The Importance of Education
I am a true baby boomer born in April 1946 just ten months after my father returned from Europe where he was wounded. My father never completed high school while my mother did manage to earn a high school diploma. Despite their minimal education both of my parents believed in the importance of education. My brother and I were raised knowing that we were expected to attend college. We were not rich, but we knew that college was in the budget. As a result both my brother and I earned BS degrees in physics. I also eventually earned two Masters degrees and worked as an engineer in the semiconductor industry for forty years. My brother earned a PhD in high-energy particle physics and today works at a National Accelerator Lab and teaches on the side. Why do I tell you our story because I want to point out that parents are a key factor to a good education.
My parents realized, like many Americans before us, the importance of education for the individual and for the country. From our earliest days, Americans have supported public education realizing its value to the country as a whole not just the individual. They realized the importance of an educated citizenry for a successful democratic society. They also realized if we are to compete economically on the world stage, the nation needs an educated work force. If this was true 200 plus years ago, it is even more true today.
We all understand that our high wages make it difficult to compete globally. If are to remain competitive with the rest of the world, we have to be more productive which means a more productive workforce. This is done by utilizing technology, increasing efficiency, and improving quality all of which require a better-educated workforce. When I speak of better-educated workers, I do not mean just engineers, scientists, or programmers. We need to better educate all levels from the janitor to CEO. As our world becomes more complex we need more skills and knowledge to perform even simple tasks.
Unfortunately, the quality of our K-12 education trails many developed countries. We have all heard the results of test scores that show our students trailing far behind in many areas particularly math and science. This is particularly true for minorities and the poor. You might say so what that does not apply to my family, but our economy needs everyone to participate with all their abilities if our economy is to be competitive globally. We need our schools to work better. Does that mean more money, probably, but more important we need more community involvement.
In the United States we have great colleges and universities, it's the reason we draw so many foreign students. Even our higher education is now in danger as we cut funding to our public colleges and universities, and reduce student aid. We need to make higher education available to our best and brightest not just the wealthiest. Minnesota is now ranked fourth highest in the amount of debt graduating students carry in part because of State budget cuts.
We have the choice of remaining an economic power by educating our population, or we can gradually decline to second rate because we did not invest in our educational system .
My parents realized, like many Americans before us, the importance of education for the individual and for the country. From our earliest days, Americans have supported public education realizing its value to the country as a whole not just the individual. They realized the importance of an educated citizenry for a successful democratic society. They also realized if we are to compete economically on the world stage, the nation needs an educated work force. If this was true 200 plus years ago, it is even more true today.
We all understand that our high wages make it difficult to compete globally. If are to remain competitive with the rest of the world, we have to be more productive which means a more productive workforce. This is done by utilizing technology, increasing efficiency, and improving quality all of which require a better-educated workforce. When I speak of better-educated workers, I do not mean just engineers, scientists, or programmers. We need to better educate all levels from the janitor to CEO. As our world becomes more complex we need more skills and knowledge to perform even simple tasks.
Unfortunately, the quality of our K-12 education trails many developed countries. We have all heard the results of test scores that show our students trailing far behind in many areas particularly math and science. This is particularly true for minorities and the poor. You might say so what that does not apply to my family, but our economy needs everyone to participate with all their abilities if our economy is to be competitive globally. We need our schools to work better. Does that mean more money, probably, but more important we need more community involvement.
In the United States we have great colleges and universities, it's the reason we draw so many foreign students. Even our higher education is now in danger as we cut funding to our public colleges and universities, and reduce student aid. We need to make higher education available to our best and brightest not just the wealthiest. Minnesota is now ranked fourth highest in the amount of debt graduating students carry in part because of State budget cuts.
We have the choice of remaining an economic power by educating our population, or we can gradually decline to second rate because we did not invest in our educational system .
