Is Our Stagnant School System Endangering our Nation’s Future Prosperity?

Date: 
Thursday, September 12, 2013 - 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Location: 

The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC

The association between student math performance and subsequent economic growth is very strong. It suggests that if the United States could lift its performance to the level achieved by Canadians, the average U.S. paycheck might increase by 20 percent. In order to achieve this growth the U.S. will have to perform substantially better at the advanced level. Over 13 percent of the students in both Germany and in Canada are high achievers, while only about 7 percent in the U.S. perform at the advanced level. In Asia, the percentage of advanced students escalates upward--to 16 percent in Japan, 20 percent in Korea, and 30 percent in Singapore. This event explored why the United States must do better if it wishes to enhance its economic strength.