# Forum on Education and the Economy: Gov. Roy Romer

Education reform has been a policy focus in the United States since "A Nation at Risk" was released in 1983. Despite the best of intentions and large investments by both the public and private sectors, we are slipping in comparison to our industrialized peers, placing 25th out of 30 in math and 21st in science on the 2006 PISA test. Our nation's high schools continue to graduate only 70 percent of students on time, and only half of those who graduate are prepared for college and the workforce. Yet because policymakers, educators and American families don't typically connect these warning signs to an imminent crisis, there is little urgency for bold reforms. We want to steer the debate about education reform to emphasize the impact a mediocre education has on the nation's economy. The Library of Congress hosted a national, non-partisan policy forum to discuss the connection between education and the economy. Economic, educational and political experts will examine data tracking the U.S. performance internationally that measure the skills needed to succeed in a global economy. The discussants will also explore the current and future economic implications to the United States. How can we persuade Americans that continued poor educational performance has real economic consequences for our nation? Gov. Roy Romer, chairman of "Ed in 08," ended the conference by reviewing the landscape of education reform from the first governor's conference in 2000 and spoke about the upcoming…

- Kind: Talk
- Year: 2008
- By: Library Of Congress
- Genres: Education
- Archive: [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/2021688167/)
- Licence or status: Rights statement at the Library of Congress (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Library of Congress
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/loc/2021688167?play=1)