HellaDumb

iTrader: (3)

I have a new favorite person I wish my CEO gave a shoot.

Bill Gates pushes for better schools By NANCY ZUCKERBROD, AP Education Writer
36 minutes ago

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates told Congress on Wednesday that overhauls of the nation's schools and immigration laws are urgently needed to keep jobs from going overseas. "The U.S. cannot maintain its economic leadership unless our work force consists of people who have the knowledge and skills needed to drive innovation," Gates told the Senate committee that oversees labor and education issues.

Gates, whose charitable foundation has given away more than $3 billion since 1999 for educational programs and scholarships, noted that about 30 percent of U.S. ninth-graders fail to graduate on time. "As a nation, we should start with this goal: Every child in the United States graduating from high school," he said.

Gates also challenged lawmakers to push for higher educational standards and to make more challenging coursework available to students.

A federal study released last month showed about a third of high schoolers fail to take a standard-level curriculum, which is defined as including at least four credits of English and three credits each of social studies, math and science.

Gates also called on lawmakers to give more resources and attention to improving the teaching of math and science — knowledge essential to many of today's jobs. Another recent federal study found 40 percent of high school seniors failed to perform at the basic level on a national math test. On a national science test, half of 12th-graders didn't show basic skills.

"We simply cannot sustain an economy based on innovation unless our citizens are educated in math, science and engineering," Gates said.

Legislation moving through the Senate, backed by Democratic and Republican leaders, seeks to get more people to become math and science teachers and would improve training for them. The bill also seeks to get more highly trained teachers in poor schools and would offer grants to states to better align their teaching with what kids should know to succeed at a job or in college.

Gates said the nation's economy depends on keeping the country's borders open to highly skilled workers, especially those with a science or engineering background. Federal law provides 65,000 H1-B visas for scientists, engineers, computer programmers and other professionals every budget year. High-tech and other employers say that's not enough.

"Even though it may not be realistic, I don't think there should be any limit," Gates said, adding that Microsoft hasn't been able to fill approximately 3,000 technical jobs in the United States because of a shortage of skilled workers.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, said the issue would be addressed when Congress takes up broad immigration reform legislation this session. President Bush has expressed support for raising the visa cap.

Gates — who is No. 1 on Forbes magazine's list of richest Americans — also told the committee in response to a question that he opposes repeal of the federal estate tax. Current law will phase out the tax by 2010, but without further action by Congress it will be restored at a 55 percent rate in 2011.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070307/...ess_bill_gates
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On the Net:

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions:

http://help.senate.gov/

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation:

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/default.htm

Salty

iTrader: (14)

A valid point.

VRT Gump

iTrader: (4)

what is sad is that a high schooler on average can name the top 50 songs out currently, but not the last 5 presidents.
its not cool to do good in school so they dont.

The US is in trouble and Bill Gates is right. I hope they get the point before its to late.

chimchimm5

iTrader: (9)

Digging deeper, I think there is a greater problem too.

My younger in-laws and their friends (who are just out of college) are reluctant to get full engineering degrees because... "it's too hard". They simply don't want to work at it. They are smart, they are educated, they are good at math and science and other subjects.

I have a theory.

The EDUCATED American society has become so pragmatic, that everyone realizes that it's the bottom line that matters. That is, the bottom line for their own personal life. If they can make the same or more $$ doing something more fun for less work, they will do that instead. That leaves only the science/math/engineering purists to go for that line of work; and of course the conservative (often the educated immigrants) who see tech as the best viable profession that can bring in income.

I'm an engineer myself and I realize I'm really just an intellectual laborer. The sales dudes are making commissions off of my work and drinking martini's. How do I know? I went with them on several trips as a field engineer. Problem is, I'm a purist.

HellaDumb

iTrader: (3)

Hey, so just how technical are the sales guys? Martinis don't sound that bad to me, and I'm already a non-techie in a techie profession .

VRT Gump

iTrader: (4)

to many people are looking for the easy money.

I can not stand that a teacher makes 30-50K a year while an athlete can make 20million a year. I know its who brings in the money, but as a 7 year old do you practice free throws or read books and study?
I know what I would do

lethalpsi

...

spedmunki

bill gates for president!

Kevin M

iTrader: (12)

This is what I was talking about in the other thread HD. Americans are the problem with America; our government cannot fix what is wrong in the educational and technical sectors.

This country just doesn't seem to play its best game until we're two scores down with 3 minutes to go. We just don't play well with a lead... and it's slipping away.

FW Motorsports