U.S. One of Two Countries Where Kids' Educational Attainment is Lower Than Their Parents'

[StarfarerBill]

By Daniela Perdomo, AlterNet

According to a recent report, Americans aged 25–34 have attained less education than their parents' generation.

If the data cited by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) commission report is correct, the United States and Germany are the only two nations in the world where this holds true.

Indeed, while the United States ranks second among all nations in the proportion of population aged 35-64 with a college degree, we rank tenth in the percentage of those aged 25-34 with an associate's or high school degree.

To make matters worse, there's been a steady decline in American students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics -- while places like China and India are investing heavily in the infrastructures to support premier programs in those courses of study.

More:
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/145033/u.s._one_of_two_countries_where_kids%27_educational_attainment_is_lower_than_their_parents%27/

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. Tuition is 10 times what it was when the parents were in college

and there are fewer reasonable student loans.

[treestar]

2. Now I'm just dying to know what is the other country

[StarfarerBill]

3. Germany.

[madrchsod]

4. to bad the report did`t explore the reasons why there is a decline

[Raejeanowl]

5. Worst Part of All In My Personal Opinion

The actual literacy rate-regardless of level of education on paper-has noticeably declined; it takes the achievement of today's undergrad college degree to approximate the knowledge base assimilated by the typical 1950-60s high school graduate.

[dkf]

6. Oh this is bad. Very bad.

You'd think the bad employment situation would result in higher enrollment too.

[gratuitous]

7. Hard work pays off

We've short-changed our educational system for the last 30 years, and pouring our resources into things like how to make money without producing anything (junk bonds, CDOs, etc.). Time was in the country, if you wanted to go to college, you could. You might have to piece it together with a combination of financial aid, scholarships, and the college not your first choice, but it was usually doable if you had the grades or the commitment. Now? Well, if Daddy doesn't own an oil well or two, or you don't feel like saddling yourself with six figures of debt before your 22nd birthday, you might just as well forget higher education. And lower education has been underfunded for years, with lurid tales of exorbitant teacher salaries and such. But the plain fact of the matter is that we've bought the modified libertarian/Republican bullshit about lower taxes and less government, and this is our reward.

Enjoy!

[glowing]

8. Its not exactly like gaining a science/ math/ or engineering job will mean a job.

I have a science degree.. yet the jobs aren't really there.. they are for H1b visa'd persons who will take less money and don't have huge loans to repay. Its a lie when they say there aren't enough people with these degrees... I want to scream every time I hear that lie. I am one un-used degree that is almost pd off after 10 yrs of doing nothing with it (I'm working in the same type of job I was while attending college). I also know many of my friends who graduated with degrees in science/ math/ engineering that are in fields that have nothing to do with science. Bush really killed money for science/ research etc... The only fields that seemed to grow were in pharma... and a job like that could kill you (honestly the stats for people working in a pharma lab are disgusting.. cancer, children with disabilities increased for women in the labs and more % of miscarriages)... I had a QA in one lab I worked for (an environmental testing lab that used just as harmful chemicals as the chemicals we were testing for) had to leave his pharma job because his hands were shaking too badly to perform his task.. he took and early "retirement" from that company. The shaking was so bad that he couldn't write with a pencil... and he was young only 50. I got out of the lab I was in after wayyy too many accidents.. acid burns all over my arms (I still have white spots on my forearms). One time I had a 4L bottle of a really bad chemical explode over the front of me.. I had 2nd degree burns on my chest (I still may end up with breast cancer from that one). If I were to become pregnant while working in that particular lab, I would have to do "office" work for 9 mo's (a supervisor prior to me starting had her fetus die in her womb--after that no more pregnancies in the lab-- the entire lab was predominantly staffed with females). On top of that, the wage was only a few dollars more than min. wage. Barely worth the risks. The more natural and nature made products we can use instead of chemical (pharma) would be better all the way around.