Hours before President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, the National Assessment of Educational Progress published an assessment of science proficiency among the country’s fourth-, eighth- and twelfth-graders. The results were disconcerting: Only 34 percent of the fourth-graders, 30 percent of the eighth-graders and 21 percent of the 12th-graders studied qualified as proficient. This might be the “Sputnik moment” the president described in his speech that night.
Obama’s address acknowledged the state of education in the country along with other issues. The president charted a bipartisan approach, which managed to be reassuring. He said we have gone through some trying times, but we can overcome them through innovation and investments in research.
This message resonated with both sides of the aisle. Disagreements arise because each party wants to foster economic growth. Republicans believe innovation leads to job growth when the government is not “in the way.” The president and Democrats believe innovation leads to job growth when the government aids in creating a favorable environment by investing in research and development.
President Obama pointed out that technological advances such as computer chips and GPS came about thanks to government spending on research and development. Republicans want to slash funding, especially in the area of research, which would be detrimental to economic growth because about 57 percent of funding for basic research ultimately comes from the federal government, according to the National Science Foundation. More importantly, a 2002 study published by the American Economic Review attributed increases in the level of government funded research accounted for close to 50 percent of the US economic growth from 1950 to 1993.
It’s obvious the president was correct when he said cutting investments in research would be like lightening an overloaded plane by removing its engine.
Another talking point in the president’s plan to win the future is by focusing on education with his “Race to the Top” plan. His plan calls for a comprehensive approach to the educational system. It starts with parents becoming more proactive in their children’s lives, preparing better teachers and giving tuition tax credit to make college affordable. The Republicans should be pleased with the president’s plan. His line regarding preparing better teachers alludes to merit-based salaries for them, a Republican talking point which puts him at odds with teacher unions. For the progressives in the party, he made a pitch for the Dream Act.
President Obama’s last goal is to rebuild our country’s deteriorating infrastructure. It’s a threat to our economic growth and makes us vulnerable to terrorist attacks. In 2005, America’s civil engineers rated the nation’s infrastructure as a D. Although a third of the stimulus package went to infrastructural projects, a solution is needed that connects us virtually as well as physically by adding high speed rail and updating our electrical grid. These proposals are ridiculed by Republicans as unnecessary when they are exactly the investments that established China as a global power and gave it an edge over India. By the end of the year, the Chinese will spend about 9 percent of their GDP on infrastructure while the United States will spend about 5 percent. This cannot continue if our country is to keep its edge.
To counter critics, the President acknowledged that these investments must be countered by reforming our tax code, increasing exports, reviewing business regulation and adding medical malpractice reform to healthcare reform. Americans are receptive to winning the future, according to a Gallup poll that shows we prefer President Obama as the policy leader rather than the Republicans in Congress.
Chad Mohammed is a second-year chemical engineering major. His column appears every Thursday.
