A recent article entitled, "U.S. lags most countries in literacy, math, and computer skills," submitted by Lyndsey Layton, a writer for the Washington Post, informs us that U.S. adults are below average when it comes to skills required for success.
"Policymakers and politicians who wring their hands about the mediocre performance of U.S. students on international math and reading tests have another worry: The nations grownups aren't doing much better," says Layton. The first study ever conducted on adults in the United States and other countries, such as Australia and Sweden, proved that the average American adult is below standard when tested on skills required to survive in the global economy. With an education system that strives for perfection, one would expect that the adults in the United States would have proficient skills in each focus of this study.
"...our education system hasn't done enough to help Americans compete...in a global economy that demands increasingly higher skills," says Arne Duncan, Education Secretary. Many of the adults in this study appear to be individuals who were overlooked and under served in our education system. The test takers showed a large gap in their scores between the white adults and the black and Hispanic adults, and this is a problem in the U.S. public education system.
Jack Buckley, Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, said, "...Americans are decidedly weaker in numeracy and problem-solving skills than in literacy..." The most educated test takers scored higher than average in literacy and lower than in math and digital skills. The test takers who either only completed high school or got their GED achieved very low basic scores; although, most had jobs or were working.
In essence, adults who have trouble in reading, math, solving problems, and using technology will have trouble finding financially stable employment. This problem effects the economical success of our country. What affect does a struggling U.S. economy have on the global economy? U.S. adults must be challenged so that their skills can be improved.
