February 2013: Can Education Make the Difference?
Education is a compelling investment to succeed in today’s global markets. It is critical to achieve productivity, competitiveness, economic growth, and overall wellbeing. The US is currently debating whether subsidized, quality pre-school pays off. Given the difficult fiscal situation both in PR as well as the US, we better not be short on evidence that our education dollars will be well spent if we are to boost economic and social growth. We can buy desks, improve, and build schools but that does not necessarily guarantee outstanding students. Similarly, we have teachers but we cannot legislate excellent teachers. Improving Puerto Rico’s education system is a complex and collaborative enterprise. Some countries have achieved exceptional education systems. Who are these countries? What do these successful education systems have in common? How can education impact growth and competitiveness? How does Puerto Rico compare against performance indicators for education? This issue is about education and what the island could learn from other successful countries.