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December 5, 2007
Got Science?
Coming on the heels of yesterday's BoardBuzz item, was the release of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The ensuing discussion about the PISA results focused on the disappointing performance of U.S. 15 year olds (scoring below the international average) may have missed the point. As the PISA report itself argues, math and science skills in-and-of-themselves are the most important factor.
BoardBuzz found one graph on page 33 particularly interesting. It showed that jobs that included routine cognitive tasks, not manual tasks, have been in sharp decline since the early 1980's while jobs that include non-routine tasks that require analytical and interactive skills have been on a dramatic rise. The reason being that computers can do routine cognitive tasks at a lower cost while mere mortals are better suited for tasks that involve mental reasoning that go beyond simple memorization.
The debate on the need to enhance the science skills of the American public has largely centered around the need to develop more engineers and scientists, although as BoardBuzz has told you before, the U.S. education system already produces a surplus. What the PISA report points out is that individuals with high skills create innovations that benefit all, so improving science education is not just about filling jobs but creating innovations that make our lives easier. The report also points out that while all students needn’t be prepared to be scientists, most do need a basic level of science understanding to participate fully in society.
So the ongoing argument that if we don't improve our science education, we risk losing our economic ground to India and China, is overblown. Of utmost importance, however, is that we all need a basic understanding of science to understand the important issues that impinge on our daily lives; issues like the stem cell debate; being able to serve on juries where DNA evidence is provided; or, on a more personal level to BoardBuzz, having the ability to decide which is better, a LCD or Plasma TV.
Of course the debate on the skills needed in the 21st Century is far more complex, which is why our own Center for Public Education is looking into it. Check out the Center's website www.centerforpubliceducation.org in the coming months to learn more.
Also, for a more detailed analysis of the PISA results check out the Center's summary of the results.
Posted December 5, 2007 1:48 PM |
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