The Global Spread of Higher Ed. American universities have set a precedent for the world. But as advanced education in other countries becomes more common, the U.S. is losing its edge

The American economy has long relied on a well-educated workforce to fuel innovation, the lifeblood of any modern economy. That’s why the headline "The Advanced Economies Losing Lead in Education" from the Conference Board’s recent report was so disturbing. The business think tank recently noted that emerging nations might achieve 100% literacy in another three decades.
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Meanwhile, America’s edge in education is eroding by many measures, including school test scores and high-school dropout rates. Even more worrying is that both the federal government and state legislatures have been reducing their support of colleges and universities, the crown jewels of America’s human-capital economy. This is a mistake in an increasingly competitive global economy (see BW, 11/21/05, "America the Uneducated") http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_47/b3960108.htm .

By Chris Farrell

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