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December 08, 2009 4:23 PM
Education Rate in U.S. Declines
Virtually everywhere in the world people tend to be more educated than their parents. This is no longer true in the United States. A report by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities indicates that the U.S. is one of only two nations on Earth in which people aged 25 to 34 have lower educational attainment than their parents.
The AASCU report did not speculate on the reason for this educational decline. The cost of college tuition in the U.S. rose 7.24 percent between 1958 and 1996; the inflation rate was only 4.49 percent during the same period.
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biff3000 on December 08, 2009 8:33 PM:
What's the other country?
Daniel Luzer on December 08, 2009 11:09 PM:
The other country is Germany.
Anonymous on December 09, 2009 10:55 AM:
HL Mencken: the difference between American masculinity and ignorance is substantially nothing.
marcus on December 12, 2009 3:20 PM:
what does educational attainment entail?
brabc1 on December 12, 2009 3:52 PM:
The end of our country for sure. This is very depressing.
Elizabeth Buckner on December 12, 2009 5:44 PM:
I think you are misrepresenting what the AASCU report actually found. It found that "While the U.S. ranks second among all nations in the proportion of its population aged 35–64 with a college degree, it ranks tenth in the percentage of its population aged 25–34 who have earned an associate or baccalaureate degree."
This means that other countries rate of expansion is increasing, not that the rate of college attendance in the US is decreasing. Moreover, in most countries, there isn't the chance to return to school after 35, it is possible that many Americans who never got a post-secondary degree do return to school in their 30s.
Moreover, you cannot discuss the difference between 35-64 year olds and 25-34 year olds without talking about demographic shifts the US is going through -- more immigrants who may have started out with very low education levels. It is most likely that their children's education level is greater than their parents but they still do not attend college, bringing down mean college attendance rates.
skybluy5555 on December 13, 2009 8:57 AM:
Disinvestment in America and American education for the past 30 years, i.e, importing foreign professional in the hundreds of thousands probably millions by now, no educational pre school and elementary quality education for a;; American children over this same period, and trillion dollar investments in all other countries but America and Americans are the obvious reason why. The corporate destruction of U.S. family farming by corporate farming and 'food scientists' destruction of the U.S. wholesome food supply, dependence on third world polluted produce for grocery produce, plus drugging of American children has collectively destroyed the bright light of America and American education. Negative, destructive, coarse TV programming, corporate advertisements, programming which fosters gang bang underage child/sex, contribute to the fall of American children in all areas. I don't give a rats ass whether you agree or not: I have lived long enough to speak about this as a witness to our destruction with narry a peep from Congress, Presidents, the FCC or anyone else in a law making position to get our country back on track. And the pity is you the parents and grandparents have allowed this to happen to America; instead of focusing on our gifted children you have held them down to substandard standards due to your whiny mainstreaming of kids with serious learning disabilities... shame on you.
Karper on December 13, 2009 5:19 PM:
I would say that when a vote comes up to fund education vs. a sports arena in most US cities, most people vote against funding education vs. sports. This is just shameful.
If we want good schools and teachers we have to have more stringent standards for teachers and more respect for the work they do by paying them what they are worth!
In this country now people seem to be striving to be a sports figure or entertainment celebrity - no wonder it's the dumbing down of America today.
jamal mawri on November 30, 2011 3:00 PM:
I completly agree with you.
There are so many things that’s make me think that this ad companies have begun to manufacture these desires in a bid to secure this lucrative market. First, the companies always get the whole benefits, while the teenagers lose their time without any benefits. Second, America’s youth spending a lot of money in things that wouldn’t return any benefits. Third, when youth busy with film stars, sex, and appearances, that’s make the educational attainment in decline.