willing to bite the bullet and look inward for solutions. The only way we will find those leaders and give them the power to succeed is to quit demonizing the very business and industry that provides the jobs, income, and taxes that make our education system possible. It’s a about time Americans stopped treating profit as a dirty word and begin applauding it.
That’s exactly what Chinese leaders did that broke the yoke of poverty for many Chinese and started their unprecedented economic expansion. They reversed the long standing socialist/communist hatred for business and profits and said aloud, "Business is beautiful. Profits are beautiful. Capitalism is beautiful." And they have yet to look back. Sure, they are a long way from laissez faire capitalism, and they may yet stumble because of political roadblocks or upheavals, but . . . but! They might also become the worlds biggest, best and most free capitalist nation, considering they have just freed a people who have been in virtual slavery for thousands of years. For an energetic, hard working people, suppressed for so terribly long, even in a nation so large, this could be very heady stuff.
I only wonder, is it possible we are in the throes of doing the exact opposite with our socialist activists in Hollywood, Washington and New York calling the shots– the constant stream of hatred for business, profits and capitalism? In contrast, consider the constant stream of adoration for entertainment world celebrities including the news media and sports– people who are performing in the public eye, play acting or playing sports– and this adoration continues virtually regardless of any degrading activity it is in which they choose to engage. In the e-world this is not leadership, but self destruction.
To get our education on track we need to remove ourselves from the nineteenth century condemnation of "robber barons" and all they represent. They have long been gone, destroyed by their own concentration on self-service. Maybe they all became politicians or socialists. We need to stop beating that dead horse. Today’s business, now mostly dominated by technology, is a completely different animal, living in a fish bowl. The transparency of the e-world is making it increasingly difficult to hide anything, good or bad from anyone. And because of the e-world, one bad move and everyone on the globe knows about it or soon will. With twelve billion eyes looking and twelve billion ears listening and most each of those able tell it to the entire world instantly, it is becoming extremely difficult for anyone to hide anything. Couple that with the fact that of those six billion, many are holding and using video cameras creating video that can quickly be posted to the Internet and you have a virtual earth-scale fish bowl with all of our activities viewable through the transparent sides. Indeed, big brother may be watching, but the entire world is watching big brother at the same time.
The twenty-first century will be the century of education and technology, even more so than the last. Education will be absolutely essential for virtually everyone. The e-world will eventually make it practical for everyone to learn as much as their brains can hold and as quickly as their brains can take it in. Instant access to all information will make that not just possible, but necessary. All work and creativity will quickly gravitate to those able to understand what is needed and accomplish it, wherever in the world they may be. That goes for teaching and learning as well. The nation that provides the best and quickest Internet access to the most of its people however that is accomplished, will have the potential to lead. Real leadership in the real e-world will go to that nation, people or culture that best motivates its members to use this instant access to expand their minds, to learn, to train and to teach and train others.
to teach those basic skills to those who didn’t have them.
Some significant quotes on the subject:
…the generation of scientists and engineers who were motivated to go into science by the threat of Sputnik in 1957 and the inspiration of JFK are reaching their retirement years and are not being replaced in the numbers that they must be if an advanced economy like that of the United States is to remain at the head of the pack. — The World is Flat
…math and science are the keys to innovation and power in today's world, and American parents had better understand that the people who are eating their kids' lunch in math are not resting on their laurels. — Still Eating Our Lunch: Singapore, New York Times.
— Thomas Friedman, 2005
The critical lack of technically trained people in the United States can be traced directly to poor K–12 mathematics and science instruction. Few factors are more important than this if the United States is to compete successfully in the 21st century.
<—National Academies, 2005
America's high schools are obsolete. By obsolete, I don't just mean that our high schools are broken, flawed, and under-funded—though a case could be made for every one of those points. By obsolete, I mean that our high schools—even when they're working exactly as designed—cannot teach our kids what they need to know today…This isn't an accident or a flaw in the system; it is the system.
—Bill Gates, 2005
We know—and this report demonstrates—that there is a need to make drastic changes within the Nation's science and mathematics classrooms. If not, our Nation risks raising generations of students and citizens who do not know how to think critically and make informed decisions based on technical and scientific information.
— NSF Report February 2006
America's competitive edge in this "flat world," its strength and versatility, all depend on an educational system capable of producing young people and productive citizens who are well prepared in science and mathematics. We know—and this report demonstrates—that there is a need to make drastic changes within the Nation's science and mathematics classrooms. If not, our Nation risks raising generations of students and citizens who do not know how to think critically and make informed decisions based on technical and scientific information. Nor will they have a firm grasp of academic language necessary to advance into STEM careers and produce the innovation and discovery necessary to maintain our Nation's prosperity for the future.
— Conclusion of NSF Report, February 2006
For more information on the subject, here are links to some specific articles on the Internet.
Related Websites
Science and Engineering Indicators 2006: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind06/
S & E Indicators 2006 (Excerpts):
S & E Indicators 2006: Global R&D Landscape (Fact Sheet):
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=105857
America's Pressing Challenge (Full Text): http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsb0602/
America's Pressing Challenge (Fact Sheet):
National Science Board: http://www.nsf.gov/nsb
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of $5.58 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 1,700 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 40,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes nearly 10,000 new funding awards. The NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly.
Receive official NSF news electronically through the e-mail delivery and notification system, MyNSF (formerly the Custom News Service). To subscribe, visit www.nsf.gov/mynsf/ and fill in the information under "new users".
Useful NSF Web Sites:
NSF Home Page: http://www.nsf.gov/
NSF News: http://www.nsf.gov/news/
For the News Media: http://www.nsf.gov/news/newsroom.jsp
Science and Engineering Statistics: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/
Awards Searches: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/
How do we accomplish this momentous and challenging task before us?
I have one suggestion for a radically new system designed for rapid growth and high achievement for students. First of all, lets quit forcing people to go to school– leave that up to parents. Once people see education as a privilege and opportunity rather than an obligation, it puts a whole new factor in play. Second, let’s disconnect education from chronological age. An entrance exam requiring passage of basic social and communication skill requirements to start school could be administered several times a year, say anytime parents feel their child is ready. Those who passed would start school. Those who failed wouldn’t start and would be given a report describing what they needed to learn of basic social and communication skills. There could even be "prep" schools available
How about a completely new system for education from K through 12. The basic system, infrastructure, grade levels and teaching methods will obviously have to be considered for change and improvement. The use of classroom teaching may be modified as teaching via the Internet could even be found advantageous for some students and/or subjects. But there is one concept concerning advancement through the system that I would like to see changed drastically. That is the way students are advanced through the various grade levels. As it is presently, some students learn so quickly they can become bored for lack of challenge. At the other end of the spectrum there are those who have a difficult time keeping up. This is also often quite different as subject matter varies. One student may learn math very quickly while the same student may be relatively slow in English or another subject.
To provide for all kinds of students, each subject should be broken up into sections much smaller than semesters or quarters. Lets start with two week "chunks" of learning a part or several parts of a subject. These "chunks" would progress directly from one to the next in a sequence keyed to the fastest learners- the ones who "get it" the quickest. An evaluation test would be administered at the end of the two week "chunk" which could be graded and if a certain test score is reached, the student advances to the next "chunk" with the grade earned going into his record. Those who did not advance would simply repeat the last "chunk" without the stigma of failure. After the second time through the process would be repeated, a test score would be issued and the student would advance to the next "chunk" in that particular subject or again repeat it once more. The grade of record would be based on the test scores and performance over the entire "semester" of eight "chunks" or "quarter" of six "chunks." This would leave two weeks for vacation and holidays each year. That is of course considering going to school year ‘round. Use of two "semesters" or three "quarters" each year of mandatory attendance would provide time for summer vacations for those children and for those areas where it was important for any reason.
In action this program would probably see most students varying between taking each "chunk" once or twice. Some would breeze through only needing single "chunks" for one subject while other subjects might require mostly two "chunks." There would naturally be a strong incentive to excel and require only single "chunks" or one-time-through each for many students. In a single subject, some students might require two or more "chunks" to master some parts of a subject while other parts would be completed in but one with ease. With a broad enough curricula including English, math, science, history, languages, the arts, shop, athletics and others, every student would have a broad opportunity to excel in at least one or more subjects. Certainly there would be some stigma for some slow learners, but as in the present, special help could be used along with guidance into the best path for achieving a career.
Of course there would be inequalities. There are always inequalities. All schools are not the same. Some have better funding than others. Some are in areas where frequent damage makes maintenance expensive. Some teachers are better in many ways than others. Some school organizations are better than others. Some legal requirements are more restrictive or expensive than others. There are any other differences, even among students and their families. Some families and cultures place a lot more emphasis on education than others. Personal prejudices of many kinds can seriously damage a school’s ability to get their message across to some students. Anti-intellectualism of many kinds can instill animosity and/or fear in some students. Peer pressure can be either a positive boost or a negative downer on a student’s attitude toward school and educators.
Parents, their attitude toward schools and their students, the importance they place on education at home, their level of education and amount of personal pride and good self image, all of these can be of paramount importance to the desire for learning and school in every child. Parents, their own educational level and the culture they come from, is probably the most significant factor in motivating their children to be hungry for learning. This is so very evident in the achievement level of the children of so many immigrants. Those parents that come from cultures that place great value on education usually have children that excel in school. Those that come from poor or backward cultures may have a dim view of education, sometimes even fearing it will harm their children. Certainly many place little value on education and instill that value system in their youngsters. The task we face is educating parents not just to the value of an education, but to help the natural curiosity of the young flow into the constructive paths of a formal education.
The media, electronic and print, could do a much better job of guiding young people in a better direction than promoting the worshiping of useless prostibimbos, play actors, musicians and sports personalities. It’s gotten so the main stream media does far more reporting about the antics of these entertainment world celebrities than they do about all but the most serious issues facing the world. The sound bites of these people and of the latest spotlight seeking politician vie for their ten or twenty seconds of attention while in depth reporting about serious issues is relegated to special TV shows, cable channels and talk radio. Even there it is often sensationalized or highly biased. It’s really a sorry state when the news media gets so into the bottom line or promoting a political agenda that objectivity and honesty goes out the window. Of course the public will have to demand this and in a substantial fashion before it changes so don’t hold your breath.
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