Two of Obama’s main education advisors: “By 2012, America will have 7 million un- or under-filled jobs in science and technology, ‘green’ industries, and elsewhere due to a lack of skilled workers with post-secondary education.”

From a November 4, 2008 article on Huffingtonpost.com:

Stanford University’s Linda Darling Hammond and New Leaders for New Schools’ Jon Schnur, two of Barack Obama’s main education advisors, wanted me to share their view on the importance of Obama’s education plan for America’s economic future. Here it is.

…At a time when three-quarters of the fastest growing occupations require postsecondary education, our college participation rates have declined from first in the world to fifteenth. Our high school graduation rates – stuck at 70 percent – have dropped from first in the world to the bottom half of industrialized nations. Our students rank 35th out of the top 40 countries in math and 31st in science achievement. If these trends continue, by 2012 America will have 7 million un- or under-filled jobs in science and technology, “green” industries, and elsewhere due to a lack of skilled workers with post-secondary education.