What’s Happening in American Education?

Kent Farnsworth Kilgore College Oct. 19, 2010

Time Interview with

Peter Drucker (1990)

A series of new reports…

“While U.S. higher education has long been admired internationally, our continuing preeminence is no longer something we can take for granted. The rest of the world is catching up, and by some measures has already overtaken us. We have slipped to 12th in higher education attainment and 16th in high school graduation rates.”

             Spellings Commission Report, “A Test of Leadership: Charting the

Future of Higher Education.” 

America’s Perfect Storm: Three Forces Changing Our Nation’s Future

Divergent skill distribution

Changing Economy

Changing Demography

ETS Policy Information report, 2007

What has happened in 20 years since Drucker’s Interview?

“Ninety percent of the fastest-growing jobs in the new knowledge-driven economy will require some postsecondary education” (Spellings Commission Report, p. 1).

The Report of the New Commission of the Skills of the American Workforce.(Tough Choices or Tough Times)

“If we continue on our current course, and the number of nations outpacing us in the education race continues to grow at its current rate, the American standard of living will steadily fall relative to those nations, rich and poor, that are doing a better job…. Although it is possible to construct a scenario for improving our standard of living, the clear and present danger is that it will fall for most Americans.”

Divergent Skill DistributionReading and math

performance unchanged in 25 years.

U.S. adults are not educated at the levels required by today’s labor market.

HS Graduation rates:70%50% among

disadvantaged minority groups.

“A Stronger Nation Through Higher Education”

New Report from the Lumina Foundation.

National Goal – 60% College degree rate by 2025.

For 25-64 year olds:

Gregg Co. 31.2%Rusk Co. 23.4%Harrison Co. 23.4%

Changes in Global EconomyBooming

Economies in AsiaGlobal Change in

the Nature of Work due to Technology

Global shift in population and age distribution.

5 Largest Cities in the World1950, 2005 and 2015 (projected)

1950New York

CityLondonTokyoMoscowParis

2015TokyoBombay

(Mumbai)LagosDhakaSao Paulo

•2005 (6)•Tokyo• Bombay (Mumbai)•Shanghai•Moscow•Mexico City•Seoul

These lists vary by source

Factors Influencing Change…Losing ground in the education race to other nations.

Work no longer place bound.Lower cost wage structures elsewhere in the world.

Aging population in developed world.Growth in the world we know little about.

Changes in U.S. Demography

Within 20 years, all the growth in our population will be among minorities.

By 2040, combined minority groups will be the majority population.

Summarize:1. The World of Work is requiring higher skill

levels.2. Other countries are passing us by educationally.3. There are large performance gaps between the

preparation levels of various ethnic groups in the U.S.

4. All of the growth in our population is among the groups with the lowest skill levels.

5. Only items 2 and 3 can be changed.

Why this is important to you at Kilgore College?

This will be the century of the community college

Nearly 50% of all undergraduates in the U.S. are enrolled in community colleges.

48% of minorities in all of higher education are in community colleges.2,340,269 of 4,880,548 (2005)

46% of all African Americans. 53% of all Hispanics. 50% of Native Americans.

Center for Educational Statistics

•Foundations and Gov’t turning to us because… We are where students

are choosing to begin. We have faculty who

are teaching specialists. We can mobilize grass

roots change.We will critically

examine performance data and revise processes.

We can select “change oriented” leadership.

Why Kilgore College forAchieving the Dream?