President Obama has made it a priority for the U.S. to regain its position as the leading producer of college graduates by the year 2020 — a goal that is “within striking distance” according to Jim Hull, Senior Policy Analyst at the National School Boards Association’s Center for Public Education.
For the U.S. to improve on its No. 5 world ranking in the number of 25- to 64-year-olds possessing some form of college degree, it must boost the number of two-year degree holders by instilling a national focus on enrollment and success in community colleges and trade schools, Hull says in his report, “Getting Back on Top: An International Comparison of College Attainment.”The data he analyzed are primarily from 2010 and are taken from the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Education at a Glance, released in September 2012.
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Currently the U.S. ranks second only to Norway (35 percent) in the percentage of adults holding a bachelor’s degree or better at 32 percent. However, America isoutranked by most countries when it comes to two-year degree graduates, tying for 18th with the United Kingdom and Germany at 10 percent.
Overall, the U.S. ranks fifth in the world in adults with degrees at 42 percent when not differentiating between two- and four-year colleges — behind Russia (54 percent), Canada (51 percent), Israel (46 percent) and Japan (45 percent).
