Comments on: Can the U.S. still compete?

OK, so winning isn't everything. But 17th place? News.com's Charles Cooper looks at America's poor showing in an international coding contest.

[Christopher Hall]

"Little good?" You're too kind.

In all reality, no good will come of it. Superpowers aren't mediocre, superpowers are exceptional. Mediocrity doesn't cut it.

I'm a product of the public school systems and I was always surprised by the utter lack of focus on the sciences and the mathetmatics. Sure, it's all there, but the current stance seems to be that breezing 9th graders through calculus is an indicator of an efficient system. Nothing could be farther from the truth. For most children, taking technical classes at that pace only leads to gaps in the understanding further down the line.

The education systems is in desperate need of an overhaul across the board, but I think that's only a small part of the problem. I believe part of the situation we're in is attributable to the burst of the dot-com bubble. As a country and from an e-commerce standpoint, we're still a bit burned by the whole ordeal. In the late 90's, we saturated the country with all sorts of computer scientists. Now it's gotten to the point that being a computer scientist makes it very difficult to nail down a steady job, what with turnover what it is these days.

It will take some time before we fully recover from this, but this competition may be the fuel we need to give ourselves a shot in the arm.

[googey10]

A few quick thoughts from Europe

There is a tremendous difference in school systems that the US will not overcome easily.
Most countries allow parents to choose both the elementary and whatever form of middle and high school they prefer for their children - also the location of such a school.
And in most countries, particularly those with the best results, most schools and universities are free.
In Europe (except UK, the 51st state), private schools tend to be worse than state (public) schools.
In Russia, China, Poland it is hard to get inscribed in a good university, due to entry exams, although tuition is free.
Austria is another fine example of a school system gone wrong. Austrian school system is world's most expensive (per head), but still according to PISA studies not a very good one (place 12, I believe).
Another German and Austrian example ? a lot of companies fight hard to get engineers, architects and other skilled personnel from the so called Central ? Eastern Europe, and pay them as much or more than they would pay locals with the same degree ? it?s not a matter of money at all there.
Finland has the world's best general education according to PISA studies, although they spend about one third of what Austrian government does.
Another German and Austrian example ? a lot of companies fight hard to get engineers, architects and other skilled personnel from the so called Central ? Eastern Europe, and pay them as much or more than they would pay locals with the same degree ? it?s not a matter of money at all there. They need people they don?t have to teach how to do their jobs.
Forcing all kids whose parents lack the cash for something better to attend the nearest school might sound like a nice democratic idea, but it definitely reduces everything to the lowest common denominator.
Similar to the US TV that was always targeting the 80% uneducated couch potatoes, very egalitarian but again reducing it to the lowest common denominator.
This obviously has an effect to the 10% intelligent humans, who eventually resign and accept the general stupidity level and lose their wishes for something better.
Promoting the idea that the only success is financial, and well-educated intelligent people not earning much are 'losers' doesn't help much either.
In some places in this world such 'losers' are highly respected.
The American general knowledge level has been something to laugh about in civilised countries for many years.
Specialisation is very important, but it should not precede general knowledge.
Just a few quick thoughts, as I said.

[furl12]

What made the US great

What made the US great was never a superior educational system. It was its belief in itself as a unified society. That?s what the current crop of robber barons has destroyed.
***
As a ?resident alien? in the US, I have a mixed opinion on American education. The differences between schooling in the US, EU and other regions are far more profound than whose 14-year olds know the capital of Bangladesh off the tops of their heads ? or whose know the syntax of Java most completely without looking it up.

European education ? as well as that of Russia and India ? is biased in favor of academics. US education was always intended to produce good citizens who could thrive in a capitalist economy. You don?t have to be Albert Einstein to do that: you have to be Jack Welsh. One system produces Alan Turing: the other Bill Gates.

Bill Gates has never won a programming awar, but he has been able to harness all those little nerds ? from around the world ? to create something that does not exist in Europe or Russia or anywhere at all in Africa or South America or Asia.

The problem with the US right now is that it is back to having something that strongly resembles the old Russian model of huge cooperatives (corporations) which harbor an immensely powerful and untouchable cadre of bureaucrats.

From this elite it?s a long way down to the serfs in the cubicles. Serfs need a minimum of a 4-year degree (or preferably graduate degree) just to use the tools they are handed in a highly productive fashion. They don?t need to be creative or innovative. They certainly don?t need to memorize all the least-used syntactical absurdities of Java. That?s the kind of work that can be done by the lowest paid literates in the world.

Bill Gates would not have succeeded if he had been born 20 years later. Jack Welsh?s ignominious end from his glorious beginnings echoes the real problems of the US. It has indeed absorbed much of the talent from the world ?- but also its most corrupt elements. There?s no word for ?cheat? in India ? the concept that anyone has a moral obligation to anyone else in society is entirely alien to them ? and now there isn?t in the US either.
***

[Jane in KC]

Alarming? Yes

That the USA could rank so low in such an important measure is indeed unsettling.

There are many things that have contributed to this result, not the least important of which is the state of our schools. However, I submit that the truly alarming thing is the uncaring attitude prevailing among so many of our citizens. This is seen not only in the schools, but in the workplace and in other areas of life.

This carelessness and thoughtlessness is manifest in so many aspects of life now. No, not everyone is that way - but on the other hand, it is not uncommon, either. It is one of the results of the doctrine of "acceptance": Anything is as good as anything else. Whatever a person does or produces is fine because it is an expression of that individual.

Surely we must strive to be kind and loving to each individual, but somehow that has translated into a requirement to accept everything without regard to any standard of excellence. I don't think a lot of people even have a standard of excellence, let alone refer to it.

What is to be done? It may take something cataclysmic to change us. I hope not.