LERN’s lead researcher Julie Coates has announced the solution to America’s #1 Problem, premiering a new eBook at Pratt Institute in New York City this month.
America’s #1 problem today is a skilled worker shortage. By “skilled,” we mean college educated knowledge workers. Georgetown University’s Anthony Carnevale, our nation’s leading training and workforce expert, says the shortage is estimated to be 14 million skilled workers in 2017.
What we need, above all, is more college educated people. In 2014 the United States was at only 28.5% of its citizens with a four year degree.
Anyone getting a college education is good. But what is critical is getting the 50% of our smartest young people to have a college education. As a society, we need our smartest people to get a college education. They are the ones who are most likely to be job creators, business people, leaders in business and in society.
And right now we don’t have our smartest half of young people in college. We are missing 2 million smart boys in college every year. A “smart” boy is one who tests at or above the level of students who are in college. Every young woman who wants to go to college should go to college. In no way should we have fewer female college graduates. We don’t need, and we don’t want, to limit any young person from going to college.
Our business leaders, government leaders and a growing percentage of society understand we need to increase the number of four year college graduates. The solution to America’s #1 problem is to admit, retain and graduate millions more smart boys, specifically smart boys with bad grades.
The new eBook, “Smart Boys, Bad Grades: Gender Inequality and STEM in Education,” is now available for just $4.95 on our website for the book at http://www.ParentsofBoys.org
