My Family Culture

If I were to be evacuated to another country and I could only take three items with me that would be tough. I really do not have too many "things" that would represent my culture that I would find important enough to take.

Most of the things that I hold dear are not physical things, but traditions, my beliefs, practices and my religion. They are with you no matter where you are. One of the most important things to me would be my family, and they would already be going with me. So, if I had to choose 3 things I would choose my Bible, extended/current family pictures, and a cross necklace that my husband got me. I really do not have anything from my mother or extended family that has been passed down.

My Bible would be important to me because it is apart of my heritage and it would be important for me to pass that on to my children. My Great Grandparents came to the United States as Russian/Mennonite immigrants looking for Religious/political freedom. My grandfather was a Mennonite but he married my grandma who was not apart of the society that he grew up in, so that generation is basically where the way of life started to die off. Most of the traditions got lost because my grandmother refused to learn the German language so my mother was only taught a few words from her father. We still have some of the traditional foods on the holidays but that is mostly as far as it goes.

The pictures speak for themselves because I would want to remember the faces and have memories of my family and the things we did together. The necklace would be important because it was a special gift and it represents two relationships that are important to me.

If I were told I could only keep one item It would make me feel like a part of my only heritage was being stripped away. It would be difficult to leave two of the items but I would definitely keep the Bible because it means the most to me.

Insights I have gained about myself include realizing that my family culture is less about "things" and more about what I stand for and believe about my heritage. These are the things that I pass on to my children and they can not be taken away. I also found out that my family culture is not that strong in passing down tangible items but the focus is more on tradition and spiritual aspects. I have also learned how difficult and scary it must be for families who are here as first generation immigrants. They should be able to hang on to their culture of origin.

Education pays

by Andreas Schleicher

Head of the Indicators and Analysis Division, OECD Directorate for Education

Today’s launch of Education at a Glance 2011 gives us a good opportunity to take stock of where education is today and where it might be headed. And as the OECD celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, this is also good moment to reflect on how education has evolved over the past half-century.

The first obvious development over the years has been the dramatic expansion of higher education around the world. In 1995, for example, the United States was the standard against which other countries measured their education output; today the US is considered an average performer because so many other countries have expanded higher education so much faster.

This expansion has had a significant impact on the global talent pool. Across 36 countries, some 39 million people near retirement age have university-level degrees; but among the age group now entering the work force, some 81 million people do. More countries are represented in this pool of highly educated adults, too. For example, China’s share has expanded from less than 7% among the older age group to 18% among those who have just entered the labour market – just 2 percentage points less than the US share of highly educated adults.

What’s driving this expansion? Higher education brings substantial economic benefits to both individuals and societies. On average across OECD countries, a person with a university-level education can expect to earn over 50% more than a person with an upper secondary education. Over his lifetime, a highly educated man in the OECD area can enjoy gross earnings of around USD 338,000 more than a man with a secondary school diploma. And the additional taxes and social contributions paid by graduates of higher education make investment in this level of education very profitable for the public, as well. 

In contrast, the penalties for not completing an upper secondary education can be severe – from substantially lower wages to a greater likelihood of being unemployed, particularly during tough economic times. On average across OECD countries, during the depths of the global downturn in 2008-09, unemployment rates among those with higher education have stayed at or below 4%, while unemployment rates among those with only lower secondary education breached the 10% level.

What emerges from all the data we offer in Education at a Glance – from tuition-fees policies to teachers’ salaries to what fields of education students choose to study – is the strong message that both public and private investment in education pays off, not just financially but also in the less-quantifiable ways that make societies great.

More about Education at a Glance
Go to the website: www.oecd.org/edu/eag2011
Follow us on twitter @ OECD_Edu  #OECDEAG
Download the stats, see EAG2011 navigator by country
Download the book

Ringing in a new (school) year

Early September marks the beginning of a new school year for children in the northern hemisphere (our friends in the southern hemisphere have been back to school for months now). It also marks the beginning for OECD educationtoday's new blog home here at oecdeducationtoday.blogspot.com.

Many of you know us at www.oecd.org/edu/educationtoday where for years now we have brought you the latest and greatest developments in education - in areas such as student performance, early childhood learning, online learning and more. Today, we are moving our blog to a new home, where we hope many more of you will find us, join us and tell us what you think.

We will continue to blog about hot topics in education around the globe and at OECD, bringing you an insider look at new findings in international student performance, skills, early childhood education, education innovation and more. Guest bloggers from within the OECD (including experts in the field) and from around the world (education ministers and education movers and shakers) will share their thoughts, listen to yours and respond to your questions and comments.

Next week look out for a post by Andreas Schleicher, all about OECD's Education at a Glance, our annual report on how countries around the world are measuring up inside and outside the classroom. You won't want to miss it!

There's nothing like having access to breaking and relevant thinking in your favourite field. Ours is education. You too? Sign up to receive our blogposts by email, join this site with Google Friend Connect, tweet out blogs you like (or those you don't) and keep coming back.

Now back to the pencil sharpeners, books and laptops ... a busy year lies ahead!

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