Physics Literacy

NOV 01, 1990

What would it mean for the public to be scientifically literate? We asked seven observers with a variety of backgrounds, affiliations and points of view.

DOI: 10.1063/1.881217

Jeffrey Schmidt

The Bush Administration’s emphasis on science and mathematics reflects a new and accelerating feature of modern societies: As the economies of the industrialized countries shift toward high‐technology manufacturing and services, the jobs available to new entrants into the work force require higher levels of skill and education than ever before. Projections are that over half of the jobs available by the end of the decade in the United States will require some education beyond high school, compared with 42% of currently available jobs. There will be fewer jobs for the poorly educated high school graduate and fewer still for the 25–30% of students who drop out of high school without graduating.

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References

1. Committee on the Objectives of a General Education in a Free Society, General Education in a Free Society, Harvard U.P., Cambridge, Mass. (1946).
2. F. J. Rutherford, A. Ahlgren, Science for All Americans, Oxford U.P., New York (1990).
3. S. Tobias, C. T. Tomizuka, Breaking the Science Barrier, in preparation
4. G. Holton, Daedalus, Spring 1990, p. 286.