EDUCATION, RESEARCH, AND COMPETITIVENESS
Investing in American Competitiveness
The National Academies released Rising Above the Gathering Storm in 2005 urging action to maintain American competitiveness in an increasingly global economy. In 2007, Congress passed the America COMPETES Act authorizing many recommendations from the report, which called for sustained investment in education and basic research. But most of the measures went unfunded until the economic stimulus package was created early in 2009.
At the request of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine, members from the committee that wrote the influential 2005 report issued an update. Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited: Rapidly Approaching Category 5 says the outlook for America's ability to compete for quality jobs in the global economy has continued to deteriorate in the past five years. While progress has been made in certain areas, the economic recession and the growth of the national debt over this period has hampered U.S. abilities to make substantial investments in basic research and greatly improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. These actions are essential for improving U.S. competitiveness, the report says. Moreover, other nations have been markedly progressing, thereby affecting America's relative ability to compete.
Since the release of the update, Congress has reauthorized the America COMPETES Act and President Obama has signed the legislation.
The activity was funded by the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine.
Building U.S. Talent in Science and Technology
The science and engineering work force is expected to grow faster than any other sector of the U.S. labor market. In recent years international students have accounted for almost all growth in doctoral degrees awarded in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). But relying on non-U.S. citizens for this nation's science and engineering work force is an increasingly uncertain path, as many of these students may choose to return to their home countries.
Meanwhile, the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population -- African-Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans -- are also the least represented in science and engineering careers, says Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America's Science and Engineering Talent at the Crossroads. Increasing their participation and success would boost U.S. competitiveness and expand the talent pool to help meet defense needs.
Although underrepresented minorities make up about 28 percent of the U.S. population, only about 9 percent are in science and engineering occupations. In the short term, the nation should work to triple the number of those who receive undergraduate degrees in STEM through programs that provide strong financial, academic, and social support. In addition, K-12 science and mathematics teachers need better preparation, and high school programs should emphasize college readiness.
The study by the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine was funded by NASA, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Otto Haas Charitable Trust #2.
Better Data for Better Teachers
Most K-12 education reform efforts in recent years have included a focus on improving the quality of teaching, which studies show could have the greatest potential effect in raising student achievement. Yet there is little definitive evidence about which particular approaches to teacher preparation yield high-quality educators whose students are successful.
Preparing Teachers: Building Evidence for Sound Policy calls for better data collection and research to provide a firmer foundation for efforts to prepare high-quality teachers. Research is badly needed on specific factors in teacher education that may ultimately affect student learning, with particular attention to different aspects of teacher knowledge, clinical experiences, and the quality of entering teacher candidates. The U.S. Department of Education should develop a national education data network that incorporates comprehensive data related to teacher education.
Research reviewed in the report confirms that reading, mathematics, and science teachers need strong subject-matter knowledge as well as familiarity with how students learn a particular subject. Many mathematics teachers, in particular, lack the needed level of preparation in mathematics content.
The National Research Council study was funded by the U.S. Department of Education, with additional support provided by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Spencer Foundation, and Carnegie Corporation of New York.
