In the 21st Century, most of our job growth will be in highly technical, sophisticated fields that offer good salaries and health benefits.

Currently, however, not enough Georgians over the age of 25 have completed college or technical school. As a result, many Georgians lack the skills they need to take advantage of the kinds of good jobs that the new economy provides. We need to transform our workforce, and we need leaders who are willing to assist in this transformation without getting in the way.

Although control of public education rests with state governments and local school boards, the federal government has an important role in ensuring that all American children have access to quality education. The federal government can help the most by providing early childhood education for children who need help, by supporting school systems in their efforts to achieve excellence, by assisting children with special needs, and by working with struggling school systems to get them back on track.

Creating incentives for schools to be successful is the right idea, but micromanaging the classroom is not going to train our students to be successful in the new economy. Our best schools have high standards, but do not waste valuable resources constantly demonstrating their competence. Parents and teachers are better at setting standards in their own communities than any bureaucrat in Washington or Atlanta.

We know that early intervention works best. The federal government has played an important role in early childhood development and should do more. We should expand Head Start eligibility to include more at-risk children, and we should expand the Early Head Start Program. Studies have shown that early intervention can go a long way toward ensuring academic success in K-12 education, in turn lowering high school dropout rates and creating more opportunities for our young people.

But our commitment to education cannot end after high school. Only 55 percent of Georgia's high school graduates who are ready for college or technical school actually attend, and too many of them have to drop out for financial reasons once they get there. We must expand the federal loan and grant programs to make sure that cost is not a barrier to a college degree.

Creating a culture of higher education and lifetime learning will be the most important investment that we can make in the future of our state and our country. A strong education system - from early childhood through college and technical school - will allow the United States to compete effectively in the global economy.