Business & Politics
Employers Face a Disturbing Education Gap
Hiring skilled workers promises to be even harder in coming years if current trends in school test scores continue.
By Paul M. Krawzak, Contributing writer
Melissa S. Bristow, Managing Editor, the Kiplinger letters
January 2009
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A persistent racial and ethnic gap in scholastic test scores poses trouble ahead for employers as the labor force becomes increasingly diverse.
White children consistently score higher than Hispanic and black children do at all age levels tested. Though the difference between average reading and math scores for black and white fourth graders has shrunk since the early 1990s, it remains large: 10% to 11% lower for blacks in both reading and math.
Among eighth graders, there’s been little progress in closing gaps between white and black students and between white and Hispanic youngsters in math and reading. There’s also not much narrowing between whites’ and Hispanics' fourth grade test scores.
Hispanics will be 18% of the labor force by 2018 -- 23% by 2030. The share of black workers will also increase a smidge to just over 12% by 2018.
Unless some way is found to close the gap in test scores, bettering the poorer performances, demographics will worsen employers’ woes, making it even harder to find qualified workers.
Growing diversity in the population is also making many jobs tougher. Increasingly, employees must be able to deal with both colleagues and customers speaking a hodgepodge of languages and representing a variety of cultures.
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Reader Comments (11)
Posted by: Dave at 12/28/2009 05:41:22 PM
What are the results of Asians on the graph?
Posted by: Chris Reich at 12/28/2009 10:37:12 PM
Our biggest problem is misindentification of problems. Test scores aren't the problem. The lousy education system is the problem. We need to foster skills such as problem solving and we need to TEACH cooperation. These are the two biggest work place deficiencies I see when called in to work with a business. In the meantime, employers should look at capability first, "education" or what passes as education by having put in the time to reach 'the piece of paper' should be a secondary consideration. Since employees are a business' highest cost, hiring key positions should be approached with greater creativity. 30 day internships of the top 3 candidates for a position? See what they accomplish and then decide. Why not? It's cheaper than hiring a dud---or worse. Chris Reich www.TeachU.com
Posted by: Bob at 12/29/2009 12:30:24 AM
Hiring for what? There won't be any jobs in the U.S. for 5 years. This is just a dodge for the piggy CEOs to ousource more jobs and import more cheap labor.
Posted by: bananna at 12/29/2009 11:15:46 AM
Having grown up in the "ghetto"... the problem is that parents/family/relatives/foster parents/etc. raising the children are not supportive, nor do they stress the importance of education. Why should they? They have all the basic necessities courtesy of the government, and all of it without the need of an education. I was lucky that my parents consitently reminded me of the benefit of an education ("It's the one thing no one can take from you.") and hard work ("Ain't nothin' in this world free. You have to work hard for it.").
Posted by: Maxus at 12/29/2009 11:27:37 AM
Why worry about the capabilty of our future work force when so many of our existing businesses exhibit such a refined degree of stupidty each and every day? Take for example this article with two charts whereupon whites are represented by the color black and blacks by the color white. Now THERE'S a "skills gap." Or is it PC gone amok? Are those who designed the graphs and your editor(s) who posted them in that form smarter than any of those fourth graders? I doubt it. Our future of idiotic employees is NOW.
Posted by: Christopher Simpson at 12/29/2009 12:28:28 PM
Why aren't Asians mentioned in the article?
Posted by: tony at 12/29/2009 11:29:07 PM
Maxus...consider that the color selection for the charts may be just a personal choice. I do have to agree with you, we have to pay close attention to our current workforce…you are a perfect example why.
Posted by: Michael Madden at 01/04/2010 12:33:36 PM
Why, pray tell, do you only give the numbers for fourth graders? Why not include 8th and 12th grade scores, so that we have a fuller picture. Also, the 12th grade scores are skewed because of the high drop out rates for blacks and Hispanics. We are in for real trouble in the future. The problem is largely cultural....but of course we can't say that because that would be "racist". Naturally the excuse we encounter is that this poor performance is dueto to racist activities, and that these people are victims of society. How can honest people ever begin to solve this education gap if we don't address the underlying causes. And, I fear, we don't have the guts to deal with this problem openly. Something, that I believe most Americans want to solve. More money for education won't even begin to deal with the problem, since that is not the problem. Time to apply the 5 step problem solving process.....(how many of you even know what that is without looking it up)? michael madden
Posted by: Chris Reich at 01/04/2010 01:31:32 PM
Don't look at test scores. Look for talent. The education system is stuck in the 60's----how many teachers can actually use a computer? And our higher education system is placing far too much attention on social issues and not nearly enough on math and science---or language, history and communication for that matter. On the plus side, there will always be talented people available. Look past the certificates and dig down to accomplishments. You'll find them. Finally, we'll need to change they way [we] hire. I think we need more trial periods with specific goals. Achieve something and we'll make you permanent. It's not that hard to do and a lot cheaper than getting stuck with an MBA who has only learned to pass tests. Chris Reich www.TeachU.com
Posted by: Norm at 01/04/2010 05:43:10 PM
If academia and state education departments continue to get in the way of hiring good teachers, there won't be any skilled workers for any of the employers. All you will have is lots of people who can score high on tests. These folks will have zero experience in anything else. Furthermore, the talented, older skilled educators that are currently being screened out by the testing companies over one or two points on a test will leave the scene entirely taking all of their skill and knowledge with them. Most will leave education, stop applying to teach, age or simply die from neglect. Blame all of that on the university PHd's, the state bureaucrats and the influence of so-called innovators who make multiple choice testing with scantrons and i-pods more important than learning from the old and the wise.
Posted by: Norm at 04/02/2010 10:25:29 PM
If we want students to improve, we have to give them a good teacher. In order to give them a good teacher, we must convice those in positions of power in hiring and promotion to be more flexible in their approaches with teacher applicants and talented teachers who refuse to apply. Rigid Praxis testing, state mandates, complex applications and extreme paperwork requirements is no way to draw good teachers to the ranks. To get quality teachers on board, the committees, boards and panels need to look beyond simply numbers and statistics. Sometimes hiring a good teacher means to trust your gut or look beyond apparent shortcomings to gain wider and deeper possibilities. The old saying is still true. "you can't trust a book by its cover." Let teachers be teachers.