Here are two articles that seemed to me to go towards explaining what we are reading about, experiencing, and trying to come to grips with in education today:

What Do U.S. College Graduates Lack? Professionalism

What are employers and society in general finding problems with? National Association of Manufacturers surveys of “Skills Gap” notes some problems coming out of high schools and colleges that may shed some light:

• Work ethics, timeliness and attendance are as important as verbal, math and technical skills – and are not being taught
• High school and college grads’ general “sense of entitlement” causes problems
• Grads don’t understand what hard work really is
• A belief that multi-tasking is effective actually diminishes focus on task at hand
• American culture (see the next article for some possible explanations) and lack of focus in general, combined with high school grade inflation, causes problems in the workplace
• The main incentive seem to involve just moving kids through a system
• But … a bad worker/employee jeopardizes an entire unit, division or company
• “As employers and government officials put more pressure on colleges to produce employable graduates, this message should reach students before they collect their diploma.”

Click here to read the article.

and

How many companies are cooking the books?

According to the latest Ernst & Young survey of employees, boards of directors and top managers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India, the following systemic cultural problems were noted:

• 1 in 5 employees are aware of their company’s financial manipulations
• 42% of board members are aware of their company’s financial manipulations
• Wal-Mart allegedly bribed Mexican zoning officials
• These activities undermine U.S. parent companies and markets
• 3 major banks have been fined for manipulating LIBOR; 13 others are under investigation
• In general, anti-bribery/anti-corruption policies are not being implemented or enforced

These activities lead to “Wild West” attitudes and cultures, a general sense of entitlement and invitation/incentive to take increased financial, managerial, societal, moral risk.

Click here to read the article.