Can America Restore Its Competitive Edge?

The Wilson Center hosted a panel discussion this morning focusing on what government, business, and educators can do to restore U.S. competitiveness through long-term improvements in the K-12 education system and public policy. The event brought together five experts for a dialogue led by moderator David Wessel, Chief Economic Correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.

The panel discussion highlighted the importance of manufacturing in U.S. competitiveness. Norm Augustine, former CEO of Lockheed Martin, pointed out that advanced manufacturing is not only essential for the U.S. economy, but also for national security. Deborah Wince-Smith, president of the Council on Competitiveness, added that stimulating the growth of manufacturing hubs and clusters will help spur innovation and progress within the industry. Two of the most significant problems that need to be addressed are outsourcing and the shortage of skilled labor.

Combating outsourcing can be done through changes in corporate tax policy, Business Roundtable President John Engler asserted, such as simplifying and reducing it. This will give businesses more incentive to stay in the US. Paul Vallas, former superintendent of schools in Chicago, Philadelphia and the Recovery School District in Louisiana, adds that not only do changes need to be made at the federal level, but also at the state and local level, especially with entitlements and tax policy.

Jan Rivkin, a professor at Harvard Business School, explained that a less restrictive immigration policy can bring in a large influx of skilled laborers that many firms need. Engler pointed to heightened partisanship in politics during the last few years for keeping a comprehensive immigration policy from being pushed through Congress.

The panelists also agreed that reforms in the education system can address the shortage of skilled labor. Vallas asserted that the K-12 education system in the U.S. has failed to evolve, and identified two major issues – the school days and year are too short, and the teachers are not good enough. As such, the education system needs to be modernized and given more flexibility to adapt to changing demands. He suggested that we bring a “free enterprise system” to education; pay STEM teachers more, pay excellent teachers more, pay mediocre teachers less, and fire incompetent teachers.

A full webcast and podcast of the event is available on the Wilson Center event page.

Posted by: Pokyee Yu

Sources: The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Photo Credit: David Hawxhurst/WWICS

Partnering with Business: The Changing Role of Business in Education

The following is an event summary from a program held by the  Program on America and the Global Economy at the Woodrow Wilson Center.

On March 2, a panel of Albert Einstein Distinguished Fellows focused on The Changing Role of Business in Education. Educators from across the nation, the Fellows serve in offices on Capitol Hill and in several federal departments.  They discussed ways that business partnerships are enabling new and innovative educational practices in their school districts.  Kent Hughes, director of the Program on America and the Global Economy, moderated the panel.

Hughes introduced the topic by referring to previous efforts at partnerships between business and education, such as the Business Roundtable’s assignment of two CEO’s to each governor in the wake of the education summit called by President George H.W. Bush.  Hughes commented that “being involved in education is one of the best forms of enlightened self-interest because today’s students are tomorrow’s engineers, the next generation of technical workers, and the next generation of informed citizens.”

The first panelist to speak was Brenda Gardunia, who has twenty years of experience teaching high school math in Idaho.  She described ways in which a partnership with a technical center in her area has allowed students to focus more on transitioning to a career, including through competitive paid internships.  “We must realize that not all students are going to go to an academic college,” she said.  According to Gardunia, partnerships between schools and businesses have advantages for both sides, with students gaining real world experience and businesses gaining a deeper pool of potential employees.  Gardunia also argued that these partnerships have strengthened community ties and have inherent public relations advantages.  Most importantly, through the teaching of these “21^st Century Skills,” Gardunia argued that students emerge from school better prepared to be a productive member of our global knowledge economy.