Governors Push to Keep U.S. Competitive

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, left, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, right, listen during President Bush's speech at the 2007 Republican Governors Association gala at the National Building Museum in Washington, Monday, Feb. 26, 2007. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson) (Lawrence Jackson - AP)

Students in many other industrial countries are better educated than American students, said William H. Schmidt, a Michigan State University professor who studies education.

By the end of eighth grade students elsewhere are two years ahead of American students, he said. "These children, we're putting them at a disadvantage. This makes it more than an economic issue, it makes it a moral issue," Schmidt said.

Meetings over the four-day conference hammered the point. School teachers, business leaders, scientists, pollsters all delivered the same message _ overhaul school curriculums, retrain workers and revamp economic development so that businesses build upon each other, rather than pit one state against another.

They heard from Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway; Robert Rubin, the former Treasury secretary during the Clinton administration; President Bush's top trade negotiator, Susan Schwab, and many more.

Governors sought support for more federal help from Alexander and Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., chairman of the House Science Committee.

But the biggest challenge is changing the mindset of the country, said Rhode Island GOP Gov. Don Carcieri, so that people embrace everything from the math and science skills needed to work in the 21st century to the larger changes needed in health care and energy.

"There's a a huge sense of urgency about this," Carcieri said. Scientists are "the brainpower for all of our nation's capacities ... I'm frustrated about how we communicate that and how drive it."

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