Motivational Quotes for the Future of Education in America

Trends in the future have always interested me, especially trends that might shape the future of educators and students worldwide.

The future of America's education system, for example, according to futurist James Canton, is that "the quality of public education, in crisis today, will either propel or crash the future aspirations of the American workforce." And with that he mentions that America's workforce needs a transformation as well, to accomodate a more competitive and global group of people with higher education in science, as well as the innovation skills necessary to ensure a prosperous future. He also predicts that education is failing to prepare skilled, high-tech-savvy workers.

Another future forecase from his book Extreme Future: "America's youth will be unprepared in science and math to compete successfully in the global economy by 2010 unless drastic changes to public education are undertaken now."

Did you know that foreign students are awarded the majority of U.S. scientific PH.D. degrees? No matter how many motivational sayings we all read about, or hear from todays new politicians, the reality check is that without education, our country might just be doomed because our country will not be competitive.

There is also a rise in the hispanic population in this country. Many of the kids in Brooklyn, New York, for instance, come from hispanic families, many of whom cannot afford help when their kids are not doing well at school. This is why I love the work I have been doing with Children of the City, and the Joe DiMaggio Committee for my Alma Mater, Xaverian High School. Their educational programs are fantastic, and helping kids daily.

As a father, it is really important that my kids grow up to be educated, inspired and competitive so they can be future-ready and survive. In fact, Canton even has a page in his book that says this:

HEADLINE FROM THE FUTURE: 2012. U.S. High Schools rated Best in World at Teaching Science.

And he also predicts that communications and the Internet will be available to all nations and people by the year 2040. And that the creation of immediate, portable, transferable, in-demand knowledge sources on a scale equivalnet to the Library of Congress. It is number eight among the top ten trends of the new innovation economy of the future.

In fact, I even created a new website to promote the importance of education and my charity work -- check out www.roccobasile.org.

What Happens When a Society Does not Invest in Education?

For years, educators have struggled with all the reasons why education is one of our essential rights of a democracy. Reasons include equal opportunities for everyone, productivity among citizens, participation among members of that democracy, and more. Often forgotten is the importance of education in terms of its benefit to our country’s economic strength. Education is the engine that drives a healthy economy, and without it we would lose many of the benefits of a democracy.

That’s why I believe education is so important and not only has such far-reaching effects on a person’s life, but also on our communities. In fact, the National Education Association (NEA) has some interesting statistics on the topic including what happens to a society that does not invest in education. Does this affect the economy?

William Schweke, a researcher, says that “prevention is almost always cheaper than treatment. If we do not invest now, we most certainly will pay later.”

Author of a book called Smart Money: Education and Economic Development, he discusses the costs, socially, of inadequate educational and preparation for the workforce. Schweke believes that by increasing earnings, education can lower social costs. Following are some interesting facts:

There is a strong relationship between low basic skills and welfare dependency—60 percent of out-of-wedlock births among 19- to 23-year-olds are to those who score in the lowest 20 percent on basic skills tests.

Raising the means-tested skills of 19- to 23-year-olds by the equivalent of one grade would increase lifetime earnings by 3.6 percent and reduce the likelihood of births out of wedlock by 6.5 percent, welfare dependency by 5.3 percent, and arrests by 6.2 percent.

Did you know that 82 percent of all Americans in prison are high school dropouts?

The United States spends almost 10 times as much as Western European countries on security services, arrest, incarceration and parole. These same countries spend comparable amounts on subsidized training and employment.

About 2 percent of our nation’s gross domestic product is allotted to crime control activities, and another 2 percent is lost to crimes that occur. Inequality in earnings and wealth in the U.S. has been increasing for two decades, so growing economic disparity is hindering the nation’s ability to provide the high-value-added products and services necessary to compete globally.

Education positively affects income distribution and its effects on people’s income. By the way, this is well documented among economists, social scientists and in economics literature. helping to reach children at risk and who can be resilient if they are given the right intervention and education.

My website, http://www.roccobasile.org/, is a composite of all the latest news and information about education in the country. I believe that by helping to reach children at risk, they are resilliant and will become important people in our communities when given the right intervention and education. So you will see some case studies of success stories on my site as well. For more information about the charities where I am on the Board and volunteer -- go to Children of the City and the Joe DiMaggio Committee for Xaverian High School.

Children of the City Success Stories

Once in awhile it is really nice to actually hear about the success of a charity program. In my work with Brooklyn-based Children of the City, I came across a story about a little 12 year old girl named Rosa. A couple of years ago she could not read a book as simple as Dr. Seuss, and when asked, she would scream and pound her fists, turn desks over, and send books flying across the room. Why? She would think, "I would think, 'Are they slow? why don't they understand? I don't read!! Do they even care?'"

But things changed when Rosa began attending an after school educational program sponsored by Children of the City (COC). She found nurturing volunteers, and structure that she needed to help her with her homework. It was also a refuge away from her home where her drug addict, alcoholic Mom lived.

Rosa met Nina, who is currently the director of education for COC. It was Nina who turored Rosa for three years, helping her learn how to read things like C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters .

Today Rosa says, "The plans I wanted for my life weren't possible unless I got an education from someone like Nina." Motivation was the key.

This organization serves the children and families of Southwest Brooklyn, and has for two decades plus. Most success stories include families that have overcome welfare and poverty, and even people who have overcome substance abuse, violence and gang activities. Today, like me, they are putting their time into the community and volunteering.

Education Helps Mitigate Crime and Drug Use

I was reading the US Department of Education (ED) tagline, which states, "Promoting educational excellence for all Americans." This organization was created in 1980 and the ED mission is "to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access."

A $71.5 billion budget and about 4,500 ED employees are dedicated to establishing policies on federal financial aid for education, as well as distributing and monitoring those funds; focusing national attention on key educational issues; disseminating research; prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education; and collecting data on America's schools.

For example gang violence is just part of everyday life in places such as Brooklyn, NY. It’s amazing, but out of every three families lives below the poverty line and there are 17 thousand documented child abuse cases in this community.

Drugs, disease, gang violence, and crime contribute to about a thousand deaths annually. More and more people are realizing that the answer is education. There is a 48 percent drop out rate among high school students, so out of the 30 thousand students, 15 thousand are dropouts.

The good news is that there are a number of organizations that are bringing light and making a difference. With hundreds of people in need of intervention, kids in need of education, and families that could benefit from counseling, I truly believe in the work being done at organizations like Children of the City. It is a completely volunteer-based outreach program that connects people in need with basic services, educational as well as employment training, counseling, and even health care. I highly recommend and encourage people to go to their website and help by contributing time, resources, and donations.

My education taught me to be sympathetic to the needs of others, which has also helped me understand that I can change the world - like Gandhi said - it is important for us to be the change we want to see in the world.

Crime and Education Statistical Rates

One thing that Joe DiMaggio believed in was education. He was particularly interested in assisting learning-disabled students, along with academically gifted but financially disadvantaged kids. Proceeds from the Joe DiMaggio Award Dinner go to these students who attend Xaverian High School and the Loyola School in New York City. Located in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn , Xaverian is a private, nonsectarian boys' school with over a 98 percent graduation rate for its seniors.

One of the reasons it is so important to complete your education is to avoid becoming a government statistic. The U. S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics claims that serious violent crime levels are down since 1993. Also declining are property crime rates. Interestingly, firearm-related crime did plummet since 1993, but then slightly increased in the year 2005. However, the estimated number of arrests for adult drug abuse violations has been increasing, while the number for juveniles has stabilized.

When it comes to drop outs -- let’s take a look at private and public high school students who left high school between the beginning of one school year and the beginning of the next without earning a General Educational Development (GED) certificate, or high school diploma or its equivalent. The following rates describe the percentage of youth ages 15 through 24 in the United States who dropped out of grades 10–12 from either public or private schools in the 12 months between one October and the next (e.g., October 2004 to October 2005). The measure provides information about the rate at which U.S. high school students are leaving school without a successful outcome.

Around four of every 100 students who were enrolled in high school as of October 2004 left school before October 2005. They did not complete high school. This represents a decrease in the event dropout rate from 4.7 percent to 3.8 percent between 2004 and 2005. Overall, since 1972, event dropout rates have trended downward, from 6.1 percent in 1972 to 3.8 percent in 2005.
Between the month of October 2004 and 2005, both Black and Hispanic high school students were more likely to drop out than were students who were Whites or Asian/Pacific Islanders. Dropout rates for Blacks and Hispanics were 7.3 percent and 5.0 percent, respectively, compared with rates of 2.8 percent for Whites and 1.6 percent for Asians/Pacific Islanders.

Anyone who is interested in donating to the Joe Dimaggio Award fund can do so here. The recent awards dinner was a true example of selfless people who contributed, many of whom were friends of my family's business, The Basile Builder's Group, in Manhattan.
(http://www.joedimaggioaward.com/donate/index_donate.htm)

Tiki Barber Gets Joe DiMaggio Award at Gala Event Jan. 4

“Today Show” commentator and analyst on NBC’s “Football Night in America,” Tiki Barber was honored last Friday evening in Manhattan at Cipriani. Brooklyn’s Xaverian High School presented the recently retired Giants running back, with its coveted Joe DiMaggio Award.

Established in 1999 after the Yankee Clipper’s death, the DiMaggio Award was established to memorialize his “lifelong commitment to the health, education and well being of America’s youth.” Three-time Pro-Bowler, during an illustrious 10-year playing career, Barber set virtually every career offensive record for the Giants and is best known for team records of 10,448 rushing yards, 586 receptions and 15,631 total yards from scrimmage.

DiMaggio earned the Bay Ridge school’s highest honor, formerly called the Concordia Award, in 1997. The award has since been presented to Dr. Henry Kissinger, Maestro Luciano Pavarotti, former mayor and current presidential hopeful Rudolph Giuliani, television personality Regis Philbin, singer/songwriter Paul Simon, Sopranos star James Gandolfini , CBS Sports commentator Boomer Esiason and NBC Emmy-Award winning sports broadcaster Bob Costas.

The Joe DiMaggio Award Gala has become the preeminent education gala in the United States and this year benefits the Legacy Program, an intensive and self-contained program that runs parallel to the mainstream, designed for students with learning disabilities. The major fundraiser for Xaverian's Ryken Education Center, students with learning disabilities never had the opportunity to attend college.

Presently adopted by the New York State Regents as the model of all such endeavors, since the Ryken Program’s inception in 1994 (it was formerly known as the REACH Program), over 100 young men have graduated from this special initiative and all have gone on to four-year colleges of their choice.

Four students recently received scholarships to major New York-Metropolitan area universities. It has evolved into the preeminent educational gala in the United States. Since Xaverian is private and tuition driven, proceeds from the Gala will especially benefit its many students. Besides the dinner and awards presentation, the evening includes a silent auction of rare Joe DiMaggio memorabilia donated by the DiMaggio Estate and Morris Engelberg, Esq.

Be the Change you Want in the World

Happy New Year! There are many exciting things to be grateful for in this New Year. The charities that I am working with -- Children of the City and the Joe DiMaggio Committee for Xaverian High School, have many goals. I am looking forward to the January 4th Joe Dimaggio Award Gala and will write about it afterwards. The Joe DiMaggio Award Gala is the major fundraiser for Xaverian High (where I went to school.) Its program for students with learning disabilities, including the Ryken Program, is presently adopted by the New York State Regents as the model of all such endeavors. The Joe DiMaggio Award was established in 1999 by its chairman, Dr. Rock Positano, '76, with the approval of the DiMaggio Estate in memory of baseball legend Joe DiMaggio.

As I have said before, I feel my education allowed me to understand the adverse effects it had on my life and the life of others. Education is critical to allowing people to be sympathic to the needs of others. "Be the change you want to see in the World," said Gandhi.

My education allowed me to be able to investigate, research and read a number of books about diverse cultures and religions. This inspired me to be a positive change and it gave me the intuition to see how that positive change circulates back into my life.

I want my blog to inspire someone else to understand the importance of educating our youth so it will break the cycle of poverty, crime and drugs. I truely believe that educating our youth is the foundation for prosperity.