Are you part of the solution?

When it comes to education, I find that the world view of today's grandparents is strongly influenced by the idea of the US as a world leader in intellect.

Today's parents recognize that that is no longer quite the case.

Today's students don't even know what it feels like to grow up in a society where acquiring an excellent education is considered by all to be a child's primary job.

You can't reverse this trend single-handedly, but you can make a difference.

You don't have to have a child, and you don't have to be an educator. But you can do your part, simply by remembering that after food, shelter, and community, education is the highest-leverage activity in which any person can participate.

You have an impact not only every time you talk with a child, and every time you vote, but also every time you do a Friday NYTimes crossword puzzle in public, and every time you use correct grammar, and every time you take 30 seconds to look up a word in a dictionary, and every time you take a class -- on anything! -- just because you want to.