Education is Key to Economic Competitiveness

Do you agree or disagree? Why? What can we do about it?

Did you know that 24 countries outscore U.S. schools in math, and 20 outscore the U.S. in science? Our schools are failing. While the rest of the developed world is preparing their children for the new century, our system continues to lag behind. The countries with the best schools attract the best jobs. If jobs move to other countries, our children’s opportunities dry up. And so does our economy. Join the national debate. Act now and visit www.strongamericanschools.org to improve education before more American students lose out, hurting our economy and impacting every one of us.

These are the words I heard at the first "In Focus", a new program of the Education Foundation for St. Vrain Valley. The Longmont "Times Call" newspaper headlined this event in their Monday, September 8th, 2008 edition. Last night I heard it again on television via the Aspen Summit. To watch the webcasts of the presentations click on Aspen Summit.

Am I just paying more attention or are we really seeing an increased focus on the fact that education is the answer to America's top issues? Are we seeing this increased focus because it is a presidential election year? Yes, of course. But will we see some real progress in education as a result? What can we do to keep this going? Are folks listening and getting it?