The United States was once Number One in higher education statistics, but has now fallen to Number Twelve among 36 developed nations! 🙁
The percentage of young people going to colleges, and finishing a college degree has dropped dramatically, and that is a crisis not only for the people involved, but also for American society!
If America is to compete in the future international economy and remain a superpower, the nation must promote students staying in school and working at a degree, but it seems as if many young people have become alienated from higher education, and tend to think only in the moment, rather than the long term!
Currently, there are about 16.7 million people 25-34 with a college degree, but another 11 million are needed over the next ten years to compete with other nations, and only about 3 million are believed likely to graduate in the next decade!
About 70 percent of young people enroll within two years of high school graduation, but only 57 percent finish a degree within six years. These figures are simply not good enough for the long term economic growth of America!
President Obama will speak today in Austin, Texas, at The University of Texas, to emphasize the priority of higher education in the future, making it one of his major unmet goals that he now wishes to promote, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan is also active in this campaign!
Higher education is very important to the grow of a nation and it’s economy. I believe Getting a decent education is the best step a person can take in their lives. Not only does it offer more career choices but enables their minds to think in a different way. With less people going to college or even finishing highschool we are going to have a big problem in the future. Congress needs to act immediately to remedy this problem before it gets worse, but with the republicans not wanting to vote for a bill that will enable 100,000 teachers to keep their jobs I am starting to loose faith in this system. This country is about politics and not the people. Students also need to go to college because they want to better themselves and not just for the financial aid check.
It is not a surprise that America’s standard of education has dropped so severely to number 12 out of 36 developed countries. I mean education is a joke nowadays. There is currently a lawsuit by the Milwaukee teachers union seeking taxpayer-funded erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra. Reinstating the drug coverage would cost the district up to $786,000 per year; money that could be better spent on improving performance in the classrooms. The irony is that Milwaukee Public Schools has laid off hundreds of teachers and cut school programs thus dwindling the value of an education for students. I would think that the integrity of education would be of greater concern for the Milwaukee teachers union as opposed to sexual enhancer drugs.
I had not heard of this issue in Milwaukee, and needless to say, it is preposterous to have Viagra covered in a prescription plan for teachers while funds are cut for the public schools and teachers are being laid off! Labor unions have be rational and realistic in what they expect in difficult times! Thanks, Antonella, for contributing this information!