Moving Beyond Grade 12

The failure to prepare many young people for higher education is taking a toll on the U.S. rates of college enrollment and completion.

By Lynn Olson

When it comes to getting its young people to enroll in college and then do what it takes to graduate, the United States is losing its international edge.

Although the nation ranks near the top in the proportion of 35- to 64-year-olds with college degrees, it drops to seventh among countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in the educational attainment of younger adults, ages 25 to 34.

And while other OECD nations have made dramatic gains in the proportion of young people going to and finishing college, U.S. college-participation rates have remained relatively flat...