The Right Stuff
Constant change and a flat, global competitive market landscape were described by Thomas Friedman, author of The World is Flat, as triple convergence and was a result of the ten flatteners. Friedman also stated that in “Globalization 1.0, countries had to think globally. In Globalization 2.0, companies had to think globally to thrive, or at least survive. In Globalization 3.0, individuals have to think globally to thrive, or at least survive.” (Friedman, 2007) The concept of needing individuals to think globally and thrive in the market led Friedman to travel and report on various educational cultures across the world. Friedman was determined to find “the right stuff” to make the youth in future generations competitive globally.
Friedman interviewed Alan Blinder, a Princeton economist who suggested the United States needs a “transformation in education to produce workers for jobs that will exist in our future society.” (Friedman, 2007) The Princeton economist also states that there is a requirement in the future that the work force needs to be flexible and capable of dealing with non-routine change. (Friedman, 2007) Friedman learned from Alan Blinder that the parents, educators and mentors of today and tomorrow need to focus on the importance “how we educate our children versus focusing merely on the volume of education.” (Friedman, 2007) Based on Friedman’s travel across international borders and his ability to interview Blinder, students, and other professionals in our diverse world, Friedman developed five skill sets or attitudes toward learning that will assist in synergizing our young generation for the future. These five skill sets are called “the right stuff.” (Friedman, 2007) Friedman sugg...
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...Duke does not mention the necessity for liberal arts education in addition to science and math to enhance the creative mind and global competitiveness. Duke University however does agree with Friedman that the United States’ engineers and scientists are under-paid and under-valued which creates a lack of excitement or drive for students to graduate in the sciences. Duke University and Friedman agree that increased excitement, increased education strategies, funding along with ambition can create the American dream and increase individual and global competitiveness. (Wadhwa, 2007)
Works Cited
Friedman, T. (2007). The World is flat. New York, NY: Picador.
Wadwha, Vivek. (2007). Seeing Through Preconceptions: A Deeper Look at China and India. Issues in science and technology online. Retrieved (2010, March 11) from http://www.issues.org/23.3/wadhwa.html
America has not changed it’s educational system in over two hundred years. For this reason, our students and population are falling further and further behind. Our society has done nothing but move forward, so why hasn’t our learning? Everybody has a story, opinion, or response to education. We need to invest in refining our tools to succeed, to create a better sense of self, and a stronger, more well-rounded nation. The American educational system is hurting students by passing them without merit and relying on standardized tests; however, many are now running back to these hollowed halls to ensure better futures.
Both authors want what is best for society overall, which in their views are individuals that are “socially well-adjusted and educated citizens who are industrious…[and] benefit society” (Ray par. 1) by creating a stronger work force. This issue is not only important for each student’s future, but over time it has become a focus of parents as they try to ensure the absolute best education for their child. As Cox found, “an increasing number of parents are recognizing the battle that is waged for their children’s hearts and minds” (Cox p. 34) and it is important that their children are equipped with the best hearts and minds so they can effectively function in society. Both of the authors for these articles acquired advanced education which may explain their bias toward the importance of education. However, evidence shows that education is one of the factors responsible for the success of a nation. Workers, who after graduation are able to “enter the working world equipped with the same basic education,” have a step up from those who were not able to fulfill those educational standards. While society says that it values education, it is apparent that actions are not being seriously taken by the educated population to effectively keep public education as a focus in policy holder’s hands.
As Americans we have to start to comprehend that the world around us is changing technologically, politically, and economically. In “The Last Superpower” an excerpt from the book The Post American World by Fareed Zakaria published in 2008. Zakaria emphasizes on these changes. Thomas Friedman the author of “The World is Flat” a piece from the book The World is Flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century published in 2005 also emphasizes on the same changes currently happening in the world. Zakaria and Friedman define these changes as globalization. The obvious common ground shared by both authors is their representation of globalization and the effects that it has and will continue to have on modern life. In contrast to sharing the same main topic both authors take a drastically different approach on how the relay their information to the audience. The differences displayed are mainly due to their personal and educational backgrounds, definitions of globalization as well as the individual writing styles of each author.
Friedman uses a quote from Robert Samuelson asking “Why have we spent so much money on school reforms in America and have so little to show for it in terms of scalable solutions that produce better student test scores?” and then Samuelson goes on to answering it by saying “The larger cause of failure is almost unmentionable: shrunken student motivation….”
The three Globalizations contrast in many ways. Globalization 1.0, lasting from 1492 to about 1800, was about countries and muscles. Its force driving the process of global flattening was the amount of "muscle" your country had. The key agent of change in Globalization 2.0, which lasted from 1800 to 2000, was the power of multinational companies, which went global for markets and labor. Globalization 3.0, beginning in 2000 flattened the playing field even more. The dynamic force was the power by which individuals could collaborate and compete globally. They could do so digitally with the convergence of the personal computer with fiber-optic cable. Globalization 3.0 differs from the previous two not only in how the world is flattening, but also in the types of people involved. In Globalization 1.0 and 2.0 it was mostly American and European businesses who...
The world is ever changing and has been that way even before humans dominated Earth. However, what we are interested in for this topic is in the last few decades where globalization has had an impact in the early 21st century, making the world "flat". The phrase that the world has become flat is a metaphor for viewing the world level in terms of commerce and competition, meaning a level playing field where everyone has an equal opportunity. However, opinions are divided on how much globalization has actually impacted the world as a whole. Critics argue that Friedman’s term "flat" is grossly exaggerated as his view is from an American perspective. This paper investigates major arguments for both sides.
College preparation is not the only area in which schools are failing students. According to Achieve, Inc. (2005), 39% of high school graduates in the workforce say that they have deficiencies. When asked about being prepared for future jobs, forty-six percent say that they are deficient in the skills needed. These shortcomings in the education system will escalate when in the next 10 years, 80% of job openings will require education or training past the high school level (Achieve, 2010). One third of jobs will require a bachelor’s degree. Lower educational attainment is a national problem. Competing countries now boast more workers with associates degree...
The costs and benefits of an excellent education for all of America’s children. Teachers College, Columbia University Levin, Henry, Clive Belfield, Peter Muennig, and Cecilia Rouse. 2007.
The Untouchable by Thomas L. Friedman speaks about the world being flat, which is “the stunning rise of middle classes all over the world (pg. 323).” He explains how the American society is becoming global. This globalization that is occurring in today’s society is leading children in America to have a competing mindset against cultures such as the Chinese. We have to begin to think wise and know what route we have to take in life in order to flourish or survive. There will plenty of jobs out there; however, they will only be open to those people with the right knowledge, self motivation, ideas and skill.
Brad Henry, a former governor of Oklahoma, strongly stated that, “No other investment yields as great a return as the investment in education. An educated workforce is the foundation of every community and the future of every economy.” In today’s increasingly globalized society, there are more concerns about what jobs will be available for future generations and if economies will remain stable. There is a large consensus by experts and citizens of states that some solution must be made to ensure the stability and prosperity of future generations. In Thomas Friedman’s book, The World is Flat, Friedman suggests that for America to compete in a globalized world, there are certain gaps that need to be closed.
Attending public schools as a child, I remember learning the basic skills on how to add and subtract, read, and write. These basic skills are necessary in order to function in our society and work force in the United States. As we all know each child learns differently, some learn faster than others and some slower than others. Our public schools have become overcrowded and we do not have enough teachers to fit the needs of each student. Some students get left behind and are not learning the skills needed to move on to the next level. What these students are not learning they can learn in higher education such as a college or university. In this report, I would like to express the importance of a higher education. I will use the works of John Henry Newman, Jon Spayde and Mike Rose, all three writers believe in having an educated society. Our students’ needs are changing, there are a growing number of immigrants with children coming to the United States from all over the world. They bring with them the language and culture of their country. The age in which they arrive to the United States determines how well they learn English and what skills they will need to acquire to become productive in our society. The task of teaching our children the basic skills is becoming harder and harder each day, making it harder for our education system to achieve their goals. There are a high number of students graduating from high school who does not have the skills needed to meet the needs of the work force in our society. A higher level of learning is needed to make our society literate.
There are many important things children gain while growing up; the most important thing children gain growing up is their education. The educational skills children learn in school teach them the skills they need to perform outside of the classroom and in the workforce. With education being one of the most important gains in the lives of children, it has come to light how in recent years the United States has fallen further and further behind its peers in international rankings. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2009 educational scores, the United States ranks “33” (1), which is lower than the 2002 ranking of “18” (CNN). With such a decrease in the United States ranking, parents wonder why American students are falling behind.
The book, The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman draws attention to some very good points concerning globalization and the world economy today. Friedman emphasizes the status of America today in relation to the other countries of the world. As I looked at the things in which he warned about or highlighted, I realized the importance of this issue. He talks about a few aspects in which need to be kept competitive in order for America to retain their current standing in the world market.
Globalization remains a pivotal topic in many schools of thought, and continues being a topic of controversy even in local economies today. Perhaps the reason for this is integration and competitiveness the world over. Conceivably, even more than integration, is the competitiveness of organizations, has possibly facilitating the fascination and misconception about of globalization. Nevertheless, globalization has brought about a number of effects influencing the design and geographical location of the organization. However, globalization has effectively placed the world in a bubble, or maybe one could equate the changes to being placed in an envelope.
The world grows smaller and smaller as time goes on; maybe not literally, but definitely through some points of view. With everything and everyone being more connected than ever now thanks to advances in communicational technology and with the merging of cultures from all over the world, a suitable form of education needs to become the standard to accommodate such a world. Global education teaches students about the world’s different cultures, traditions, religions, languages and other important global factors contributing to our modern world. According to various recent studies, The U.S. falls behind many other nations regarding their global education standards (Webb). How then, can the U.S. or any other nation with similar education struggles