Tech Directions - November 2007 - (Page 6)

direct from washington Anne C. Lewis anneclewis@earthlink.net Global Economy Skills “Skills for a global economy” has almost become the mantra of business and government leaders as they push for higher expectations in the public schools. But how do they define those skills? Some answers—and some questions—came out of a recent seminar for journalists on education for a global economy, sponsored by the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media and largely funded by the Broad Foundation. While most researchers and policymakers lump “workforce” and “college-ready” skills together, the seminar discussions revealed that the issues are more complex and need more refinement. What Are Global-Ready Skills? Business leaders and most policymakers define global skills as a higher education problem. They are worried about the loss of talent (or effort) for the STEM areas: science, technology, engineering, and math. To keep competitive in STEM, the K–12 pipeline needs to be bigger and better. Norman Augustine, retired chair and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp. and a tireless advocate of improvement in STEM areas, told reporters that prosperity in the global economy depends on the ability to innovate, noting that two-thirds of the recent growth in the gross national product came from innovation in STEM. Much of the seminar focused on the poor showing of American students on international comparisons (e.g., in two generations, the United States has fallen from first in high school completion to 19th). The problem, according to Bob Jones, former U.S. Secretary of Labor, is that the public and policymakers underestimate both the investments in education that other countries are making and the impact of low population growth in this country. The U.S. economy is producing more highskilled jobs than it can fill but struggling because half of our young people are unprepared for high skills, he said. Jones contended that “every student could succeed in the economy,” if he or she were well educated. The shortage of teachers for science and math has plagued public education in the U.S. for 50 years, pointed out Linda Darling Hammond, but “our salaries are not competitive, there is little induction of new teachers, and they receive professional development on a yoyo diet.” While great at experiments, she said, the U.S. “is very poor at systems change.” The Diploma Project, an initiative of Achieve, Inc., and many states wanting to ready all students for college with a strong core curricuAnne Lewis, one of the country’s most respected writers on education policy, works in the Washington, DC, area. 6 techdirections ◆ NOVEMBER 2007 http://www.deere.com/publications http://www.deere.com/publications

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Tech Directions - November 2007 Technically Speaking Contents Direct from Washington The News Report Technology’s Past Technology Today Mastering Computers Video Game Programmers Learn to “Pitch” Project Teaches Students to Diagnose an Ailing Windows OS See the Math with Your Binoculars! Fire Safety Technician ACTE Convention and Career Tech Expo Hands-On Activities More than Fun

Tech Directions - November 2007

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