Just as a high-school diploma was necessary for getting a good job a generation ago, higher education is more important than ever in today's global, knowledge-based economy. Still, the U.S. has continued to lag behind other nations in investing in education and preparing our children and young adults for an increasingly competitive job market.

As a former member, Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the State Board of Education, I have spent much of my career focusing on improving education in our state. While serving on the board, I watched as Colorado's schools continued to lose funding. That is why in 2000 I played a critical leadership role in building a coalition to pass Amendment 23, which resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding for Colorado's public schools.

In 2006, I co-chaired a successful $300 million Boulder Valley School District bond initiative, to make repairs and upgrades to learning environments as well as improve energy efficiency. Inadequate preparation, skyrocketing tuition costs, and prohibitive college-loan interest rates are preventing many students from accessing and succeeding in higher education.

The future success of our nation hinges on technology education. By engaging the IT community in developing and implementing innovative methods to improve postsecondary access and success, we can increase enrollment in science and technology, and in computing and engineering studies for women, minorities and people with disabilities. We must also invest in college preparation and outreach programs in high schools for underrepresented student populations.

Here are some of my specific ideas to help make college more accessible:

1) Cut interest rates on subsidized student loans and halting deceptive marketing practices.

2) Provide relief to low- and moderate-income families from rising tuition costs through federal financial aid grant programs, such as the Pell Grant, now covering just a third of tuition at an average public college.

3) Reform federal tax credits for higher education to benefit the vast majority of low-income students, by making them refundable as well as expanding them to offset costs other than tuition and fees.

4) Cover the cost of two years of college tuition for each year of national service. We should give any college graduate up to $25,000