America, A Nation At Risk In the 21st Century

America First or Last Movement – “The A Nation At Risk report made recommendations 29 years ago, that would have helped prevent the current education climate.”

It’s time for Action! No more free rides. America needs everyone to stand up and be counted. The America First or Last Movement has sounded the alarm, again. The first call to action was ignored in 1983, from President Ronald Reagan’s National Commission on Excellence in Education of experts from the fields of education and economics. This time the field of experts includes you.

President Reagan’s commission created a report called A Nation At Risk, that warned “the US once unchallenged preeminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovation is being overtaken by competitors throughout the world.” They also gave 5 key points on how to prevent it from happening.

Nevertheless, they’re recommendations for better educational content; setting higher standards and expectations for students; extending student learning; improve teaching techniques; and become more fiscal responsible both national and local. Went unanswered, but, over the last 16 years, New Jersey Minority Educational Development has stuck with those recommendations, and created the America First or Last Movement to carry out those objectives nationally.

Why Now?

Are you better off then you where last year? If not you need to join this movement, and if you are better off, you need to join the movement, because you’re next to feel the crunch. Here’s why.

The US current state of affairs is at a dangerous point. At no other time has the possibility of the US having a higher unemployment rate then employment rate exists … for its non-college educated workforce.

Globally, this workforce offers little appeal, because of higher wages and benefits. However, if you look at statistics, this is America’s fastest growing work force. And the results show:

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•       Today a quarter of US student’s drop-out or leave high school, only 46 % of students who graduate high school enrolled in college, and less than 45% of those students complete a two-year community college or four-year university.
•       The next decade of high school students, are today’s US 4^th grade to 8^th grade students that are being outperformed by 26 other nations.

Getting The Hard Answers

The America First or Last Movement has created an annual education poll to draw the contrast on why US students have been falling so far behind other nations, and the consequences we face as a nation if we continue to ignore it.  

This poll will also represent a sounding board to ask our national leaders how come this is happening, and keep the US people knowledgeable of were its happening. By coming back to address the A Nation At Risk recommendations made 29 years ago, that would have helped prevent the current education climate.

1.  Improve our educational content by attracting more investment in technology in high school classrooms.
2. Develop better understanding of college to career choices for elementary and middle school    students, and how these careers associate to science, math and reading.
3. Extend school to community, by expanding the learning process during the school year.
4. Increase teacher’s salaries that reflect their contribution, and importance to our nation’s growth.
5. Establish individual community 10-year action-plan to set objectives with time-lines and fiscal overview. Without good and motivated local parent’s involvement, the US will never catch the competition.

The second warning alarm has been issued now its time to address it.  And take America out of risk. Fine out more visit www.usent.org , and join the movement.