Currents
March 2016
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In 2007, the average cost of teacher turnover was
over $17,000. Replacing a poor teacher with an
average one would raise a single classroom's lifetime
earnings by about $266,000.
International Comparisons
26 nations: The number of industrialized nations
whose high school students performed better than
U.S. students in math in 2012. 19 nations: The
number of industrialized nations whose high school
students performed better than U.S. students in science in 2012. In 2008, 4 percent
of U.S. bachelor's degrees were
awarded in engineering, compared with 31 percent in China.
Workforce
As of February 2012, more
than half of the 30 fastest growing occupations require some
level of post-secondary education.
All of the increase in
employment over the past two
decades has been among workers
who have taken at least some college classes or who have associate
or bachelor's degrees - and
mostly among workers with bachelor's degrees. The number of
science and engineering bachelor's degree completions has
grown by 19% from 2009 to
2013, compared with 9% growth
for non-S&E disciplines.
• Of the 15 Major Study
categories, engineering has the
highest median earnings, yet less
than 20% of students choose a
STEM path.
• In 2008, 59 percent of all
jobs in the U.S. economy required
post-secondary education. (Up
from 28 percent in 1973)
• By 2018, it is projected
that 63 percent of all jobs in the
U.S. economy will require postsecondary education.
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