|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cursor.orgMediaTransparency.org sponsor Media Transparency writersAndrew J. Weaver FundometerEvaluate any page on the World Wide Web against our databases of people, recipients, and funders of the conservative movement. |
ORIGINAL RESEARCHDennis Redovich Nobel Prizes Show U.S. Science Education Is World’s BestDisputes conservatives' contention about the quality of US Public EducationAccording to an analysis of Nobel prizes awarded in science over the past century, the United States leads the world in technology and in the quality of its scientists. Paradoxically, the general news media, and the experts it chooses to quote, frequently state the following two seemingly mutually exclusive ideas about the US educational system:
How could both of these statements be correct? The answer is: they aren't. The first statement is absolute nonsense and the second is absolutely true. American colleges and universities are the best in the world, but that could only be true if their foundation -- American public primary and secondary schools -- were also the best in the world. It just cannot be that US primary and secondary schools are the root of all educational evil - as asserted by conservative movement leaders - and that US Universities are the best, as is well acknowledged. It follows that the high quality of American colleges and universities can be traced to their domestic university students, who in turn primarily come from American public high schools. Those same schools produce large numbers of bright, innovative, competitive, and hard working graduates. Certainly, the primary reason for the high quality of American baccalaureate and graduate education is not, as has been asserted by some, because postsecondary instruction and teachers have been shown to be superior to elementary and secondary instruction and teachers. Universities are in large measure only as good as their students. It is incomprehensible how American school critics - including politicians and conservative think tanks - are allowed to get away with the bashing of all American K-12 schools based on bad analysis of invalid and useless international test scores, without serious challenge by an academically disadvantaged media. Nobel Prizes in Science –Chemistry, Physics and Medicine 1951 to 2000The United States is by far the leading country in the world since 1951 in awards of Nobel Prizes in Science, which includes Chemistry, Physics and Medicine-Physiology. United States scientists received 171 or 55% of the 309 Nobel Prizes in Science awarded from 1951 to 2000. The United States has received a majority of Nobel Prizes in Science each decade from 1951 to 2000. From 1991 to 2000 U.S. scientists earned 35 (57%) of the 61 Nobel Prizes in Science. The following table shows the top 10 countries in the world in numbers of Nobel Prizes in Science awarded 1951 to 2000. Nobel Prizes in Science 1951 to 2000Top 10 Countries in the World
Nobel Prizes in Science 1901 to 2000Nobel Prizes for Chemistry, 1901-2000
Nobel Prizes for Physics, 1901-2000
Nobel Prizes for Medicine and Physiology, 1901-2000
Total Nobel Prizes for Science, 1901-2000
The percentage of Americans receiving Nobel prizes in Science (chemistry, physics, physiology or medicine) increased dramatically from the first to the second half of the twentieth century. The Europeans completely dominated the winning of Nobel prizes for the first 30 years (Germans and British were the biggest winners). Americans won only 6 prizes in the first 30 years (Europeans earned 86) and Americans didn't receive their first prizes in Physics until 1907, Chemistry until 1914 and Physiology or Medicine until 1930. Since 1950 Americans have dominated the winning of Nobel prizes in Physics and Physiology or Medicine, and have been about equal in Chemistry. However, since 1980 Americans have won 20 Chemistry prizes while all of Europe has won 10. Critics of American science education have implied that foreign-born scientists are the primary reason for the American dominance in science since World War II. That is not the case. In the tabulations by country in this study the country designated for the scientist is the country where the scientific work was done. For example, Albert Einstein received a 1921 Nobel Prize for work he did in Germany and was counted as a German recipient and not as a U.S. citizen. Dramatic increases of American recipients of Nobel prizes have occurred since 1970 with few foreign-trained scientists earning prizes. On the other hand, many foreign born scientists come to the U.S to receive their advanced science education and then remain in the U.S., seduced by the quality of our scientific and academic institutions. The visible quality accomplishments of American scientists and engineers are recognized throughout the world. At a European conference for institutional research held in Trier Germany in 1989 a German presenter pointed out that Americans had received 41 Nobel Prizes for chemistry and physics from 1979 to 1989 while all of Europe earned 20. The speaker used this data as part of his criticism of European science education as compared to the United States. When I asked him how many Nobel Prizes the Japanese had received in the last 10 years he said two. (The revered Japan has won five Nobel Prizes in Science 1901-2000.) Japanese universities are not highly regarded in the world for their academics, but Europeans, as Americans, fear Japan economically. The quality of American education continues to improve even as conservatives and the media berate it based on irrelevant and invalid standardized testing. Insane is too mild a term for the standardized testing mania that is sweeping the United States. Conversely, praise for American students at all educational levels might motivate our exemplary American schools to improve even more. There is no doubt, American schools produce the finest scientists in the world! Dennis W. Redovich, redovich@execpc.com Originally written October 1992 and revised each year October 1993 to 2000 Sources: World of Winners Gale Research, World Almanac 1999, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel October 2000 sign in, or register to email stories or comment on them.
|
MORE ORIGINAL RESEARCHBill Berkowitz PERC receives Templeton Freedom Award for promoting 'enviropreneurs'Right Wing foundation-funded anti-environmental think tank grabbing a wider audience for 'free market environmentalism' On the 15th anniversary of Terry Anderson and Donald Leal's book "Free Market Environmentalism" -- the seminal book on the subject -- Anderson, the Executive Director of the Bozeman, Montana-based Property and Environment Research Center (PERC - formerly known as the Political Economy Research Center) spoke in late-January at an event sponsored by Squaw Valley Institute at the Resort at Squaw Creek in California. While it may have been just another opportunity to speak on "free market environmentalism" and not the kickoff of a "victory tour," nevertheless it comes at a time when PERC's ideas are taking root.
Bill Berkowitz Neil Bush of Saudi ArabiaDuring recent visit, President’s brother describes the country as a 'kind of tribal democracy' In late February, only a few days after Saudi Arabia beheaded four Sri Lankan robbers and then left their headless bodies on public display in the capital of Riyadh, Neil Bush, for the fourth time in the past six years, showed up for the country's Jeddah Economic Forum. The Guardian reported that Human Rights Watch "said the four men had no lawyers during their trial and sentencing, and were denied other basic legal rights." In an interview with Arab News, the Saudi English language paper, Bush described the country as "a kind of tribal democracy."
Bill Berkowitz Newt Gingrich's back door to the White HouseAmerican Enterprise Institute "Scholar" and former House Speaker blames media for poll showing 64 percent of the American people wouldn't vote for him under any circumstances Whatever it is that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has come to represent in American politics, the guy is nothing less than fascinating. One day he's espousing populist rhetoric about the need to cut the costs of college tuition and the next day he's talking World War III. One day he's claiming that the "war on terror" may force the abridgement of fundamental first amendment rights and the next he's advancing a twenty-first century version of his Contract with America. At the same time he's publicly proclaiming how "stupid" it is that the race for the presidency has already started you know that he's trying to figure out how to out finesse Rudy, McCain and Romney for the nomination. And last week, when Fox News' Chris Wallace cited a poll showing that 64 percent of the public would never vote for him, he was quick to blame those results on how unfairly he was treated by the mainstream media back in the day.
Bill Berkowitz American Enterprise Institute takes lead in agitating against IranDespite wrongheaded predictions about the war on Iraq, neocons are on the frontlines advocating military conflict with Iran After doing such a bang up job with their advice and predictions about the outcome of the war on Iraq, would it surprise you to learn that America's neoconservatives are still in business? While at this time we are not yet seeing the same intense neocon invasion of our living rooms -- via cable television's news networks -- that we saw during the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, nevertheless, a host of policy analysts at conservative think tanks -- most notably the American Enterprise Institute -- are being heeded on Iran by those who count - folks inside the Bush Administration.
Bill Berkowitz After six years, opposition gaining on George W. Bush's Faith Based InitiativeUnmentioned in the president's State of the Union speech, the program nevertheless continues to recruit religious participants and hand out taxpayer money to religious groups With several domestic policy proposals unceremoniously folded into President Bush's recent State of the Union address, two pretty significant items failed to make the cut. Despite the president's egregiously tardy response to the event itself, it was nevertheless surprising that he didn't even mention Hurricane Katrina: He didn't offer up a progress report, words of hope to the victims, or come up with a proposal for moving the sluggish rebuilding effort forward. There were no "armies of compassion" ready to be unleashed, although it should be said that many in the religious community responded to the disaster much quicker than the Bush Administration. In the State of the Union address, however, there was no "compassionate conservatism" for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Bill Berkowitz Frank Luntz calls Republican leadership in Washington 'One giant whining windbag'On the outs with the GOP, legendary degrader of discourse is moving to California He doesn't make great art; nothing he does elevates the human spirit; he doesn't illuminate, he bamboozles. He has become expert in subterfuge, hidden meanings, word play and manipulation. Frank Luntz has been so good at what he does that those paying close attention gave it its own name: "Luntzspeak."
Bill Berkowitz Spooked by MoveOn.org, conservative movement seeks to emulate liberal powerhouseFueled with Silicon Valley money, TheVanguard.org will have Richard Poe, former editor of David Horowitz's FrontPage magazine as its editorial and creative director As Paul Weyrich, a founding father of the modern conservative movement and still a prominent actor in it, likes to say, he learned a great deal about movement building by closely observing what liberals were up to in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Bill Berkowitz Ward Connerly's anti-affirmative action jihadFounder and Chair of the American Civil Rights Institute scouting five to nine states for new anti-affirmative action initiatives Fresh from his most recent victory -- in Michigan this past November -- Ward Connerly, the Black California-based maven of anti-affirmative action initiatives, appears to be preparing to take his jihad on the road. According to a mid-December report in the San Francisco Chronicle, Connerly said that he was "exploring moves into nine other states."
Bill Berkowitz Tom Tancredo's missionThe Republican congressman from Colorado will try to woo GOP voters with anti-immigration rhetoric and a boatload of Christian right politics These days, probably the most recognizable name in anti-immigration politics is Colorado Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo. Over the past year, Tancredo has gone from a little known congressman to a highly visible anti-immigration spokesperson. "Tancredo has thoroughly enmeshed himself in the anti-immigration movement and with the help of CNN talk show host Lou Dobbs, he has been given a national megaphone," Devin Burghart, the program director of the Building Democracy Initiative at the Center for New Community, a Chicago-based civil rights group, told Media Transparency.
Bill Berkowitz Institute on Religion and Democracy slams 'Leftist' National Council of ChurchesNew report from conservative foundation-funded IRD charges the NCC with being a political surrogate for MoveOn.org, People for the American Way and other liberal organizations If you prefer your religious battles sprinkled with demagoguery, sanctimoniousness, and simplistic attacks, the Institute on Religion and Democracy's (IRD) latest broadside against the National Council of Churches (NCC) certainly fits the bill.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
