Chapter 3: Why America hasn't lost yet

I really like the title of this chapter because of the double entendre... or as my Dad always says... "the double-nintendo." 

The dual meaning is striking.  The chapter addresses why we have not lost from an historical perspective and why the battle is not yet lost today. 

Some 2003 facts from the text:

• 85% of Americans, 25 years and older, report having completed high school; a new all-time high
• 27% of adult Americans report having attained at least a Bachelor's degree; a new all time high
• 1993 to 2003 saw a 40% increase in the number of college graduates

Some 2008 facts from the text:

• US leads the world in R&D spending accounting for 40%
• Americans account for 38% of new patents awarded, leading the world
• America employs 70% of the world's Nobel Prize winners
• America is home to 30 of the world's top 40 universities

So despite the warning that the Nation was at risk back 1983, more than 20 years later it seems the US is still the leader in terms of innovation, research, technology, science and so on.  Was the report incorrect or did the report spur reform that has rescued our nation from certain disaster?

Dr. Yong Zhao then describes personal experiences he thinks are pertinent to the answer.  Words like diversity, individualism, inclusion, equality all emerge in this chapter.

Some questions to ponder:

1. Since the US has not imploded due to bankruptcy of our nation's intellectual capital, was Nation at Risk incorrect or did we successfully reform?  Or is something else at work?
2. Do you buy Dr. Zhao's measures of success?
3. What resonated for you in his description of an imperfect system that others are now trying to emulate?
4. What has Dr. Zhao overlooked or missed that is pertinent here?

We will have our first CASE webcast on this book on Friday, October 23rd at 3:30 PM.  Check your CASE MemberBulletin in your email for details.

Chapter 2: From the missle gap to the learning gap

"A crisis is a terrible thing to waste" - Paul Romer as quoted in the book.

In the second chapter, our author explains some history about various crises that exemplify the "false crisis."  The missle gap example describes how the Kennedy campaign charged that a significant and frightening gap existed between the missle aresenal of the United States and that of the Soviet Union.  The charge was that the Eisenhower administration had not been vigilant and the nation was at risk because of a missle gap.  But when the new administration took over, they discovered that the missle gap was actually heavily in favor of the US, not the other way around.

The author uses this hitorical example as comparable to the learning gap crises that have been proclaimed to exist in one form or another since 1958 with the National Defence Education Act (NDEA).  This crisis has included "A Nation At Risk" and "No Child Left Behind" as Dr. Yong Zhao asserts that the efforts have led to federal government involvement in traditionally local-controlled education.  He even uses the inflamatory term of "dictator" to describe the involvement.

Here are some questions that come to mind for me:

• Is there a crisis in Amercian education?
• If so or if not, has there been a crisis during the past 50 years?
• Have the government interventions been helpful, harmful or just distracting?

One major act of Congress was left out of this chapter that has represented the single largest intrusion and seismic shift in public education since 1970... the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  Congress has never fully funded the requirements of this act which has forced large shifts of local and state dollars that were formerly allocated to general education.  Does Congress believe that education funding was excessive before IDEA and so it made sense to force money away from the general education program to provide services for students with special needs?  Don't get me wrong, the services of Special Education are a moral imperative which is why we do divert funds to back-fill the funding gap the Federal government has left in this mandate... but after more than 35 years, why doesn't Congress live up to the bargain and pay for the Special Education services they mandate?  Congress paying their own bills would rescue local budgets and enable us to deal with the tough economy or even modernize our schools for the 21st Century.

Any bets on whether Congress will ever live up to their promise of 1975?

Keynote Address July 11, 2009

In this video, Dr. Yong Zhao delivers a keynote about his book and his research in Washington DC.  The event was A World Class Education conference hosted by the Asia Society.

For those who have not decided to read this book with us, you might enjoy this keynote address.  Get some coffee and enjoy!

http://zhao.educ.msu.edu/2009/08/07/speech-video-cathing-up-or-leading-the-way/