Educational Media Reviews Online

This documentary takes an in-depth look at how students in the United States allocate their high school years (approximately four years or two million minutes) compared with India and China. It examines the implications this may have on the U.S. position in the global economy during the 21st century. Those two million minutes are the usual time a child has to prepare for college and ultimately his/her career. The film's experts, including former U.S. Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich, physicist Shirley Ann Jackson, international education specialist, Vivien Stewart, and Harvard economist Richard Freeman, present a wide range of viewpoints on the state of secondary education globally and the impact it has on international competitiveness. The documentary chronicles the lives of six high school students in three countries around the world, the United States, India and China. Viewers are able to observe the various pressures and priorities of these students, their schools and their families, which provide insight into the changing nature of competition in the knowledge economy. Their stories demonstrate how the three countries educate their youth and lay foundations for future economic growth and development. Special emphasis is given to the chronically low scores in math and science indicators for students in the U.S. China now produces eight times more scientists and engineers and India three times as many as the U.S. The goal of the film is to start Americans thinking about whether we are doing enough with the time students spend in school to ensure a bright economic future for them and for the U.S. in the new global economy.

Video techniques and effects are well planned and executed. Editing of the scenes in the schools, home and workplaces is judicious and effective. The subtitles are large and clear as Indian and Chinese students and parents are interviewed, and they did not interfere with the film's messages. Additional resources are available on the Two Million Minutes web site. This DVD is suitable for teenagers and adults of all ages. Academic libraries will want to provide for their education and business departments, and public libraries will want to share with the parents, teachers, school board members, and high school students of today.