When people generally think of a deficit, they are usually considering a business or a nation’s financial status. And it is true that the United States has been accumulating deficits and now has a huge national debt because the government spends more than it takes in with taxes. But the deficit I’m concerned about is not financial, but the deficit in knowledge and information that is occurring in the United States compared to the rest of the world. A recent article in the journal Foreign Affairs by Amy Zegart spoke to this problem and how it will affect America in the future. Besides placing America at a disadvantage relative to most of the world, it is sad in itself that America’s educational system is failing to educate our youngsters adequately. We may think that Silicon Valley and our technology are the best on the planet, but where are new scientific discoveries and advances in technology going to come from when our students are doing so poorly.
One of the reasons is that schools and universities are receiving less financing from state and federal sources that may be strapped for funding and see education as a lower priority than spending in other areas. Teachers are often not paid well and may not be as well prepared to teach in this era of technological advancement. Companies may not be spending as much on research and development as in the past. But whatever deficiencies are present in our institutions, it still comes down to not having students who want to learn and are actively seeking knowledge. It is true that there are many more distractions now for our young people than were present in the past, when our grade schools and universities were among the best in the world and our students among the most proficient. Now they have online games that demand their attention and social media that can keep them wasting hours at a time, and streaming shows that keep them occupied. There are also escapes from schoolwork with alcohol and drugs for some high school and college students.
Covid exacerbated the educational deficits present in our nation, but other nations also dealt with Covid. The statistics that reveal the standing of our students compared to the rest of the world are disheartening and it is incumbent upon our governments at every level to urgently address these deficiencies or America will no longer be a world power. Math and reading scores among American 13-year-olds were the lowest in decades last year. “Half of U.S. students could not meet their state’s proficiency requirements. And scores on the ACT declined for the sixth year in a row, with 70 percent of high school seniors not meeting college readiness benchmarks in math and 43 percent not meeting college readiness benchmarks in anything.”
Yet while American students are lagging behind, those in other nations are advancing rapidly. Tests of math proficiency of 15-year-olds globally in 2022 revealed that U.S. students ranked 34th in average math proficiency in back of Slovenia and Vietnam. Ability in science and reading were better than math for U.S. students, but still behind a host of other nations. Only 7 percent of U.S. teenagers ranked at the highest level of math proficiency compared with 12 percent in Canada and 34 percent in South Korea.
International students are receiving an increasing number of doctorates from American universities in engineering, math and science, with the percentages of American students dropping. The largest number of foreign students (27 percent) come from China. The foreign students who remain in the United States afterwards contribute to our innovation and technology, but many of them are forced to leave by our foolish immigration policies. Unless America focuses on improving education markedly at every level, funds more basic research, and corrects our immigration regulations to allow people whom we have educated to stay in the U.S. and play roles in our economy, we are destined to become a second-rate power in the future.
www.robertlevinebooks.com
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Francesco Alessi | Dreamstime.com
Political junkie, Vietnam vet, neurologist- three books on aging and dementia. Book on health care reform in 2009- Shock Therapy for the American Health Care System. Book on the need for a centrist third party- Resurrecting Democracy- A Citizen’s Call for a Centrist Third Party published in 2011. Aging Wisely, published in August 2014 by Rowman and Littlefield. Latest book- The Uninformed Voter published May 2020