economy » Carol J. Carter

What Can Be Done to Improve Americaâ€™s Math Performance?

There is no question that the need to improve American studentsâ€™ math scores has garnered much attention on a national level. U.S. Education officials have been pushing reform for years now. We simply arenâ€™t going to be able to compete with our global competitors in knowledge-based fields if we continue to fall short in math and science. So what can we do?

Set high expectations

According to the College Readiness report by ACT, students who take the recommended core curriculum for high school including three years of math achieve higher ACT scores than those who donâ€™t, regardless of socio-economic background, race and gender.¹

But expectations for students to take and succeed at high level math and science courses in high school must be balanced by preparing them well in early years to do just this.

Our expectations for students to succeed at high levels of math and science need to be rooted in deep learning early on and continued support throughout the years, rather than pushing high level curriculum down the pipeline to earlier grades.

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Practical Skills to Close the Job Gap: Risks that Bring Reward

The week before Thanksgiving, I attended the annual National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC) conference for teachers of gifted and talented students along with 4,000 others. One of the opening sessions featured Dr. Howard Gardner, Dr. Joseph Renzulli, and Dr. Robert Sternberg, all intelligence experts from varying points of view. Sternberg, in particular, addressed the disconnect between what we are teaching in school and the needs of the world of work, where graduates are falling short.
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Middle Class Values: How Americans Are Going to Get Out of the Recession

The middle class is essentially the heart of America. Whatever their economic situation, Americans predominantly identify themselves as middle class. According to a Pew Research study cited by Robert J. Samuelson in his opinion piece â€œSaving the Middle Class,â€ only 7% of Americans define themselves as lower class, and only 2% define themselves as upper class. In a stark contradiction of the fiscal reality, â€œNine of 10 Americans locate themselves somewhere in the middle classâ€¦ 15 percent in the upper middle class; 49 percent in the middle class; and 25 percent in the lower middle class.â€ As Samuelson points out, â€œPeople donâ€™t define themselves out of the mainstream.â€

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Under- or Over-worked? Employers and Employees Must Take Action

When employees don’t feel like their abilities are being used to their full potential, work is “frustrating” and “exhausting,” according to a study that asked subordinates to rate the percentage of their intelligence they felt their higher-ups were tapping into. These questions lead to researchers defining two types of leaders in the workplace:
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Young College Grads Create Opportunity in a Challenging Economy

In past cycles of the U.S. economy, a college degree — or even a high school diploma — could be enough for a job seeker to land a well-paying position that afforded them staples of an American lifestyle, such as home and car ownership, leaving home as a teen or young adult, and starting a family. In the new economy, with high unemployment rates for teens and adults,Â neither a college degree or high school diploma comes with a job guarantee, and many young adults are reacting by living with their parents longer, delaying marriage and child birth and indefinitely postponing large purchases. ¹
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Where Are We in American Education Right Now? A Look at Patterns the Last Three Decades

Thirty years ago this summer, I was finishing my first unpaid internship in Washington, D.C with Common Cause, a lobbying Â group run at the time by Archibald Cox, John Gardner of Stanford, and, at times, Ralph Nader. The next year, the report,Â A NATION AT RISK¹, was issued as I began my internship in New York City at the Academy for Educational Development. During both summers, I waited on tables at night to be able to work for no pay at my valuable internships. This report was commissioned by the then President Ronald Reagan. I distinctly remember one of the most defining lines of that document: Â The educational foundations of our society areÂ presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as aÂ Nation and a people.
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Marching into a Recession: Class of 2012 Follows Generations Before

Recessions,Â ebb and flow. Between 1948 and 2011, there have been 10 recessions, according theÂ National Bureau of Economic Research¹.Â That means there are many people in the U.S. who have been in all 10 recessionsÂ and made theirÂ Â way out. The BLS describes a recession as: “A general slowdown in economic activity, a downturn in the business cycle, a reduction in the amount of goods and services produced and sold.”

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The New Grad’s Economy: Preparing for Economic Challenges Ahead

Graduates in 2012 will be entering an economy with more debt and less job opportunities than they would have 20 or even 10 years ago.Â The last recession of this proportion was actually in 1984, the year I graduated from college.

But the surprise isn’t only on the new graduates. Employers are gaining new hires who have spent some of their most formidable years in a bad economy and who have responded with either apathy or a zeal to overcome obstacles in the professional world. For both kinds of young adults, and those in between, they will be up against some challenges that, although sometimes grim, are the reality of our current economy. Instead of Â being the apathetic new hire or job seeker, I encourage you to take on the following challenges with the mindset that you will keep moving forward until you can overcome.

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Defining Unique Skills Powers Economic Success for Grads

In a competitive global market theÂ soon-to-be college graduate andÂ new professional needs to know their unique talents and abilities in order to stand out from the crowd. Our economy is recoveringÂ slowly; a shift inÂ our schoolsÂ Â and colleges can set newÂ expectations toÂ better prepareÂ graduates forÂ workforceÂ realities. Many K-12 schools, whether out of choice or necessity, still teach to standardized tests and curriculums. However, the new professional is anything but standardized. The new professionalÂ is self-aware,Â stands outÂ because of their ability to develop unique strengths, can connect their education to their career, is fully integrated into traditional and digital communication, and understandsÂ how to use personal discipline for professional advantage. If there isnâ€™t enough time to emphasize this model in class, teachers can emphasize the importance of this exposureÂ outÂ of class.
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How More High School Graduates Can Power Our Economy

Dropping out of high school doesn’t only effect the individual.Â While students who dropÂ out of high school will personally have less chances of employment, make lower incomes, and are most likely just a piece in the poverty cycle, they also represent a huge drain on our economic potential. On a larger scale, high school graduates and dropouts shape our economy, define the abilities of our workforce, andÂ set the stage for our leaders of the future in business, industry, and government.

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