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IS AMERICA COMPETITIVE IN THE 21st CENTURY?

Thomas Friedman’s book The World is Flat, and recent reports from the Council on Competitiveness and the National Academy of Sciences have built a national consensus about the need for R&D and innovation to keep America competitive. Any successful strategy for American competitiveness and innovation in the 21st Century must address R&D for education and training, as encompassed in the DO IT legislation.

  • Education and training institutions lag behind in leveraging the potential of the technology revolution that has transformed almost every other sector of society. Recent research from the Department of Defense shows the enormous potential of advanced technology applications to make comprehensive learning more rapid, efficient and cost-effective.

LTgoalsFederation of American Scientists Presentation

  • Other industrialized competitor nations including China, Japan and India are investing heavily in upgrading their education and training systems.

    • “The international economy is in the middle of a great transition.  Two related trends shape this transition and emphasize the need for increased research. These are the increasing value of human capital, and the growing international economic integration known as globalization…These trends reframe the debate over what level of funding is adequate for basic research.”
    Waiting for Sputnik: Basic Research and Strategic Competition
    Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
  • Numerous reports to Congress have stated that America must invest in learning technology R&D to compete.
  • Over six years ago the compelling need to transform learning led to the creation of the Digital Promise Project.  In 2004 Congress requested a comprehensive study of how to meet these goals. Over 100 scientists, engineers, corporate executives, and learning specialists helped to develop the R&D Roadmap included in the report. The DO IT legislation is based on these findings.
  • Funding DO IT will make our systems of education and training more efficient and cost-effective. But an economic model for success in accomplishing these goals requires an investment from the Federal Government in partnership with the private and non-profit sectors.