And that’s why as part of this new foundation that we seek to build, we’re investing in education, because our economic success depends on making sure people have the skills to match their talents. So we launched a national competition last year to improve our schools based on a simple idea: Instead of funding the status quo, we’ll only invest in reform. We’ve recently announced the first winners in what we’re calling this Race to the Top. And across America, it’s making a difference, as states are implementing reforms to raise student achievement, to improve education in math and science, and to turn around failing schools that steal the future of too many young Americans.
As part of this effort, I’ve promised to speak at a high school commencement every year, to highlight schools that are encouraging excellence and preparing their students for college and careers. And today, in fact, after a vote to narrow down the finalists on our Web site whitehouse.gov, we announced that I’m going to be speaking to graduates of Kalamazoo Central High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan. So, those of you based in Michigan, you should be pleased. Go, Giants! We’re looking forward to talking to those young people.
We’ve also set this goal: America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. And we’re making progress towards meeting that. Congress passed legislation that will make college more affordable by ending unnecessary taxpayer subsidies that go to financial intermediaries for student loans. The bill also includes one of the most significant investments in community college in history, because community colleges are a career pathway for the children of so many working families. And last night during our discussion, one of the things -- a theme that continually came up was the fact that there are a lot of skilled jobs out there that don’t necessarily require a four-year college degree, but they’re not being filled, because we haven’t done a good enough job on just basic math -- high school math skills, for example. We see our investment in the community colleges as a potential way to bridge that, even as we’re working on improving K-12 outcomes.
We are seeing rising enrollment in both two- and four-year schools across America. We want to make sure that those folks who are enrolling are getting the best education possible so they can serve effectively as part of your workforce.
