Once a student completes 8^th grade, they have two million minutes to go as a teenager. 
According to the directors of the video, “the documentary looks at how the three superpowers of the 21st Century – China, India and the United States – are preparing their students for the future. As we follow two students – a boy and a girl – from each of these countries, we compose a global snapshot of education, from the viewpoint of kids preparing for their future.”  See a two minute trailer on U tube by clicking below:
 
www.2mminutes.com
 
This documentary has set off heated debates throughout America. Do we want our education system to model India’s and China’s structure and culture? Do we need more rigor in our curriculum and school day? Do we keep students in class long enough? Don’t we want students to be more flexible in their thinking and their career choices? These are some of the issues that were raised in Washington.
 
Under the Clinton administration, Japan and China were three to four percent of the labor pool. Now, India and China are viewed as potentially 40% of the labor pool. Globalization and technology may be hollowing out the middle class. Conference speaker Gene Sperling offered, “Education today is like training for the Olympics but not knowing what sport you are competing in.”