CNN to Cover America's Struggling Math and Science Education Initiatives

By DE Editors

The most recent international tests of high school students in 34 industrial countries ranked U.S. children 17th in science and 25th in math. Eighty percent of American high school seniors aren’t considered proficient in science knowledge.

CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien reports Don’t Fail Me: Education in America, a look at the human cost behind a crisis in public education, which has aligned business leaders and politicians concerned about American students not receiving the rigorous math and science education necessary to qualify them for the technology jobs that define the global 21st century marketplace. The one-hour documentary premieres Sunday, May 15 at 8 p.m. ET and PT and re-airs Saturday, May 21 on CNN/U.S.

“It is amazing to me that at a time of high unemployment rates, we actually have over 2 million unfilled, high wage, high skilled jobs,” says Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

Ursula Burns, the CEO of Xerox Corporation can’t find enough skilled engineers in the U.S. and tells O’Brien, “I’m panic stricken about it.”

Don’t Fail Me follows three motivated high school students in a national robotics competition called FIRST Robotics, created by inventor Dean Kamen, to get kids inspired to study math and science.

In the documentary Kamen says, “If we don’t generate the next group of innovators, scientists, engineers, our standard of living, our quality of life, our security will plummet.”

Additional reporting on the public education system and video excerpts from Don’t Fail Me: Education in America can be found at www.cnn.com/inamerica. 

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.