A cross post from AAACE-NLA list by David Rosen:

A new report from ETS's Policy Information Center, _America's Perfect  
Storm: Three Forces Changing Our Nation's Future_ by Irwin Kirsch,  
Henry Braun, and
Kentaro Yamamoto of ETS, and Andrew Sum of Northeastern University,  
"looks at the convergence of three powerful sociological and  
economical forces that are changing our nation's future:
    * substantial disparities in skill levels (reading and math)
    * seismic economic changes (widening wage gaps)
    * sweeping demographic shifts (less education, lower skills)"




>From the Report:


"If we continue on our current course, however, it is
likely that our nation will gradually lose ground in
relation to other countries, becoming more divided
both socially and economically in the process....
If we are unable to substantially close the existing
skill gaps among racial/ethnic groups and substantially
boost the literacy levels of the population as a whole,
demographic forces will result in a U.S. population in
2030 with tens of millions of adults unable to meet the
requirements of the new economy. Moreover, a sub-
stantial proportion of those adults will be members of
disadvantaged minority groups who will likelycon-
sider themselves outside the economic mainstream.
Clearly, this is not the preferable direction for the
nation to be moving."

"...there is a growing need for all individuals to
become better educated and more skilled..Individuals
must have a broad set of literacy andnumeracy skills
to successfully manage the various aspects of their
lives:from planning their careers, to nurturing and
guiding their children, to navigating the.health-care
system, to taking more personal responsibility for their
financial future.

Why is the current distribution of educational attainment
and academic achievement so problematic. —quite apart
from the large and persistent racial/ethnic gaps? Early
dropouts, as well as many holders of high school diplomas
or GEDs, typically lack strong foundational skills and the
key noncognitive skills that would enable them to benefit
from learning and training experiences later on in life.
In fact, the lack of both cognitive and the so-called “soft.skills”
(e.g., persistence, teamwork skills, and communication skills)
makes it more difficult for them to obtain and retain
employment, especially for those jobs offering the
potential for advancement."

(America's Perfect Storm, Three Forces Changing Our
Nation's Economic Future Page 26, ETS http://tinyurl.com/2lyodb )

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net


David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net