Last week, as I reviewed the Global Detroit
Study, I was impressed with all of the statistics on immigrant
contributions to the American economy. But what the study indirectly conveyed
was that US-born residents are lacking in entrepreneurial spirit and
technological ingenuity and education. And that was the side of the issue that
most caught my attention.
In fact, the US
is ranked 17th in the percentage of its college graduates earning
degrees in science and engineering, and this ranking is lower than decades ago
(Comm on Science, Rising). According
to the 2005 National Assessment of Education Progress, 40% and 50% of American
students are testing below minimum levels in math and science, respectively (“STEM
Facts and Figures”).
The picture for minorities is worse. In math, 60% of Latinos
and 70% of blacks tested below math level. In science, 70% of Latinos and 80%
of blacks tested below level (“STEM Facts and Figures”):
Today,
43 percent of school-age children are of African-American, Latino, or Native
American descent. Yet of more than 70,000 U.S.
Of the national class of high school freshman in 2001, only
about 70% graduated (which means our nation is bleeding 30% of its teenagers
before college even starts). Of that 70%, only about 68% went on for degrees.
Of those degree seekers, only about 15% pursued a STEM (science, technology,
engineering, and math) degree. Only just over half (55%) of STEM degree seekers
were projected to actually graduate with a STEM degree. That’s just 4% of the
original high school freshman class (“STEM Facts and Figures”)!
The picture painted by these statistics is hardly
reassuring, and it is not one that can be wholly corrected by immigration. Nor
should it be. Immigration is a piece of the puzzle, but, if America is
going to maintain its status as a technological leader, it will have to attract
foreign-born workers as well as develop US-born workers. Big business,
government, and education will all play critical roles in paving the way for
US-born techies, especially through initiatives like Educate
to Innovate and Project Lead the Way.
Locally, individuals can mentor at a local school or donate to the local education foundation.
Businesses can communicate with schools and colleges to help grow the
curriculum that will produce students they want to hire.
Along the way to full fruition of these initiatives, though,
Americans will have to reinvent how we relate to our nation’s low-income
families and minorities. The continuing drain on public school spending and the
often insurmountable cost of college are high hurdles for America ’s
underprivileged (and middle class). By 2050, minorities will be the majority,
yet the economic and academic disparities between them and their white
counterparts remain a lead weight around America ’s neck—not to mention those
suffering with the disparities.
Sources:
Adkins, Rodney C. “To Keep America Great, Students Must Be
Taught to Innovate.” US News and World
Report. US News and World Report, 16 Jun. 2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2011/06/16/to-keep-america-great-students-must-be-taught-to-innovate
Bennett, William J. “U.S. Lag in Science, Math a
Disaster in the Making.” CNN. CNN, 9
Feb. 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/09/opinion/bennett-stem-education/index.html
Bertram, Vince. “Industry, Educators Build In-roads to STEM
Success.” US News and World Report.
US News and World Report, 15 Aug. 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/stem-education/2012/08/15/industry-educators-build-in-roads-to-stem-success
Charette, Robert N. “STEM Education Funding in the U.S. —Is
More or Less Needed?” IEEE Spectrum. IEEE
Spectrum, 8 Jun. 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. http://spectrum.ieee.org/riskfactor/at-work/education/stem-education-in-the-us-is-more-or-less-needed
Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy. Expanding Underrepresented Minority
Participation: America Washington , DC
Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy. Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing
and Employing America Washington ,
DC
Dyssegaard Kallick, David. Immigrant Small Business Owners: A Significant and Growing Part of the
Economy. New York :
Fiscal Policy Institute, 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. http://www.immigrationresearch-info.org/report/fiscal-policy-institute/immigrant-small-business-owners-significant-and-growing-part-economy
“Global Detroit
Study.” Global Detroit Detroit , 11 Aug. 2010. Web. 21 Nov. 2012.
Gyawali, Pratistha. “Absurd U.S. Immigration Policies Amount to
Economy Sapping Talent Drain.” Forbes.
Forbes, 30 Jul. 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2012/07/30/absurd-u-s-immigration-policies-amount-to-economy-sapping-talent-drain/
Johnson, Randy. “STEM Jobs Act is a Start on Needed
Immigration Reform.” Free Enterprise.
Free Enterprise ,
29 Nov. 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. http://www.freeenterprise.com/immigration/stem-jobs-act-start-needed-immigration-reform
Kurtzleben, Danielle. “Census: Foreign Born Getting STEM
Degrees at Higher Rates than Native-Born.” US
News and World Report. US News and World Report, 17 Nov. 2011. Web. 2 Dec.
2012. http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/11/17/census-foreign-born-getting-stem-degrees-at-higher-rates-than-native-born
Mackie, Calvin. “State of Emergency :
The Ominous U.S.
Crisis in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education and
Training.” Teachers of Color.
Teachers of Color, 16 Nov. 2009. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. http://www.teachersofcolor.com/2009/11/state-of-emergencythe-ominous-us-crisis-in-science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics-stem-education-and-training/
Office of the Press Secretary. “President Obama Launches
‘Educate to Innovate’ Campaign for Excellence in Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Math (Stem) Education”. White
House. White House, 23 Nov. 2009. Web. 2 Dec 2012. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-launches-educate-innovate-campaign-excellence-science-technology-en
“Open for Business: How Immigrants Are Driving Small
Business Creation in the United
States .” Partnership
for a New American Economy. Partnership for a New American Economy, Aug.
2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. http://www.renewoureconomy.org/open-for-business
Partnership for a New American Economy. “On Passage of the
STEM Jobs Act in the U.S.
House of Representatives.” Mike
Bloomberg. Mike Bloomberg, 30 Nov. 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. http://www.mikebloomberg.com/index.cfm?objectid=5276B698-C29C-7CA2-F34E18030A20A23D
Project Lead the Way. Project
Lead the Way, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. http://www.pltw.org/
“Skills Gap in U.S. Manufacturing Is Less
Pervasive Than Many Believe.” The Boston Boston
Consulting Group, 15 Oct. 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. http://www.bcg.com/media/PressReleaseDetails.aspx?id=tcm:12-118945
“STEM: Facts and Figures about the State of Science , Technology,
Engineering, and Math Education.” WRAL
Tech Wire. WRAL Tech Wire, 26 Apr. 2010. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. http://wraltechwire.com/business/tech_wire/news/blogpost/7485144/
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