"President Barack Obama said today that the future of the U.S. economy depends on improving the nation’s education system.
Speaking on NBC’s “Today” show, Obama said it isn’t something that the U.S. can spend its way out of. “Money, without reform, will not fix the problem,” he said.
The president’s signature “Race to the Top” education program, funded with $4.35 billion, is meant to improve U.S. education by raising state standards and linking teacher pay to student achievement.
Obama also has said that the U.S. is falling behind other nations in producing college graduates, leaving it less able to compete in the global economy.
His goal is for the U.S. to have the highest rate of college graduates in the world by 2020. The U.S. now ranks 12th among 36 developed nations, the College Board said in a report in July.
“The status quo isn’t working for children and it’s not working for the country,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan said yesterday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “What the president fundamentally gets is that we have to educate our way to a better economy.”
~ Source: Bloomberg.com
