Panel
The International Quest for Effective Education Reform
Milken InstituteMichael Bennet, Eugene Kandel, Anthony Miller, Dilip Thakore, Dinghua Wang, Lowell Milken
- A 25-point increase in U.S. student PISA performance by the end of the lifetime of the 2010 cohort could increase the U.S. economy by $40 trillion over 20 years, while a similar global OECD increase could add $115 trillion to the global economy.
- Current progress indicates the U.S. will fall short of 2014 proficiency goals in general education and specifically in reading, and if trends continue, 91% of poor children will remain marginalized with income inequality growing further.
- Predictions suggest 50% of teachers will leave the profession within five years, and without dramatic changes, student outcomes will not improve despite technological potential for differentiated instruction.
- In India, 53% of children are expected to drop out before high school, 400,000 private budget schools may be shut down by March 31st due to the Right to Education Act, and the government may abstain from PISA tests for the next decade.
- The Indian private sector, currently educating 70% to 75% of children with an additional 30 to 40 million in unrecognized schools, anticipates new legislation requiring school upgrades and providing loans to entrepreneurs.
- China's strategic plan toward 2020 includes revising the national curriculum every 10 years, holding officials accountable for performance with promotions or job loss, and having advanced regions assist disadvantaged areas in K-12 development.
- Israel expects teacher salaries to rise by approximately 40%, while the immigration wave from the 1990s will lead to retirements without a replacement influx of one million people in the near future.
- Future education in Israel and globally aims to prepare students for 50 years of multiple careers by shifting curricula from facts to versatility and adaptivity skills.
- U.S. private sector opportunities in the next five years are projected to focus on tools complementing the workforce, given that 70% plus of K-12 costs will remain labor-based, without privatizing public education.
- Significant reforms in the U.S. are expected to prioritize continuous improvement over annual system changes, requiring business community engagement and the application of private sector HR skills to retain educators.
- Demographic extrapolations warn that if current academic trajectories persist, the U.S. will face negative societal outcomes in 20 to 30 years.