The latest research from the Education Testing Service Center for Research on Human Capital and Education showed that U.S. students across all socioeconomic levels scored lower than students in most countries around the world in literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills. The study examined millennials born between 1980 and the early 2000s ages 16 to 34 and measured the 21st century skills needed by individuals to make measurable improvements in their life and to prosper professionally.
The results were disappointing for both the wealthiest cohorts of students, as well as students from lower socioeconomic and minority groups. Their scores indicate a worrisome skills gap.
Of particular concern is the percentage of students scoring below the minimum numeracy standard (below level 3): 54 percent of White, 83 percent of Hispanic and 88 percent of Black millennials did not achieve this minimum benchmark. Controlling for educational attainment makes the White-Black gap even more telling.
As evidenced by the near 100 percent scoring below level 3, it is expected that students who do not graduate high school are more likely to be quantitatively illiterate. As White students complete more years of education, the percentage that are quantitatively illiterate steadily drops. However, increasing levels of educational attainment does little to improve Black students’ quantitative literacy.
Recent research papers linking racism to higher mortality rates point to the pervasiveness and severity of racial inequality in our country. Many point to education as the answer, but not all educational opportunities are created equally. In our data-driven society, economic success is strongly linked to numeracy. If we truly want to provide access to the American dream for all of our students, it is imperative that we address the failings and inequities of our current educational system, and the mathematics curriculum in particular.
These new results from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) are not surprising because the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data has consistently indicated that U.S. students have lagged behind their counterparts in other countries. Thus, it would be expected that millennials would not have magically acquired skills to put them ahead of other adults around the world.
