Why is this so difficult to understand?

I'm really irritated by all of the focus on higher education, both in the US and abroad. They all wonder why enrollment is down, why students don't do well, why it takes five and six years to get a bachelor's. I don't know if they've figured it out, but the longer you're trying to change the trajectory of a child's education, the more of a chance you have to get them to succeed. So no, stepping in during their freshman year of college isn't the best use of my money or your time.

How many children are in high school and can't read? How many children in the third grade can't write their own names? The number of functionally illiterate people in a place that touts itself as a land of opportunity is astounding. Imagine what would happen if states actually took control of their own destinies and enacted education reform that meant something. What would that even look like?