The Current Situation of Education in the Americas⁷

Important gains have been made in education in the Americas during the past 50 years. Overall, on every measure of quantity and quality of inputs, schools today are better than they were half a century ago. Teachers have received more training, classes are smaller, more students have textbooks and they are of better quality, curriculum have been revised in accord with developments in cognitive psychology and advances in science. Literacy rates have declined notably and the average level of education in the population has grown steadily.

Yet, we are dissatisfied with our education systems. Throughout the Americas students, parents, employers, politicians, the mass media and others complain that we are not providing the education required for the 21^st century. Schools and universities are criticized for inefficiency in use of resources, low levels of achievement of their students, poor preparation for employment, high dropout rates, and a generally inadequate intellectual, civic and moral formation. These criticisms are made in every country, from Canada to Chile (Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy, 1986; National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983; Schiefelbein & others, 1998).

In part our dissatisfaction is because of education’s gains. Fifty years ago schooling was a privilege available to a small proportion of children, from the more affluent and educated segment of society. Today almost all children enter school in the Americas, drawn from all sectors of society and reflecting the complexity and problems of today’s society. In contrast with 50 years ago most children who enter school today are from poor, relatively uneducated households. They live in communities characterized by higher levels of family instability, residential mobility, and crime. In addition, distractions and dangers such as television and drugs unknown 50 years ago compete with teachers for their attention. All these factors act to reduce the possible impact of schooling.

We are dissatisfied because education’s gains have not been sufficient to resolve longstanding social and economic problems and leave us ill prepared to meet future challenges and exploit future opportunities. The education that selected and certified a small proportion of the population to innovate and lead what then seemed relatively stable political, economic, social and religious organizations, is today an anachronism, a curious antique living beyond its time of usefulness. The changes called globalization impact all the countries of the Americas. The effects are both intra- and inter-national, diminishing the effectiveness of existing institutions but also creating opportunities to invent and build new relationships of greater efficacy.