Nation’s education problems could boost national security risks

U.S. students’ mediocre to poor rankings on international tests may play a larger role in the nation’s overall future than one might think, according to a new report. An independent task force summoned by the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations drafted a report on U.S. Education Reform and National Security, which warned of the potential threats the nation could face if the problems surrounding K-12 education are not addressed.

“Human capital will determine power in the current century, and the failure to produce that capital will undermine America’s security,” the report reads. “Large, undereducated swaths of the population damage the ability of the United States to physically defend itself, protect its secure information, conduct diplomacy and grow its economy.”

The task force, which is headed by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former head of New York City Public Schools Joel Klein, pointed to several problematic statistics in the U.S. education system — like the fact that more than 25 percent of high school students fail to graduate in four years and only 43 percent of college-bound seniors are academically prepared for college — to illustrate the shortcomings and lack of preparedness future generations of Americans seem to face. The task force found that the educational achievement problems facing America could lead to five specific threats to national security, according to the report’s overview: economic growth and competitiveness, physical safety, intellectual property, U.S. global awareness, and U.S. unity and cohesion. The task force says too few U.S. students are adequately prepared for the high-skilled jobs that the global economy demands. When it comes to the military, the task force says too many of the nation’s young people either have criminal records, are too out of shape or fail to have enough education to qualify to enlist.

The task force pulled together three major recommendations that it believes “can reshape education in the United States and put this country on track to be an educational, economic, military, and diplomatic global leader.” In order to ensure that U.S. education lines up with the nation’s national security needs, the task force advises that leaders:

1. Implement educational expectations and assessments in subjects vital to protecting national security.
"With the support of the federal government and industry partners, states should expand the Common Core State Standards, ensuring that students are mastering the skills and knowledge necessary to safeguard the country’s national security.”

2. Make structural changes to provide students with good choices.
“Enhanced choice and competition, in an environment of equitable resource allocation, will fuel the innovation necessary to transform results.”

3. Launch a “national security readiness audit” to hold schools and policymakers accountable for results and to raise public awareness.
“There should be a coordinated, national effort to assess whether students are learning the skills and knowledge necessary to safeguard America’s future security and prosperity. The results should be publicized to engage the American people in addressing problems and building on successes.”