The US is falling behind in higher education. Can we turn the tide? | Courtney Brown for Big Think

So if you ask most people about who are today's higher education students, most people think, "Oh, those kids, they graduate from high school, they live in a brick building for four years, and then they get a degree." And that could not be further from the truth.

40% of today's students work full-time, and almost 40% are aged 25 and over. Many are not dependent on their parents. They're living independently. Many of them are below the poverty line.

As jobs have changed, as different skills are needed, these individuals, these adults without post-secondary education, need to go back in and upskill or reskill or even skill into what today's economy and today's workforce is demanding. As a society, we have to make sure we're supporting the entire student, and thinking about what it's going to cost for them to be able to go into post-secondary education and successfully obtain a credential of value.

Most Americans would say that America's number one in the world with regards to higher education. But the reality is, over the last couple of decades, many countries have far surpassed the United States.

In 2008, Lumina Foundation looked at the trajectory of Americans and recognized that by 2025, most jobs would require a post-secondary credential. We set a goal for the nation: By 2025, 60% of people in the United States will have a degree, certificate, or other post-secondary high-quality credential.

As of today, we are at just under 52%. To get to the 60%, we have to actually understand who does not have access to the system, and who the system has failed. There are those individuals who have never touched higher education. They may have a high school degree and they're in the workforce, but they have no other credential. They're more likely to be in low-wage jobs, more likely to not be able to retain their jobs, have multiple jobs.

And that's roughly 90 million people in the United States. Then we have another 36 million people in the United States who started higher education, and for whatever reason, were unable to obtain a credential. Somewhere along the way, the system failed. That's one in five adults aged 25 to 64 whose dream was broken, and they're probably still paying off debt from that tuition, and yet they still have no credential to show for it.

We want to ensure that all Americans have an opportunity to access and succeed with a post-secondary credential, and put that knowledge toward a credential of value. If we don't get to the 60%, then we're leaving behind millions of people that have talent, abilities, and knowledge that our nation actually needs.

So reaching the 60% is not a nice-to-have; it's a must-have for these individuals, for our communities and for our country to succeed in the future.