Zach Butler

Annotated Bibliography Fried, Vance H., and Institute Cato. "Federal Higher Education Policy And The Profitable Nonprofits. Policy Analysis. No. 678." Cato Institute (2011): ERIC. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. This policy analysis provides perspective on the economic and political components to education in the United States. It discusses the governments involvement in the higher education industry as it relates to for-profit vs. nonprofit schools, access, payment methods, and its expense on the taxpayer. The author argues that the higher education market needs to be more competitive to coincide with the public interest. If there is to be a federal role at all, funding for the industry should go down, discrimination against for-profits should be nonexistent, barriers for entry should lessen, and colleges should not have access to applicant financial information. In essence, the government should be concerned with ensuring access to higher education, not maintaining industry profits. This source is instrumental in my inquiry because it sheds some light on the particular setbacks the United States has in education and how they could be contributing to our international rank in education. For example, wouldnt more people be willing and able to go to college if prices went down? It also ties in nicely with the sources on income inequality because it confirms that resources are essential for success in the current educational sphere. It also offered some monetary/legislative suggestions to fixing the problem, which I can combine with the solutions offered in the last source in this list to prescribe the United States a remedy for its educational complacency. Organization for Economic Cooperation and, Development. "How Pronounced Is Income Inequality Around The World--And How Can Education Help Reduce It? Education Indicators In Focus. No. 4." OECD Publishing (2012): ERIC. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. This online article explains the relationship between income inequality and education in the post-industrialized world. In most OECD countries, the gap between the rich and the poor has widened significantly. This ties an individuals skills and abilities to their socioeconomic background. By contrast, in countries where policies of educational equity exist, each person has an equal opportunity to succeed. This system is integral in several countries that maintain a lower margin of income inequality. In the bottom line, the author suggests that a policy shaped by equity may be the key to reducing it in other parts of the world as well. When people progress on merit rather than resources, future income and job prospects will be more promising. Over time, income disparity should shrink and nations will fare better in todays complex, global economy. This source is useful for my inquiry because it allows me to view education through a social lens. By looking at political, economic, and now social aspects to education, I believe this piece gives me a well-rounded understanding of education as a practice. Given I understand it as a practice, I believe I will draw sound conclusions on what it will take for the United States to begin reaching for the top spot once again.

Zach Butler

Schleicher, Andreas. "Seeing The United States Education System Through The Prism Of International Comparisons." Middle School Journal 5 (2009): 11. JSTOR Arts & Sciences X. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. This online article places the United States into the international discourse on education. Over the past couple of decades, the United States has lost its competitive advantage in the classroom. Contrary to popular belief, the United States has not been getting worse; instead, other countries are getting better. The author believes that the United States must change its education strategy or face other problems down the road. We could stand to learn from leaders where teaching is a very selective profession, expectations are higher, lifelong learning is cultivated, innovation and research in education are constant, and federal micromanaging is absent. Given the resources at our disposal, we have all of the components to compete, just not the correct organization to do so. This source in valuable in my inquiry because it specifically explains why America is no longer the leader in education. This is significant in my attempt to understand where the United States fits educationally into the global conversation. Instead of focusing on one concentration like politics, social conditions, or economics, it offered a more general discussion that was easy to comprehend.