From what I’ve read about the strengths of US education is that it teaches a person to think. I don’t know if that’s true, but when writing my blog on outsourcing, the Indian companies were sending work to the US for multiple reasons, one of which they said that the programming could be done faster and more efficiently. They explained that for rote programming where creativity wasn’t needed, is where Indian programmers excelled.

Was this because of creativity being “taught” in the US, or was it because when software has been designed and you know the exact task before you, it’s just cheaper to do it in India.

I think for the US to maintain it’s economic edge, we do need to focus on schools. We have been ignoring them for too long.

Although not perfect, I think Indian schools have some aspects that should be incorporated into our education system. Spending more time in class teaching will improve students’ mastery of the material. I think if we do this, along with provide a more relaxed atmosphere, will go a long way in terms of improving our education system.

Indian children want to go to school because it is a privilege; it’s a step toward a brighter future. Many of us here in the US are so focused on other aspects of our lives we forget the great benefits of education. It turns into a race to the end rather than a valuable learning experience. The mentality that all you need is that piece of paper to be successful is killing the motivation to try hard. I agree many people in the US take these opportunities for granted but I also know quite a few people who want to be in school, not because they have to. As we progress into the future and lose opportunities to foreign students and foreign schools we might value educational opportunities a little more and thus try harder.

http://calpolymbatrip.com/2010/india/where-are-all-the-indian-business-students-going/

Perhaps in the last year or two, other factors are being considered, such as cost, or “bang for the buck.” Top flight educational institutions will always have demand, even if it is not for the masses. I would rather have a variety of institutions which can serve people at all levels.

The US scored 13th out of 16 nations in the affordability rankings. The US scored 14th in “Education Cost,” 13th in “total living cost,” and 12th in net costs after tax expenditures. The US financed most of its higher education costs through out of pocket expenses ($7057), loans ($4864), grants ($4025), and tax expenditures ($639). Surprisingly, the US scored 4th place in accessibility.

In related discussion, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) performed a study measuring the aptitude of 265,000 15-year-olds worldwide. See the site: http://www.siteselection.com/ssinsider/snapshot/sf011210.htm . Finland scored #1 in reading literacy, Japan scored #1 in mathematical literacy, and Korea scored #1 in scientific literacy. Per the site’s comments OECD rankings for the US, “‘We’re No. . . . Ah, ‘Bout Average, Dude, . . . Whatever.’ U.S. students finished 15th in reading, 19th in math and 14th in science - and in a study that only ranked 31 nations.” US Secretary of Education Rod Paige responded to the rankings by stating, “We see on the reading assessment that we have more kids scoring at the highest level than many participating countries, but we also see that we have more kids at the lowest level than some of the countries.” Wait; was that a grammatically correct statement?

On the flip side, the fact is that people do take their education for granted. I am certainly one person who had trouble focusing on classes from time to time. I think that the reason this does not happen in India is because Indian children are living hand to mouth- anything that will help them make ends meet is critical to devote their best efforts to. In the USA, people are more or less guaranteed to have basic needs met, so there is simply less reason to focus. I also think it is a result of the inflexible way classes are taught. I am always frustrated by my limited freedom to learn what I want to know the way I want in the structured education format that predominates here.

My parents understood this, and made the decision to enroll me in private schools when I was younger because they felt this would yield a more positive impact on my social interactions and behavior, even though motivated students could achieve an equally good or better education at the nearby public schools. Whether I received a better social education is subjective and irrelevant at the moment. The point is, my parents were most concerned about the social aspect when deciding where they would send me to school.

Going off of what Phil wrote, and the blog post above, it seems that many families in Asia value the pure scholastic education their students receive, while neglecting the social education that contributes to becoming a well-rounded individual.

When I was little, I was like the American students described above. I would say in a glum voice, “I don’t feel like going to my school.” To this, my father would respond, “You should be glad that you’re lucky enough to go to school.” I did not appreciate it then. However, the longer I remain in school, I appreciate my education more and more because it becomes increasingly apparent to me that few people have such an opportunity that I still take for granted.

Phil made an incredibly good observation in saying how sad it is that these extracurriculars are being scrapped from the elementary through high school system. Already in my school district from back home, music has been cancelled from fifth grade, sports and art taken away from middle school, and several AP classes including Spanish and French pulled from class offerings. To see these activities that I believe made my education so superior are being taken away is devastating. And the most pathetic part of all is that even with the shift in focus, the United States is still so far behind in math and science.

Perhaps we should look at what differentiates the United States education from the rest of the world and capitalize on that rather than trying to compete with other countries in the areas they excel in.

Going back to the initial question of who will be the next leader in education, I think that it certainly won’t be the United States if curriculum continues to move further away from our core competency of creativity and social-driven education. As I said before, if we capitalize on each of our differences, each country could really lead in different areas and produce a much more dynamic global work force.