"ETS "Perfect Storm Briefing" Sheds Light on Global Competitiveness Challenges"

TVW carries a July 2 briefing by Dr. Irwin S. Kirsch, one of the co-authors of the Educational Testing Services 2007 report "America's Perfect Storm - Three Forces Changing Our Nation's Future." The report

looks at the convergence of three powerful socioeconomic forces that are changing our nation's future:

• substantial disparities in skill levels (reading and math)
• seismic economic changes (widening wage gaps)
• sweeping demographic shifts (less education, lower skills)

The conference runs for nearly two hours, a long time to watch on your computer. But take the time to watch the nine-minute vide Kirsch to kick off his presentation. It comes on at about 17:58. Even those of us who've grown weary of "perfect storm" analogies will have to agree that the folks at ETS didn't overstate.

The challenges identified are real. They're here. And they're eroding our competitiveness.