. a not too subtle device that would allow a bunch of over educated do good liberals to gather in a room in Washington and decide which companies to support and which to jettison . . . " (Webber, 1987, p. 21). While the American administrations wallow in their head in the sand approach, the German and Japanese governments cooperate with their industries, as they continue on the path to global economic leadership.
The American education establishment is reluctant to part with any of its prerogatives, or to even to acknowledge that the problem involves education (Graha, 1989). The problem is not enough money, the problem is government's failure to address effectively the nation's social problems, or the problem is too much political and parental interferrence in the schools, but the problem most certainly does not involve the teachers, nor the approach of the education establishment to teaching. The nation's education establishment fights merit testing for teachers, qualification testing for students prior graduation, or any attempts by government and business to redirect educational policy and standards. Meanwhile, teachers in German and Japan get good results.ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS INCREASING THE NEED FOR
EFFECTIVE INDUSTRY EDUCATION COOPERATION
The public education system in the United States was founded in large part as a response to the growing needs of a rapidly developing economy (Easton and Dennis, 1969). The rapid development of the public education system began in the last half of the nineteenth century, when the rapid industrial development of the country began creating demands for ever increasing numbers of competently educated individuals as workers (Greenstein, 1965). In this early example of industry involvement in the education process, industry made its needs known to the political establishment at the national and state levels. In turn, the political establishment created the public school system ...