“Measuring Up 2006: The National Report Card on Higher Education” compares the proportion of degree-holding adults in the United States and other countries and finds that the U.S. is showing its age. Among older Americans (ages 35 to 64), 39 percent hold degrees, the next highest percentage after Canada. But younger adults (ages 25 to 34) in the United States fall behind those in six countries, including Korea, Norway and Sweden. Notably, the percentage of degree-holding younger Americans is the same as it is among their elders, but other countries have improved so much that Canada takes the top spot with 53 percent, 14 points ahead of the United States. In addition, the United States falls to 16th of 27 surveyed countries in college completion rates.

The disturbing trend calls for mobilization to compete, say the report’s authors, who also suggest that while “unparalleled [U.S.] facilities and faculties” are a firm foundation, the new context of a knowledge-based economy and growing global competition must be taken into account if the country is to remain a leader in higher education.

In addition to the international comparisons, “Measuring Up” uses state-by-state data to measure six categories of success in college: preparation, participation, affordability, completion, benefits (once graduated) and learning.

Although there are significant variations across the country, general conclusions show that preparation for college has improved (all but five states improved more than half the indicators in this category over the course of two years), but there is still no gain in the number of students graduating from high school. Participation in college is flat, while in other countries it is growing. College completion rates have seen modest gains, but with just 67 percent of freshmen completing a bachelor’s degree within six years, it’s nothing to brag about. The benefits of an education give most states increased educational capital by increasing personal income; and learning, in the limited number of states where it was measured, was tracked through literacy reports that will serve as a benchmark for future reports. The category that fared worst was affordability, which earned a flunking grade in almost every state, demonstrating a clear decline in accessibility in the United States.

For a copy of the full report, go to the NCPPHE Web site at measuringup.highereducation.org/.

“Fundamental changes in the culture and opportunities at America’s research universities are urgently needed,” says Donna Shalala, University of Miami president and chair of the committee that wrote the report. “The United States should enhance its talent pool by making the most of its entire population.”

Disparities are striking:

■ Although women have earned more than half the science and engineering bachelor’s degrees since 2000, those with Ph.D.s hold less than a quarter of the full-time faculty positions held by their male Ph.D. colleagues.

■ Studies cited in the report also show that women generally are paid less than men, are promoted more slowly, hold fewer leadership positions and receive fewer honors.

■ One survey shows that women feel, more often than men, that their research is devalued, that they are not asked to collaborate enough, and that they are under constant scrutiny.

■ Performance evaluations are often applied in such a way that women are at a disadvantage, favoring, for example, “assertiveness” in men, but not in women.

■ The report also finds that women are at a disadvantage because they lack the types of support traditionally provided by a “wife.” This kind of support from a spouse cannot be assumed for female faculty—among married women on science and engineering faculty, 90 percent have spouses who work full time, while just 50 percent of their male counterparts’ spouses are employed full time.

To change the culture, the report recommends university administrators publicly commit to hiring and promoting women fairly, and consider collaborating to create standards and promote compliance. Campus policy should “vigorously” support faculty members who have children or other care-giving responsibilities. The report specifically calls for paid parental leave, facilities and subsidies for on-site and community-based child care, and extra time for dissertations and tenure.

The report also suggests that professional organizations review their nomination and election procedures, and that scholarly journals consider adopting a blind review process for selecting papers for publication. And federal agencies should provide technical support to universities striving to change their discriminatory practices.

For more on the report, see www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=11741.