The promise, embraced by governments around the world, is that the knowledge economy will provide knowledge workers with a degree of autonomy and permission to think which enables them to be creative and to attract high incomes. What credence should we give to this promise? The current economic crisis is provoking a reappraisal of both economic…

One of the major issues for higher education in the early years of the 21st century is ensuring the continued excellence of its faculty. This responsibility falls most heavily on research universities as the producers of future faculty and as the major sites of the cutting-edge research that powers U.S. competitiveness in a global economy and…

In the ongoing national conversation about science education in America, there is a new consensus that people have entered a time of crisis in their relationship to the international scientific and engineering community. When the science committee of the House of Representatives asked the National Academies, the nation's leading scientific…

The last few years have revealed a growing concern about U.S. global competitiveness, and American schools have been called to account for failing to produce enough engineers and math and science workers to compete in the new global economy. The author argues that the education solutions offered to tackle this problem are too simplistic. Instead…

Encourages the development of a technology link, feeding back into the United States, that could help ungrade United States capabilities and technological competitiveness. (BR)

This dissertation explores the private-public sector partnership between CVS/pharmacy and the federal/state workforce development system in Minnesota. The study describes how CVS creates partnerships with the federal/state system of one-stop career centers and other partners in the workforce development arena such as community or faith-based…

Both the US and European higher education systems have long histories of transatlantic cooperation, a tradition that it is important to preserve and enhance even in the context of increased competition and important systemic reforms in both North America and Europe. The Bologna Process has led to several systemic reforms in European higher…

Public and private initiatives designed to enhance U.S. competitiveness were suggested to the President of the United States by the Business-Higher Education Forum, based on a 1-year research and study effort. The Forum's findings include: the U.S. economy is lagging behind its own past performance and the gains of other nations; economic vitality…

The perceptions on well-being and societal progress are influenced also by the quantitative indicators and measures used in the measurement, presentation and semantics of discussing these issues. The article presents a novel generic statistical measure S-time-distance, with clear interpretability that delivers a broader concept to look at data, to…

In traditional Chinese medicine, a key maxim is "Zhi Bing Yao Zhi Gen," which literally means, "To cure a disease one must cure the underlying cause." The author was reminded of this principle when she reflects on K-12 math education reform when the US. President Bush's 2006 State of the Union Address prompted yet another wave…

A college acceptance letter has long been seen as the ticket to the middle class for students from low-income families. Simply getting into college these days is not enough. Where financially needy students enroll makes a difference--sometimes a big difference--in whether they will ever earn a bachelor's degree. This article discusses graduation…

For five years the major school reform agenda in America has been the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, which was part of the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Now ESEA is up for another reauthorization by Congress, and everyone is wondering what is going to happen next. One could argue that there is…

Since 2000, the "Measuring Up" report cards have evaluated the progress of the nation and individual states in providing Americans with education and training beyond high school through the bachelor's degree. The purpose of the series is to assist the nation and the states in improving higher education opportunity and effectiveness.…

Worldwide economic problems must not be allowed to disrupt international trade. Specifically discussed are the long-run trends in U.S. competitiveness, financial developments and their effects on trade and the international debt problem. (RM)

Increasing the number of students who complete advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is a compelling national interest. Although college science and engineering degree completion rates have improved considerably over the past few decades, significant gaps persist among women and students of color. Gaps…