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| Education: A National Security Issue? |
| posted by: Cindy Omlin | March 20, 2012, 11:19 PM |
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Everyone knows that our education system is inherently linked to our success as a nation. If our students are not prepared for the jobs of tomorrow, the United States will be incapable of competing in a global economy. A new report issued be the Council of Foreign Relations task force, states this and much more, asserting that not only is our economy at risk, but that the nation's security could be threatened if our schools don't improve. Drawing comparisons to the Reagan-era report, "A Nation at Risk" that warned of "a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a nation and a people," this new analysis calls for major changes in our struggling education system. Chairs of the task force, Former New York City Schools Chief Joel Klein and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, state that too many schools are inadequately preparing students for high-level positions and that without quality human capital, American security will be threatened. In the report, the task force illustrates a harsh reality where the State Department and U.S. intelligence agencies are face critical shortfalls in the number of foreign language speakers, and that fields such as science, defense and aerospace experience a constant shortage of skilled workers. While these predictions are disastrous in terms of filling high-level positions such as spies and diplomats, our ability to staff our own rank and file military is at risk. According to the report, 75% of American young people do not qualify for military service because they are either physically unfit, have criminal records or hold inadequate levels of education. The statistics are due to the fact that 1 in 4 students fail to graduate high school in four years, and another 30% of graduates perform too poorly in core subjects to qualify for basic training. While the report depicts dire circumstances for our future, the panel which consists of 30 members with backgrounds in education and foreign affairs, highlighted areas for where education reform should focus in the coming years to reverse the trends. Among the recommendations:
Originally posted by Alix at AAE.
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