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These essays by former Governor James B. Hunt Jr. and business leader Thomas J. Tierney lay out in succinct fashion the requirements of both our nation and our states for new and higher levels of performance from America's colleges and universities. The authors of these essays are not theorists writing from an ivory tower. Quite the contrary, both are national leaders and draw from their extensive experience in civic life, politics, and business. Both serve on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Public Policy and Education, and each of their essays brings fresh insights to the National Center's seminal series of report cards evaluating and comparing state performance in higher education. The context for these report cards is the dramatically changed environment of higher education over the past two decades. Today, the knowledge-based, global economy and major demographic shifts demand substantially improved opportunities for education and training beyond high school. This demand must become a major goal of national and state public policy. To an unprecedented extent, more Americans must prepare for, enroll in, and successfully complete degree and certificate programs. As the baby boomers--the most highly educated Americans in history--retire, their replacements will come primarily from the expanding minority and low-income groups, populations that have traditionally been the least-educated groups in this country. If this nation and its states cannot improve the education of these groups, the share of the U.S. workforce that is college-educated will shrink, and much of our past advantage in the global marketplace will shrink with it. These essays by two of America's most perceptive and influential leaders are valuable maps for charting the course through the critical economic and educational challenges and opportunities of this new century.

This presentation by North Carolina Governor James B. Hunt discusses the need to get students engaged in their communities via service learning. Service learning reverses student disengagement by giving them responsibility for their own learning. This provides real-life contexts for learning, prepares students for citizenship through involvement in civic action, and contributes to personal and career development by reducing risk behaviors and increasing sense of responsibility and workplace skills. The governor suggests that to be fully integrated into K-12 schools, teachers and administrators must learn about service learning firsthand during preservice preparation. He recommends including service learning as a criterion for defining high quality teacher education programs. Research shows that students participating in high quality service learning demonstrate improved test scores, increased grade point averages, increased attendance, and reduced dropout rates. Such students feel more connected to their schools, exhibit fewer behavior problems, better understand community needs, and are more committed to service. Research also shows that service learning, when embraced by a critical mass of educators in a single school building, can impact the school as an organization or culture. A response by a University of Texas teacher educator reinforces the governor's words and stresses the importance of citizenship education. (SM)

This speech discusses the importance of higher education, the challenges facing higher education in America today, and the role of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education in helping to make higher education more accessible and affordable. It further discusses initiatives in North Carolina to improve elementary, secondary, and higher education, and calls for states to expand their commitment to higher education. The speech goes on the examine the purposes of higher education, including promoting good citizenship, making people better human beings, and providing them with world-competitive skills. It looks at the role of public policy in higher education over the last several decades, noting the great achievements of the GI Bill in opening the doors of higher education to an entire generation after the World War II. The speech then focuses on two deficits in higher education today an opportunity deficit and a learning deficit. The former involves the limited opportunities that children from low-income families have for attending higher education, while the latter refers to the increasing numbers of students who attend college but do not graduate. (MDM)

Declaring that a "national emergency" exists in American education, the author outlines "Action for Excellence" recommendations developed by the Task Force on Education for Economic Growth, of which he was chairman, and discusses accomplishments in educational reform in the state of North Carolina, where he is governor. (JBM)