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To compete in a global economy, our students must continue their education beyond high school. To make this expectation a reality, we must give students the tools they need to succeed, including the opportunity to take a college entrance exam.

Higher education is one of few areas where this country competes with the rest of the world and wins. The best of American higher education outstrips any in the world. Look where the rest of the world goes for higher education, for graduate degrees. They come here.

We know that to compete for the jobs of the 21st century and thrive in a global economy, we need a growing, skilled and educated workforce, particularly in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math. Americans with bachelor's degrees have half the unemployment rate of those with a high school degree.

For the future, primarily, we must educate people in science, engineering, technology and math.

We must ensure our system of higher education offers world-class quality for a world-class economy.

Education is a precondition to survival in America today.

If we do not provide education for every single American, we are consigning those without an education to second-class status.

We are going to have the best educated American people in the world.

We're going to have the best-educated American people in the world.

This is a universal human dream - that brains, not brawn, will rule - and the fact that America has the world's finest institutions of higher education may be our greatest single national asset.