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High School ·
The
·
The
·
As
recently as 1995 America
was tied for first in college graduation rates; by 2006 this ranking had
dropped to 14th. (McKinsey &
Company, The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in ·
If
the 1.2 million high school dropouts from the Class of 2008 had earned
their diplomas instead of dropping out, the ·
Four-fifths
(81%) of teachers believe that “our advanced students need special
attention – they are the future leaders of this country, and their
talents will enable us to compete in a global economy.” (High Achieving Students in
the Era of NCLB; 2008) Bachelor Degrees ·
The
number of students in the United States
planning to pursue engineering degrees declined by one-third between
1992 and 2002. (The
Business Roundtable; July 2005) ·
In
science, mathematics, and engineering-related fields, the ·
Universities
in Asian countries now produce eight times as many bachelor’s degrees
in engineering as the Advanced Degrees · China graduates about 500,000 engineers per year, while India produces 200,000 and the United States turns out a mere 70,000. (National Academy of Sciences: “Rising Above the Gathering Storm”; October 2005) · The United States in 1970 produced more than half of the world’s Ph.D.s. But if patterns continue, it will be lucky to produce 15 percent of the world’s doctorates by 2010. (National Bureau of Economic Research; May 2005) Workforce/Career Choices ·
About
one-third of all jobs in the United States require science or technology
competency, but currently only 17 percent of Americans graduate with
science or technology majors . . . in China, fully 52 percent of college
degrees awarded are in science and technology. (William R. Brody,
president of Johns Hopkins University, Congressional testimony; July
2005) ·
If
the United States
had closed the international achievement gap between 1983 and 1998 and
raised its performance to the level of such nations as Patents · 45% of new U.S. patents are granted now to foreigners. (Education Week “A Quiet Crisis is Clouding the Future of R&D”; May 2005) · Only three of the top 10 recipients of U.S. patents in 2003 were American companies. (National Academy of Sciences: “Rising Above the Gathering Storm”; October 2005) ### | |||||||||
Davidson Institute
for Talent Development |