HOUSTON (By Mary Alys Cherry, Clear Lake Citizen) August 27, 2005 - The United States is facing a crisis of massive proportions unless both parents and educators act to avert it.

The United States is facing a crisis of massive proportions unless both parents and educators act to avert it.

Americans simply are not attaining the educational levels needed to compete with other nations' economies.

"We've got a problem and we've got to decide what we're going to do about it," Dr. Bill Lindemann, San Jacinto College chancellor, says. "If we don't do something, we'll call it 'While Texas Slept,'" he added.

He called the looming educational crisis "The Perfect Storm." "Some way or another, we have to change our culture toward education."

Many of today's students are not prepared to meet the demands of today's jobs, he says, adding that soon this will cause irreparable damage to the U.S. economy.

In the past, 85 percent of the family wage income jobs required a high school diploma or less.

Today, 85 percent of these jobs require two years of college or more because of advances in technology through computers. That simpler world of yesteryear is no more.

Meanwhile, 55 percent of the American work force will be retiring soon.

The greatest problems loom in engineering, Dr. Lindemann told a recent gathering of reporters and editors, as he warned of the crisis in education.

There's a shortage of math and science teachers, the allied health industry is in trouble and NASA has problems finding engineers, he said. So do many other companies.

"There is trouble here and we need to do something about it," he warned.

Earlier this month, a study by Knight-Ridder newspapers pointed out that the U.S. is losing its leadership in this field to the Pacific Rim nations.

For example, the Knight-Ridder article said, "Applied Research Associates, a defense contractor specializing in robotics that's based in Albuquerque, N.M., can't find enough engineers with master's and doctoral degrees and U.S. citizenship, the latter required for security clearance."

Another newspaper report tells of BP Amoco trying to fill 400 technical positions this year -- geologists, engineers and other technicians -- all requiring advanced study.

Most jobs that once only required a high school diploma, such as a fireman, police officer, plant worker, sales, manufacturing, auto mechanic, etc., now are filled with applicants with two years of college. Some want a bachelor's degree.

Yet a San Jac study this year of the Precinct 2 area, which includes Clear Lake, Seabrook, Pasadena, Deer Park, North Channel and Baytown, found that 60 percent of the Hispanics, 19 percent of the African Americans and 31 percent of the Anglos did not finish high school.

Across the state, 16 percent of Texans 25 years or older graduated from college but in contrast, 11 percent had less than a ninth grade education.

Meanwhile, China and India are producing more scientists and engineers each year than we are college graduates, Lindemann points out. In 2003, China had 2.5 million graduates and India graduated 2.2 million students. The U.S. total? Just 1.4 million.

Most worrisome is the Hispanic population. By 2040, a study shows 60 percent of Texas' population will be Hispanic. "Some way, these students have got to be encouraged to attend college," Lindemann said.

"But little is going to change until parents change their attitude toward education. Until they encourage and/or demand higher education for their children," he said.

"We have gone from an agricultural society, to an owner society, to an industrial society to an informational technological society and today's students need to keep up."

Today, one can hardly get a job driving a garbage truck without some college. Many trucks are operated by one person robotically using the Global Positional System.

They also do the billing by computers. With only one person on the truck, a city or company realizes big savings.

Many parents are just happy to get their kids through high school instead of encouraging them to continue on.

In the Hispanic community, "money (for college) is not the issue," Dr. Lindemann said. "Cultural values are the issue."

The parents are trying to get the kids out working to send money back to relatives in Mexico, he explained.

Another educator had similar thoughts. The thinking among many is their children should get a job and help provide for their families, former HISD assistant superintendent Kippy Caraway said.

She believes we're not going to get Hispanic children going to college until we find better jobs for mom and dad.

"We must find ways for the parents to be upwardly mobile -- through educational and exposure to other job opportunities," she said. "A key," she continued, "to keeping kids in school and getting them to go to college is showing them how this is a reality for them.

"We must show how there are grants and scholarships available. This must be done in middle school so they have a reason for staying in school.

"We must show every child that there is a way for them to go to college if they just stay in school," Caraway added.

Only 21.4 percent of the Hispanic students in Precinct 2 graduated from high school this year and only 18.5 percent are continuing their education beyond high school, the San Jac chancellor pointed out.

This compares with 25 percent of the Anglos and 30 percent of the African American students earning only high school diplomas.

Another 50.7 percent of the African Americans are going on to college as are 43.4 percent of the Anglo graduates, the San Jac survey showed.

"Intervention must begin with the parents," says Dr. Katherine Moser Haden, associate vice president for adult education at College of the Mainland.

"Recent studies in family literacy show a direct link between the educational attainment of today's youth and the education of their parents. Parents must be able to relate to their child's education from birth throughout high school and college.

"Education begins when parents read to their newborn children, and continues as they can understand homework needs throughout their school years. A strong support system at home is vital to ensure student success," she continues.

"Adult Education and Family Literacy programs offer free classes in English, parenting skills as well as provide instruction on how to create a home environment which will encourage educational attainment," Moser-Haden said, adding, "it is essential to reach the parents of today's high risk students in order to reverse today's drop-out trend in education."

Of the 44,756 students in the Pasadena School District, 34 percent don't speak English, Dr. Lindemann said. Some 60 percent come from disadvantaged homes.

How do we convince these students they will not be qualified for 90 percent of the new jobs with additional education? he asked.

Some way we -- educators and parents -- have to reach these students, Lindemann said.

"And, unless we act soon," Lindemann says, "that tidal wave is coming."