U.S. MUST FOCUS ON EDUCATION.

Byline: ROY ROMER 

HIGH-school graduation this week puts a spotlight on a very serious problem we are facing as a nation -- our declining graduation rates and our growing dropout rates.

According to the latest "Diplomas Count" report by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, more than 1.2 million students are dropouts. America's high-school graduation rate has slipped behind 18 other countries, and America's share of the world's college graduates has shrunk by half. Unless there is a dramatic shift, more than 12 million students will drop out nationwide over the next decade, resulting in a $3 trillion blow to our nation's economy.

Compounding this issue, of those students who do graduate, many are not prepared for college, work or life.

The California State University system reported last year that 47 percent of its entering freshmen needed to take remedial courses in language arts and 38 percent needed to take remedial courses in mathematics. These courses, which cost money, should have been mastered in high school and do not earn credit toward a degree. And, not surprisingly, only half of our students who head off to college end up earning a degree at all.

Our prosperity is increasingly dependent on our skill level and knowledge. When compared to 29 other countries that are part of the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development, the U.S. ranks 18th from the top in English, 24th in math and 24th in problem solving.

To paraphrase Satchel Paige, if you look back, they are not only gaining on us, they are passing us and leaving us in their dust. China, Singapore, Korea, Finland, Poland, and many more countries are outpacing us.

America's education crisis will plague every family as income gaps widen and the economic security of our country is threatened.

What can we do about it? We need to ring a clarion bell of alarm. We need to make "educational improvement" a key issue for every American at the national, state and local level. The upcoming presidential campaign offers all voters an opportunity to do just that.

According to the Pew Center, three-quarters of Americans want to hear more about candidates' issue positions. Voters must ask the candidates what leadership they will bring not just to Congress, but to all 50 states and 14,000 school districts to solve this problem over time.

The candidates need to address and debate common-sense priorities that hold tremendous promise for improving education, including raising strong American education standards; making sure there is an effective teacher in every classroom; and providing more time and support for learning.

To be ready for college, work and life in the 21st century, American children need strong schools and a strong education. To make sure that happens, the candidates who aspire to be president of the United States need to have plans to tell us how they will get that done.

Like millions of Americans who care deeply about quality education in our country, I look forward to hearing about those plans as the campaign continues.