It's time for EDPros to focus on educational performance
Wednesday, January 15, 2003
We live in a world in wjhich brainpower drives economic development. So, as EDPros, we're going to have to get comfortable with improving educational performance. A recent report by UNICEF paints one part of the big picture.
The percentage of 15-year- olds who couldn't handle basic reading tasks varied from about 6 percent in South Korea to more than 26 percent in Portugal. For the United States, the proportion of 15-year-olds not achieving basic reading literacy was 18 percent, according to the report.
In math, the United States fared even worse. Almost 40 percent of American 8th graders were unable to use basic math knowledge in "straightforward situations," the report says, compared with fewer than 12 percent in South Korea and Japan, and 23 percent in Canada.
Download a copy of the report. Go
posted by Ed Morrison |
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Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
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Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
It's time for EDPros to focus on educational performance
