The U.S. Technology Skills Gap E-Book

Gary J. Beach

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Serie: Wiley CIO
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 537

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Is a widening "skills gap" in science and matheducation threatening America's future? That is the seminalquestion addressed in The U.S. Technology Skills Gap, acomprehensive 104-year review of math and science education inAmerica. Some claim this "skills gap" is"equivalent to a permanent national recession" whileothers cite how the gap threatens America's future economic,workforce employability and national security. This much is sure: America's math and science skills gapis, or should be, an issue of concern for every business andinformation technology executive in the United States and TheU.S Technology Skills Gap is the how-to-get involved guidebookfor those executives laying out in a compelling chronologicformat: * The history of the science and math skills gap in America * Explanation of why decades of astute warnings were ignored * Inspiring examples of private company efforts to supplementpublic education * A pragmatic 10-step action plan designed to solve theproblem * And a tantalizing theory of an obscure Japanese physicist thatsuggests America's days as the global scientific leader arenumbered Engaging and indispensable, The U.S. Technology SkillsGap is essential reading for those eager to see America remaina relevant global power in innovation and invention in the yearsahead.

Leseprobe

Contents

Cover

Series

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

CIOs Speak

Preface

Notes

Acknowledgments

Note

Part One: How Did We Get Here?

Chapter 1: 1941: The Subject We Love to Hate

Math? Not for Me!

“Minimize the Effect of Schooling”

Young Adults with IQs of Eight-Year-Olds

The Fall Continues

President Roosevelt Understands Science

An Opportunity Lost

Americans Still Hate Math and Science

Notes

Chapter 2: 1945: Operation Paperclip

Nazis Hailed as “Outstanding” Scientists

Germany's Rocket Man

The Nazis Get to von Braun

Time Magazine Paints a Dim Picture of von Braun

America's Best Rocket: The Bazooka

Shipped to America

America Had Space Technology before the Soviets

Germany Developed the Atomic Bomb First

Notes

Chapter 3: 1950: Deming Says

Deming Has an Idea

The Lecture Series That Changed the Balance of the World Economy

Japan Embraces, America Ignores

Datsuns Arrive in Los Angeles

American Business Leaders Finally Listen

Lessons from Deming

Can Total Quality Management Fix the American Education System?

Notes

Chapter 4: 1952: Boomerang

What It Means to Teach

A Teacher Shortage Exacerbates the Educational Challenges

Another Problem: Crumbling Infrastructure

Media Critiques Begin

Back in the USSR

Boomers Perform Poorly on SATs

Connecting the Dots

The Boomerang Theory

Notes

Chapter 5: 1962: Too Hard to Follow

The Rationale for the Lunar Landing

Kennedy in His Own Words

“It's Just So Darn Hard”

Students: Math and Science Are Irrelevant

Culture Counts

Industry Leaders Offer Advice

Do Something about It

American Students Not Measuring Up

The Results, Please

How to Do Something

High School Seniors: No, Thank You

Perception Is Reality: The Importance of the Guidance Counselor

The STEM Pipeline Shrinks More in Higher Education

Putting Words in the President's Mouth

Notes

Chapter 6: 1962: Empires of the Mind

Did You Know?

The Shift Is On

The Components of Yuasa's Phenomenon

Fast-Forward

Yuasa's Phenomenon Arrives in America in 1920

Youth Rules

Look to the East?

Three Patents to the Win

America's Innovation Ecosystem at Risk

Does It Work for You?

The World in 2050

Slip Sliding Away?

Survival Is Not Compulsory

Notes

Chapter 7: 1963: SAT Down

The History of the SAT

Asleep at the Wheel for 14 Years

The College Entrance Examination Board Responds

More Competition for the SAT

Why the SAT Scores Dropped

How to Get 100 More SAT Points

Too Much Mediocrity

Notes

Chapter 8: 1976: Too Many Chiefs

A Tale of Two Documents

Keep It Local

The Great Society Era Ushers in Federal Involvement

ESEA: Not All Things Considered

Teacher Unions Create the U.S. Department of Education

Did I Really Promise That?

President Carter's Top 10 List

Eight Years Is Too Short

Reagan Shifts from Compliance to Competency

Bush Sets Voluntary Education Goals

Other Issues Get in the Way

Clinton Unsuccessfully Shifts Education Goals from Voluntary to Compulsory

No Child Left Behind Ushers in Compulsory Education Compliance

Obama Is Stymied by Gridlocked Washington

Close Down the U.S. Department of Education

Notes

Part Two: And the Hits Just Keep on Coming

Can You Hear Me Now?

Road Trip

The Eighth-Grade Focus

Connect the Dots

It Takes a Village That Cares

The Warning System Works

Notes

Chapter 9: The Skills Gap Warnings Begin

1964: The First International Mathematics Study

1971: The First International Science Study

1971: The National Education Trust Fund

1978: The Nation's Report Card

1982: The Second International Mathematics Study

1983: A Nation at Risk

1985: Global Competition: The New Reality

1985: Corporate Classrooms: The Learning Business

1986: A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the 21st Century

1987: Workforce 2000: Work and Workers for the Twenty-first Century

1987: The National Science Foundation Annual Report Introduces STEM

1987: The Fourth R: Workforce Readiness, a Guide to Business Education Partnerships

1989: Winning the Brain Race: A Bold Plan to Make Our Schools Competitive

Notes

Chapter 10: The Skills Gap Emerges

1990: America's Choice: High Skills or Low Wages!

1990: The Second International Science Study

1990: The National Assessment of Educational Progress

1993: John Sculley: “America Is Resource Poor”

1995: The Third International Mathematics and Science Study

Different Measurement, Improved Ranking

1996: The National Assessment of Educational Progress

1999: New World Coming: American Security in the 21st Century

Notes

Chapter 11: The Skills Gap Widens

2000: Ensuring a Strong U.S. Scientific, Technical, and Engineering Workforce in the 21st Century

2000: Before It's Too Late

2000: The Programme for International Student Assessment

2000: The National Assessment of Educational Progress Test

2002: Unraveling the Teacher Shortage Problem: Teacher Retention Is the Key

2003: Building a Nation of Learners

2004: Sustaining the Nation's Innovation Ecosystem

2005: Losing the Competitive Advantage: The Challenge for Science and Technology in America

2005: The Knowledge Economy: Is the United States Losing Its Competitive Edge?

2005: The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century

2005: Rising above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future

2005: The National Assessment of Educational Progress

2006: Teachers and the Uncertain American Future

2006: The Quiet Crisis: Falling Short in Producing American Scientific and Technical Talent

2007: We Are Still Losing Our Competitive Advantage: Now Is the Time to Act

2007: How the World's Best-Performing School Systems Come Out on Top

2007: Into the Eye of the Storm: Assessing the Evidence on Science and Engineering Education, Quality, and Workforce Demand

2007: Tough Choices or Tough Times

2007: The Role of Education Quality in Economic Growth

2008: Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel

2008: “Lessons from 40 Years of Education Reform”

2009: Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant: Asian Nations Set to Dominate the Clean Energy Race by Out-Investing the United States

2009: The CIO Executive Council's Youth and Technology Careers Survey

2009: The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in America's Schools

2009: The Widget Effect: Our National Failure to Acknowledge and Act on Differences in Teacher Effectiveness

2009: Steady As She Goes? Three Generations of Students through the Science and Engineering Pipeline

Notes

Chapter 12: The Consequences of the Skills Gap Become Apparent

2010: Rising above the Gathering Storm Revisited: Rapidly Approaching Category 5

2010: Why So Few Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics?

2010: Waiting for Superman

2010: Education Next’s Public Perception of Education Survey

2010: Interview with Craig Barrett

2010: Closing the Talent Gap: Attracting and Retaining Top-Third Graduates to Careers in Teaching

2011: The National Assessment of Educational Progress

2011: The Intel Corporation’s Survey of Teens’ Perceptions of Engineering

2011: Globally Challenged: Are U.S. Students Ready to Compete?

2012: How Well Are American Students Learning?

2012: U.S. Education Reform and National Security

2012: Prosperity at Risk: Findings of Harvard Business School’s Survey on U.S. Competitiveness

2012: The World Economic Forum’s Annual Global Competitiveness Report

2012: Where Will All the STEM Talent Come From?

2012: SAT and ACT Scores Reveal Disappointing News

2012: Five Misconceptions about Teaching Math and Science: American Education Has Not Declined, and Other Surprising Truths

The Long and Winding Road

Notes

Part Three: Let’s Build Some Arks

Notes

Chapter 13: Patchworking the Tech Skills Gap Begins

1965: Skills USA

1968: The Xerox Science Consultant Program

1989: Women in Technology International

1990: Teach for America

1994: Tech Corps

1995: NetDay

1996: SAS Curriculum Pathways

1997: The Cisco Networking Academy

1998: I.C.Stars

1998: Intel Teach

Notes

Chapter 14: The Pace of Remediation Work on the National Skills Gap Accelerates

2000: Year Up

2000: The Juniper Networks Foundation Fund

2002: Technology Goddesses

2002: nPower

2003: The Microsoft Imagine Cup

2004: Engineering Is Elementary

2004: The Junior FIRST Lego League

2005: Raytheon’s MathMovesU

2005: IBM’s Transition to Teaching

2006: The Khan Academy

2006: Cognizant’s Maker Faire

2007: The National Math and Science Initiative

2008: AT&T Aspire

2008: AMD’s Changing the Game

2009: Microsoft’s TEALS

2009: The Salesforce.com Foundation

2009: DIGITS

2009: Change the Equation

Notes

Chapter 15: The Pace of Ark Building Quickens

2010: The Broadcom MASTERS

2011: CA Technologies and the Sesame Workshop

2011: IBM’s P-TECH

2012: Udacity

2012: CA Technologies: Tech Girls Rock

2012: Microsoft’s Teach.org

2012: The Dell Education Challenge

2012: The Girl Scouts of America’s Generation STEM: What Girls Say about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

News Alert: More Arks Needed!

Notes

Epilogue: For What It’s Worth

The Top 10 Recommendations for Action

Closing Time

About The Author

About the Website

Index

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On Top of the Cloud: How CIOs Leverage New Technologies to Drive Change and Build Value Across the Enterprise by Hunter Muller

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Unleashing the Power of IT: Bringing People, Business, and Technology Together by Dan Roberts

The U.S. Technology Skills Gap: What Every Technology Executive Must Know to Save America’s Future by Gary J. Beach

Cover image: © Mick Wiggins/Alamy Cover design: Michael Rutkowski

Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:Beach, Gary J., 1950– The U.S. technology skills gap : what every technology executive must know to save America’s future / Gary J. Beach. pages cm. — (CIO series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-118-47799-1 (cloth); ISBN 978-1-118-66044-7 (ebk.); ISBN 978-1-118-66047-8 (ebk.); ISBN 978-1-118-68070-4 (o-book); ISBN 978-1-118-79232-2 (custom) 1. High technology industries—United States. 2. Labor supply—United States. 3. Skilled labor—United States. 4. Vocational qualifications—United States. 5. Information technology—United States. 6. Science—Study and teaching—United States. I. Title. HC110.H53.B43 2013 338’.0640973—dc23 2013007117

To the 49,266,000 schoolchildren in America’s public schools and their futures.

CIOs SPEAK

Most books have forewords authored by one individual who often explains his, or her, passion for the topic covered by the book. For this book I decided to go a different route and invited 16 chief information officers to share their opinions about the importance of the skills gap challenge facing our nation. Their statements follow.

• • •

“Unless we build a stronger curriculum in science, technology, and math and raise our expectations for K–12 education, we will foster a generation of tech-savvy users with few skills to build or innovate technology. The results will be detrimental to our country and our potential ability to compete in the global digital economy.”

Adriana Karaboutis, Vice President and Global CIO, Dell Inc.

“Success in IT requires a mastery of the fundamentals underpinned by strong ‘C’ skills: critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. Our best people apply critical thinking to determine how emerging technologies can be harnessed to deliver value for clients, ever mindful of changing marketplace and business requirements.”

Frank B. Modruson, CIO, Accenture

“America has a rich tradition of making things. The increasing technical sophistication of the world, combined with historically low numbers of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduates, at best fails to honor that history. And at worst it threatens to severely limit America’s future.”

Ralph Loura, CIO, Clorox Company

“In the past few years I have hired many deeply technical people. The vast majority of résumés for my most technical jobs come from graduates of colleges in India and China. It is clear to me that we are not preparing American students with the skills that high-tech employers deem necessary.”

John Halamka, CIO, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Professor, Harvard Medical School

“When I talk to high school and college students, I find that the connection of the skills learned in math and science to the skills used in work and life is missing. Educators need to make this connection. How does a lab in science relate to work and life? How does calculus relate? The lack of these connections is a serious gap in our education system.”

Nancy Newkirk, CIO, International Data Group

“Information technology plays a pervasive and critical role in driving business capabilities and enabling corporate strategies. In order for American industry to sustain its renowned capacity to innovate, it must have a workforce equipped to develop and apply future generations of advanced information technologies.”

James Nanton, Senior VP and CIO, Hanesbrands Inc.

“The American educational system has lost touch with the reality of providing people with the practical skills and competencies required for young professionals to add meaningful value to our corporations. America needs to rethink how we prepare young people to have meaningful careers that are both financially and intellectually rewarding.”

Larry Bonfante, CIO, U.S. Tennis Association

“One of the most difficult roles I have as a chief information officer is finding and recruiting talent. In a growing business, with average turnover rates, I run at a constant talent deficit because I cannot find people with the skills I need to fill the job openings I have. If the American education system cannot produce a workforce with the appropriate skills, then these jobs will be filled by global providers. The need to focus on creating career-ready individuals is not an educational imperative. It is an economic imperative.”

Gary King, Executive VP and CIO, Chico’s Inc.

“The K–12 years are critical foundational years that ‘plant the seed’ for a desire to learn, to teach vital study and research habits, to develop skill sets, and to discover areas of interest and proclivity. These are pivotal years that work to shape the whole person. The K–12 educational phase is also the ideal period to generate interest in and a desire and passion for technology. Sadly, more and more of our underserved demographic groups are participating as consumers of technology rather than as developers or innovators of such.”

Gina C. Tomlinson, CTO, City and County of San Francisco

“I became astutely aware that America had a problem communicating and getting children interested in technology based on an experience I had with my middle school–age daughter, who told me one day, ‘Dad, I am terrible in technology.’ The first thing I told her, partly kidding, was not to say that in public too loudly, because that would not look good for Dad, since his job is heading a technology group! But it illustrated a problem our country has: most children are not being exposed to the possibilities of technology; to how the field could be interesting, challenging, and a great job opportunity for them; and to the fact that they should not have any fears about being able to utilize technology in many ways, since they already use it far more than they comprehend.”

Michael Gabriel, Executive VP and CIO, Home Box Office

“The historical position of the United States as a global technology innovator has brought us prosperity and growth. These effects will dry up quickly, however, if our country does not produce a steady supply of thinking leaders who are able to compete in the global technology marketplace. As our world shifts more and more from atoms to bits as the currency of economic growth, America will be left behind if we are not able to compete as global innovators. As a result, we will soon find ourselves handing our global economic leadership over to a new set of leaders and, along with it, our ability to determine our own future and control our own destiny. The United States must make profound, wholesale changes to our education system in a way that emphasizes science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and encourages and motivates students to excel in these critical areas. If we fail to do so, we will lose our global competitiveness.”

Steve Mills, CIO, Rackspace Hosting Inc.

“‘Survival of the fittest’ has shaped the evolution of our species for hundreds, thousands, even millions of years. In the twenty-first-century business context, the fittest are those with the ability to think critically, solve problems, innovate, and collaborate effectively with one another. If we fail to equip our children with these skills through significant enhancements to our education systems, how will they ever survive?”

Bill Schlough, Senior VP and CIO, San Francisco Giants

“I highly encourage and support the preservation of a technologically strong America through education. An influx of human talent into the science, technology, engineering, and math fields is necessary to accelerate the innovation that will ultimately change companies, people, and society for the better.”

Thaddeus Arroyo, CIO, AT&T

“The shortage of qualified resources in the technology and engineering sector has weakened the job market and the talent pool of the American workforce. As a CIO, I have a much tougher time finding qualified candidates today compared to 20 years ago. This shortage of qualified staff is forcing businesses to outsource more work to developing markets.”

Atti Riazi, CIO, New York City Housing Authority

“The United States has a storied history of invention and innovation that fueled its twentieth-century journey to become a global economic and military power. Working at a federal government research and development center for 35 years, I have become more sensitive to the importance of technical innovation, particularly information technology, to the security of our country. But today we find ourselves losing ground to competing countries in science, technology, engineering, and math education, and with it our technology leadership. These are trends we must reverse. It is truly a matter of national security.”

Gerald R. Johnson, former CIO, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

“Not that long ago, America’s system of education was considered the world’s incubator of innovation, but sadly we have lost our dominance in this area. Fortunately for America, we can correct our course, but it will require cooperation from parents, faculty, industry, government, and students. If we fail to do so, the American Dream will regrettably remain a Dream Deferred.”

Tony Coba, Senior VP and CIO, Miami Heat

PREFACE

These educational gaps impose on the United States the economic equivalent of a permanent national recession.

—MCKINSEY & COMPANY1

In a country that spends $583 billion each year on public education, the taxpayer deserves a better return on investment.2 For nearly two decades, America’s fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade students have performed poorly in math and science compared to their peers in other countries. Over a slightly longer time frame, as our country’s education policy shifted to accountability under President George H. W. Bush, the results in domestic math and science assessment tests have been worse: SAT scores for math have stagnated since the 1980s, and verbal scores are now the worst on record for the SAT.

I have no “street cred” as an educator, although I did teach theology to high school freshmen in my first job out of college in 1972. But 30 years of conversations with information technology (IT) executives does afford me a small soapbox to step up on and broadcast loud and clear an escalating point of pain they shared with me: America’s schools are not producing individuals with the strong quantitative and communicative skills necessary to compete in the twenty-first-century global economy.

The skills landscape has changed significantly in America over the past 173 years. In 1840, 79 percent of the American labor force worked in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors.3 Only 21 percent were employed in service jobs. By 2010, the composition did a near-complete reversal, with 88 percent of American jobs in services and 12 percent in agriculture and manufacturing.4 Critics of the American school system claim that what, and how, we teach schoolchildren is largely based on the 1840 percentages. And a 2012 McKinsey and Company report flatly states that “a skills shortage is a leading reason for entry level vacancies that cause significant problems [for American firms] in terms of cost, quality, time, . . . or worse.” The Computing Technology Industry Association reported in 2012 that a whopping 93 percent of employers indicated that there is an overall skills gap.