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Editorial and Op-ed Support Archive
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The momentum for improving U.S. STEM capabilities is building, with opinion leaders and editorial boards opining in support of reform and newsrooms writing about it across the country.
February 01, 2011 — Wall Street Journal (Editorial) — “’It Makes No Sense’”
President Obama didn't have much to say about immigration reform in his State of the Union address last week, which is surprising given his focus on "winning the future." But what the President did say was well put and well timed. "Others come here from abroad to study in our colleges and universities," said Mr. Obama. "But as soon as they obtain advanced degrees, we send them back home to compete against us. It makes no sense." The President was referring to the insufficient number of H-1B visas that the U.S. makes available to skilled foreign nationals who want to work in the U.S. temporarily. … Employers hire skilled foreign nationals based on merit, not because they can pay them less. Immigrants are also some 30% more likely than non-immigrants to start businesses. Winning the future is that much more difficult if our laws limit U.S. access to foreign-born human capital. The new Congress has a chance to help the U.S. economy by working with the White House to make it easier for the world's young and talented to stay in America after they've earned their Ph.Ds.
October 26, 2010 — New York Times (Editorial) — “48th is Not a Good Place”
The National Academies, the country’s leading advisory group on science and technology, warned in 2005 that unless the United States improved the quality of math and science education, at all levels, it would continue to lose economic ground to foreign competitors. The situation remains grim. According to a follow-up report published last month, the academies found that the United States ranks 27th out of 29 wealthy countries in the proportion of college students with degrees in science or engineering, while the World Economic Forum ranked this country 48th out of 133 developed and developing nations in quality of math and science instruction.
October 17, 2011 — Wall Street Journal (Editorial) — “A Better Idea for Green Jobs ”
Washington has spent years trying to force-feed green jobs, to little good effect. So here's a better idea: Expand the number of green cards, as in the number of immigrant visas for foreign-born graduates of American universities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
June 02, 2008 — Washington Times (Opinion) — “A Needed Stimulus: Improving Technology Infrastructure”
Rhett Dawson, president of the Information Technology Industry Council, authored an op-ed calling for crucial improvements in the technological infrastructure of the U.S. for economic growth and competitiveness.
February 14, 2009 — Boston Globe (Opinion) — “A Repackaged Education Proposal”
Darling-Hammond's approach largely reflects where Massachusetts was prior to the enactment of education reform in 1993. The only statewide high school graduation requirements were a year of American history and four years of physical education. State SAT scores were barely at the national average. Today, the picture is much brighter. Bay State students were the country's best on "the nation's report card" - the National Assessment of Educational Progress - the last two times the tests were given. They shook up the education world when results released in December showed the Commonwealth outperforming most of the international competition on the Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) tests.
October 12, 2010 — Wall Street Journal (Editorial) — “A Visa for Job Creators”
The immigration debate has devolved into a shouting match over allegations of "amnesty" and anti-Hispanic bias, but cooler heads need to keep in mind the economic benefits of attracting human capital to America. Consider the barriers we now put on immigrant entrepreneurs. Start-ups are responsible for most net new jobs in the U.S., and immigrants are almost 30% more likely than non-immigrants to start a business. None of this is news to economists, writes Stuart Anderson of the National Foundation for America Policy in a new paper, but a focus on start-ups "is largely non-existent in the current policy debate over jobs and the economy, most of which centers on how to encourage existing firms to hire more employees."
March 02, 2009 — Washington Post (Editorial) — “A Wall Built With Visas”
The economic stimulus package signed into law last week by President Obama contains a provision antithetical to innovation and domestic prosperity. That provision makes it even harder -- some say impossible -- for companies that receive government bailout money to hire foreign employees for specialized work.
September 29, 2010 — Politico (Opinion) — “Abby Joseph Cohen, Douglas Gilman and Sandra Lawson: Let's Prepare for Global Competition”
… The United States is still the global leader in science and technology innovation. But research shows that innovation is increasing rapidly in Asia, particularly China. … First, investment in education and skills is essential for long-term competitiveness. Investment in high-quality schools, and increased emphasis on basic science and math education, would help the United States develop more science- and engineering-trained students. … Second, there is an important role for government in basic research and development. Some developed countries have reduced public R&D investment after the economic crisis and its subsequent financial strains. Renewing public investment can stimulate private-sector funding, particularly in critical fields like energy and health, where the benefits of such investment are high. … Third, a more flexible and talent-friendly immigration policy could help the U.S. economy, and its many innovative companies, benefit from the globalization of science and engineering skills. Foreign-born workers contribute significantly to U.S. innovation, constituting 25 percent of today’s nearly 5 million university-educated scientists and engineers. Visa policies for skilled foreign-born workers, particularly in computer-related fields, need to be re-examined.
June 03, 2011 — New York Post (Opinion) — “Abby W. Schachter: Any Pro-Growth Agenda Includes Immigration”
Happily, Republicans in Congress seem to recognize the fact that a pro-growth agenda must include rationalizing legal immigration. As part of a working group focused on technology, some GOP congressmen headed by Rep. Bob Goodlatte will "examine current visa and immigration laws to make sure we attract and retain the best and brightest minds from around the world."
August 15, 2011 — New York Post (Opinion) — “Abby W. Schachter: Romney vs. Obama on Immigration”
GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has come out in favor of green cards for foreign-born PhDs in the STEM subjects -- science, technology, engineering and math. Romney is hoping that embracing an immigration position that is being demanded by Silicon Valley and others in the technology field (read Bill Gates) and supported by the Chamber of Commerce will lead to more successful fundraising.
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