I’m not sure when or how we allowed ourselves to slip into complacency regarding the importance of education in this nation, but somewhere along the way the role of academic achievement or advancement has diminished to a level unseen in previous generations. As far back as the eye can see and the mind can remember, a critical element of the American way has always been to strive to enhance one’s basic knowledge, information, and skill set, whether through K-12 education, postsecondary schooling, professional training, continuing education, or even on-the-job training. At a minimum, it was understood that a person would at the very least graduate from high school and either enter the work force or pursue higher education or some other form of training. Dropping out of high school used to be at a minimal level and certainly not even close to the 50% dropout rate that we’re witnessing nationwide. For years, colleges, universities, vocational, technical, and trade schools have offered the gamut of degree programs, licenses, and certifications in practically every profession and vocation imaginable, which has served to accommodate the widest range of academic and career interests. There is literally no excuse for the level of apathy toward educational achievement that we are witnessing, because there is a training and education format available in the marketplace to fit practically everyone’s liking or circumstance. While we can hypothesize about how we got to this place of seeming indifference toward educational success for all students, it seems we must first reestablish our commitment to the critical role that educational achievement has for every young person, regardless of their station in life.

Recent history reminds us that Americans from all walks of life valued education to some extent, as a means toward improving their own marketability/employability and life choices. What we are facing today is a popular culture whose priorities and values ignore the basic principles for how we became a great nation. High performing public schools and strong student academic performance have always been the underpinning to our prominence as one of the most successful industrial nations. America’s commitment to high quality K-12 schooling continues to be the first step toward making sure that we maintain our strong competitive and influential positions around the world in so many spheres. Families, schools, communities, and the government have consistently been critical stakeholders for securing academic success for every child. There used to be a shared responsibility among parents, teachers, and everyone else to fulfill the larger mandate for an educated and informed citizenry. How we got away from such a broad-based commitment is hard to figure out still today. Perhaps adult preoccupation with self-gratification and materialism coupled with an unwillingness to work hard at defining what’s gone wrong in our schools might be at the core. The range of distractions being lobbied at young people today may be making it impossible for certain groups of students to even understand why a basic educational foundation is necessary. The younger generation will be responsible for shepherding in a new era marked by global, economic, and geopolitical shifts like we’ve never seen in our history, and all of us have a part to play in making sure that they are well prepared for the kinds of demands, challenges, and uncertainty forthcoming globally. The whole village has to act like and communicate to all who will listen that education will always be the gateway to ensuring that this country has the highly skilled, informed, and trained leaders, workers, managers, and citizens needed for us to maintain global preeminence across the board.