You know that it's a stark indicator of the educational readiness of America's youth when even former military leaders publicly admit that too many young people are academically ineligible to be recruited.??
As Education Week reported today,??a national security??group comprised of former military officials released a report that says approximately 75% of Americans ages 17-24 are ineligible to join the military because they have not graduated from high school, have criminal records, or are physically unfit. (Keep in mind that the military lowered its admission standards to near abysmal levels in 2005-2006.)
Arne Duncan attended the press conference held to release the report to urge the passage of a U.S. Senate Bill that would provide funding to expand access to early-childhood education programs and enhance training. He had this to say in support of the bill:
"A quality education is really an issue of national security. If we don't educate our children well, we put our nation at risk."