The United States spends more on educa tion than other industrialized
countries, but the latest international numbers show the other guys are
gaining in achievements - while, at best, we're standing still.
"Education at a Glance," an annual compilation of school-related data
involving 30 countries, finds that the United States' relative position
is slipping in terms of the proportion of its citizens who claim a high
school diploma. Among 45-to-54 and 55-to-64-year-olds, the United States
ranks first in its percentage of high school completion; among
35-to-44-year-olds, the United States is fifth; and among
25-to-34-year-olds, it's 10th.
When it comes to higher education, this country ranks second, behind
Canada, in the proportion of citizens who have four-year degrees (38
percent), but officials report that other countries are making larger
gains in this category as well. And when it comes to the proportion of
students pursuing a college degree for the first time who then drop out,
the U.S. average (34 percent) exceeds the international average (30
percent).
Dozens of studies, including this one, testify to the economic benefits
of having a high school diploma and the even greater earnings for those
who possess bachelor's degrees and higher.
The question becomes, then, how the United States can translate its
already sizable investment in education into improved results. If the
existing trend in education levels continues, the nation faces a steep
economic decline - leaving less money available to support education, or
anything else
[Homestead] FIX the fixable Public Education System---other nations don't seem to have a problem doing so,
Tvoivozhd, 09/23/2004