China Becoming World’s STEM Leader While America Obsesses Over Diversity
“Far too few American public-school children are prepared for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).”
We are blowing America’s future by fussing over woke nonsense.
From Quillette:
As US Schools Prioritize Diversity Over Merit, China Is Becoming the World’s STEM Leader
All three of us are mathematicians who came to the United States as young immigrants, having been attracted by the unmatched quality and openness of American universities. We came, as many others before and after, with nothing more than a good education and a strong desire to succeed. As David Hilbert famously said, “Mathematics knows no races or geographic boundaries; for mathematics, the cultural world is one country.” Having built our careers in US academia, we are proud to call ourselves American mathematicians.
The United States has been dominant in the mathematical sciences since the mass exodus of European scientists in the 1930s. Because mathematics is the basis of science—as well as virtually all major technological advances, including scientific computing, climate modelling, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and robotics—US leadership in math has supplied our country with an enormous strategic advantage. But for various reasons, three of which we set out below, the United States is now at risk of losing that dominant position.
First, and most obvious, is the deplorable state of our K-12 math education system. Far too few American public-school children are prepared for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This leaves us increasingly dependent on a constant inflow of foreign talent, especially from mainland China, Taiwan, South Korea, and India. In a 2015 survey conducted by the Council of Graduate Schools and the Graduate Record Examinations Board, about 55 percent of all participating graduate students in mathematics, computer sciences, and engineering at US schools were found to be foreign nationals. In 2017, the National Foundation for American Policy estimated that international students accounted for 81 percent of full-time graduate students in electrical engineering at U.S. universities; and 79 percent of full-time graduate students in computer science.
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Comments
Years ago my wife and I went to one of those parent teacher conferences for one of the kids. The teacher showed us a folder of his work and commented that his math scores were excellent.
I glanced at the pages inside. 100%. 100%. 100% – right across the board. But I noticed one of the “correct answers was wrong. So I checked and found that they were all wrong. So I asked the teacher how he could get a 100% when all the answers were wrong. She laughed and said she tended to have the kids grade each other’s papers, since she disliked math, personally.
The problem is not new. Diversity is not the problem. It is only the tip of the iceberg.
A good thing she can hide behind a union.
I am not in the least bit surprised by this.
I’m old enough to remember when Russia orbited Sputnik in 1957. Washington shit pink and went ballistic, and instituted a national drive for “all STEM all the time.” Primed the pump for even more American exceptionalism and put us on the moon.
Now Chinese students go to US colleges to own the US in STEM, while American students major in Grievance Studies with a minor in Whining.
Senium et inclinationem imperii.
If those numbers are correct, perhaps American students cannot afford graduate school, but rich foreigners can. How many of those Chinese grad students are funded by the CCP? Instead of buying American goods, the CCP has been buying American universities and politicians for the past twenty years.
Odd though they still have to rely on stealing other countries technology to get ahead or catch up and everything they produce is crap whether its a 5 dollar toy or a 50 billion dollar bridge.