Engineering education study draws industry fire

WASHINGTON -- The debate over the state of American engineering education has reignited in recent weeks with the release of a contrarian study that concludes that American math and science students are, opposite to conventional wisdom, faring better than previously thought. Moreover, the survey finds that the number of U.S. engineering graduates is more than sufficient to fill available jobs.

Critics have reacted testily to the Urban Institute's report, which argues that, in the words of co-author Harold Salzman, "[r]ather than a supply problem, we probably have a demand problem." Salzman, senior research associate at the Urban Institute, co-authored the study, "Into the Eye of the Storm: Assessing the Evidence on Science and Engineering Education."

According to the report, "available data indicate increases in the absolute numbers of secondary school graduates and increases in their math and science performance levels." Further, the study found, "there has been growth in the number of undergraduates completing [science and engineering (S&E)] studies and the number of S&E graduates remains high by historical standards."

While that conclusion has raised hackles among critics, it is Salzman's conclusion that the U.S. remains "a good, steady second" in math and science test scores that has some in the technology industry steamed.

In a radio debate with Salzman on the NPR program "Science Friday," Intel Corp. Chairman Craig Barrett blasted Salzman's "backward-looking analysis." Said Barrett: "The U.S. cannot be successful if we are only 'average' " in math and science. "[S]aying we're 'OK' because we're average just can't be right. That's backward looking. That's not looking ahead at competition with India, China, Russia and others that are putting heavy emphasis on education."

In a separate debate at the Urban Institute headquarters, Salzman's conclusions drew fire from other critics who questioned his data and his interpretation of the available statistics on U.S. math and science test scores.

David Goldston, former staff director from the House Science Committee and a lecturer at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, said test score data used in the Urban Institute was "iffy" and differed sharply with the conclusions and recommendations of a 2005 study on the state of U.S. science and math education, "The Gathering Storm." "The conclusions [of that study] cannot be ignored," he said.

Goldston added that the debate is not about whether U.S. math and science education should be fixed, but rather how policy makers should act to fix it.

William Bates, vice president for government affairs at the Council on Competitiveness, said science and engineering education must become multidisciplinary. "We need engineers who think like artists and artists who think like engineers," Bates said.

Others said Salzman's data didn't support their own experiences in trying to hire U.S. engineering graduates. One executive called the study's conclusions about the availability of U.S. engineering graduates "specious," adding that most of engineers hired by his company are from India.

"The Urban Institute must live in a different world," added an engineering professor. "There is obviously a shortage of U.S. engineering students who want to go to grad school. These slots are filled by lots of smart international students who largely take jobs in U.S. industry. Part of my job is trying to recruit more U.S. students, but the problem is getting harder," the professor said.

The Urban Institute report nevertheless argues that the U.S. education system produced qualified graduates far in excess of demand," estimating there are more than three times as many engineering undergraduates as technology job openings.

Salzman did, however, conceded one point to his critics, acknowledging that the engineering field in the U.S. isn't what it used to be. As a profession, "engineering is not a field that has a bright future," he said. Quoting an engineer interviewed for the Urban Institute study, Salzman said, "It was a great ride, but it's over."