We are in a race. Countries all around the world are fighting to dominate the global market. Japan, China, and India are taking advantage of the changing economy and the lack of American tenacity. It is our job, as Americans, to revitalize the American work ethic and propel ourselves into first place. Globalization aided by increased connectivity calls for heightened competition. The automation of skilled and unskilled jobs threatens the American workforce. The economy is changing to accommodate a high standard of excellence. As the world changes around us, we too must adapt so as not to be left in the dust. Currently, our public education system is falling behind, ranking 14th globally (Leppi). Many experts are emphatic that the reform of
…show more content…
A similar program has already yielded success in Tennessee. The U.S. Department of Education reports, “The program serves over 16,000 students and is contributing to a 10 percent increase in public higher education enrollment and a 25 percent increase at community colleges throughout Tennessee”. The program is proven to increase college enrollment and has the potential to be scaled nationwide. Obama insists that this plan will be successful because, “a college degree is the surest ticket to the middle class.” He is hopeful that an enlarged middle class will stabilize the U.S. economy amid the global …show more content…
Thomas Friedman reminds us, “the average and the dumb…were made that way. They were shaped in large measure by school systems” (314). Children are being taught to be average. Sir Kenneth Robinson explains how: “They’ve spent ten years at school being told there’s one answer it’s at the back and don’t look” (3). The current education system breeds mediocrity by encouraging conformity, but the competitive nature of the evolving economy requires individuality and rejects conformity. Sir Kenneth Robinson cites a study that shows the deterioration of students’ creative abilities. The test asks 1,500 kindergarteners to list all the uses for a paperclip. It forces them to think in unexpected ways. Ninety-eight percent of the kindergarteners showed that they excelled at thinking divergently. The same students were routinely tested as they got older and each time the scores decreased. The study suggests that perhaps creativity doesn’t need to be taught it just needs to be
A similar program has already yielded success in Tennessee. The U.S. Department of Education reports, “The program serves over 16,000 students and is contributing to a 10 percent increase in public higher education enrollment and a 25 percent increase at community colleges throughout Tennessee”. The program is proven to increase college enrollment and has the potential to be scaled nationwide. Obama insists that this plan will be successful because, “a college degree is the surest ticket to the middle class.” He is hopeful that an enlarged middle class will stabilize the U.S. economy amid the global …show more content…
Thomas Friedman reminds us, “the average and the dumb…were made that way. They were shaped in large measure by school systems” (314). Children are being taught to be average. Sir Kenneth Robinson explains how: “They’ve spent ten years at school being told there’s one answer it’s at the back and don’t look” (3). The current education system breeds mediocrity by encouraging conformity, but the competitive nature of the evolving economy requires individuality and rejects conformity. Sir Kenneth Robinson cites a study that shows the deterioration of students’ creative abilities. The test asks 1,500 kindergarteners to list all the uses for a paperclip. It forces them to think in unexpected ways. Ninety-eight percent of the kindergarteners showed that they excelled at thinking divergently. The same students were routinely tested as they got older and each time the scores decreased. The study suggests that perhaps creativity doesn’t need to be taught it just needs to be