How the Mexican education system contributes to emigration

As national borders become ever more porous and the world becomes a more tightly interconnected place thanks to new technology, ease of transportation, and increasingly global markets, domestic education policy should strive to prepare the next generation as members of a global society (see Hinton, this volume). According to data from the United States Census bureau, the number of international migrants in the world may double by 2050 (Süssmuth, 2007). As a result of this staggering increase in people living in countries in which they were not born, many questions arise about where people migrate, for what purpose, and what role the country of origin plays. How does the Mexican education system prepare (or not prepare) its citizens for a role in the global marketplace? Does Mexico create a class of lowskill workers for the benefit of the United States? What implications for the future can be drawn from the Mexican example?