Real Economic Stimulus Needs a Long Range, Educational Approach

Over the past couple of weeks we have heard the phrase stimulus package to describe a short term approach to help our declining economy. At the behest of our president and apparently supported by the House and the Senate, the current package comes in a rather troubling form accompanied by an equally bizarre directive. The stimulus package, or so it is called, boils down to the government giving a gift of a few hundred dollars to some, maybe even most American citizens, along with the favorite message of consumption, go shopping.

It is a troubling message, one we have heard many times before from our president. And it is even less appealing this time, especially when one considers that this president has simply mortgaged the future of our country in support of a few extremely controversial and expensive priorities.

As a moderate who has voted Republican more often than Democrat, I find the current situation appalling. Moreover, I find myself yearning for daring leadership, one that provides fiscal accountability yet offers the clear understanding that a long-term approach to improving the opportunities for our own citizens must also be a priority.

By every account imaginable, we are moving into a knowledge-based economy, one that places an emphasis on educational attainment. It is time our president and our elected officials recognize that fact. More importantly, it is now time to make long-term fiscal progress a national priority.

Our Falling Education Attainment Levels
A sobering report from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) called Making Opportunity Affordable: Investing in College Access and Success paints a terrible portrait of our current status. Citing statistics from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the report indicates that the “United States now ranks tenth among industrialized nations in the percentage of 25-34 year olds with an Associate’s degree or higher, and stands as one of the only nations where older adults are more educated than younger adults.” The report also notes that OECD data shows “that the United States ranks near the bottom of industrialized nations in the percentage of entering students that complete a degree program.”

In yet another report on the NCHEMS site, the issue is in essence summed up by: “The United States’ future economic growth and standard of living, and the success of all of our young people, depend on addressing the crucial challenges confronting higher education.”

According to the NCHEMS report “only eight states are on track to reach the level of educational attainment needed by 2025 to compete with the best-performing nations and meet workforce demands.” To increase the needed levels of educational attainment, college opportunity and completion must become a national priority.

Adding to the immense challenge facing America is the fact the demographic groups expected to grow the fastest between 2005 and 2025 are the same minority groups that currently post the lowest levels of educational attainment.

Two Fundamental Issues
To increase participation and college completion, two fundamental issues must be addressed. The first is to improve education at the K-12 level. The second is to address college affordability issues.

In the report, the exceptionally disappointing high school completion rates are noted. The study notes that in 29 states the four-year graduation rate for public high schools is below 75 percent. Furthermore, in 10 states, less than half of all high school graduates attend higher education within one year of graduation. And of those who do attend, far too many are forced to take remedial courses once they are at school just to be able to pursue a true collegiate level of study.

For those who have a desire to attend higher education, the costs of doing so are staggering. According to NCHEMS.org, the United States needs “a new public investment strategy that includes growth in funding” for higher education. But at the same time, the report calls for “higher education systems and institutions to begin the process of becoming more cost-effective.” In containing the escalating costs associated with earning a college degree, the colleges must do so without reducing the current quality of programming offered.

The fact of the matter is that jobs requiring an “Associate’s degree or beyond will increase at faster rates than jobs requiring less than an Associate’s degree between now and 2014.” In addition, NCHEMS.org notes the “minimum level of education required in high growth fields will increase in the years ahead,” effectively widening the current gap.

Progress Occurring, But a Mandate Needed
It should be noted that students pursuing degrees is at an all-time high, that academic preparation for college-level work is in fact improving, and that college attendance rates are relatively steady despite double-digit tuition increases.

The problem is that these rates are simply not high enough to ensure America can compete in a global economy. The even bigger problem is that we so rarely talk about the issue, in Washington or on the campaign trail.

Ultimately, today we find the terrifying situation that every parent shudders to contemplate. That in fact our children are likely to become the first generation of Americans who may be unable to seek a better life than those of their forefathers.

Such is the case we face today unless someone emerges with the leadership skills to seek a long-term stimulus package, one that invests in the citizens of this country. The current stimulus package simply furthers our consumption-based focus that is on a terrible path, one that borrows from tomorrow without putting in the time or effort to ensure that when the bills come due we have the ability to pay them.

Photos by Chris Boese and JasonUnbound.