Institute For The Future

Chinese scientists taking kids home for a better education?

Christian Science Monitor had a great piece May 1 on what some call a "reverse brain drain," adding data to the still largely anecdotal trend of U.S.-based Chinese and Indian scientists going home to develop their careers.  China is getting better at convincing Chinese nationals to "come home" -- even those who have been in the U.S. for years.  These are some of the brightest people in the world.  Ask the next Chinese-born grad student you meet where he or she ranked in the province compared to peers, academically.  It's not uncommon to find people who were at the top of a field of a million other students. 

The American educational system has traditionally been a prime reason for moving families to the U.S..  Today, according to the article, highly educated Chinese parents “see a dumbing down of public education in the US" and are moving back to China so their kids can get a better education.  If this is true, we're in bigger trouble than I thought.  

The article also points out: 

• The percentage of foreign-born students who were still in the US two years after receiving their doctorates slipped from 71 percent between 2001 and 2003 to 66 percent in 2005, according to a study by Michael Finn at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
• In the short term, if China can draw 1,000 ethnic Chinese professors from the US, “that’s a big number,” especially if it's very high level or highly specialized scientists.