Education Industry, Spring 2008

Authors: INDUSTRIAL COLL OF THE ARMED FORCES WASHINGTON DC

Abstract:

Growing concern about educational quality is a worldwide phenomenon as success in a globalized economy depends ever more on cognitive skills, cross-cultural abilities and other soft skills as well as scientific and technical prowess. Concern in the United States is especially acute where public education essentially was invented and where it remains a fundamental social, cultural and political value. The ultimate paradox vis- -vis U.S. education might be the contrast between our self-image as a pragmatic democratic nation with the rhetoric, spin and disingenuous discussion seen about public policy and especially education. These observations are based on our assessment that education in the United States will continue to be a mixture of top notch excellence alongside serious failure. Education is a key factor in a country s success or failure on all fronts: economic, security, cultural and social. In other words, education as a process and the educational levels of a country's citizens are societal centers of gravity. Indeed, while education may not be an industry in the obvious sense, we believe it is the key to the advancement of all other industries and entire nations. Toward that end, we propose some initiatives based on the idea that the failing side of American education cannot be addressed systematically and credibly absent comprehensive policies that attempt to ameliorate the social, cultural and economic issues that often are associated with poor educational performance: urban and rural poverty, family dysfunction, homelessness, inadequate or missing medical care, substance abuse and poor nutrition (including the very serious issue of childhood obesity).

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APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE