It has become cliché, these days, to bemoan the fact that the American education system, despite its vast expenditures, is constantly losing ground when compared to the rest of the developed world. Nevertheless, when one puts hard numbers to the bromide, it becomes, well, much less of a bromide. According to a report released earlier this week by ACT, the company that is responsible for the eponymous college entrance examination finds that only 26 percent of American students who graduate from high school having taken a college-preparatory curriculum are in fact prepared for college-level work.

If these findings are correct, they point to an alarming decline in the quality of secondary education in America. What’s more troubling is that, despite these results, upwards of 17 million students are currently enrolled in the nations approximately four thousand colleges. It’s not much of a leap to suggest that many of these students are failing or at least not getting all that they might out of college because they have been ill prepared by their high schools. This is a travesty. We firmly believe that every high school graduate should have the opportunity and adequate preparation to go to and succeed in college should they so choose. It’s incumbent upon the national government to take a stronger role in devising a national strategy to achieve this ideal.

The opportunity for postsecondary education is far too valuable in today’s society to be denied to anyone based on anything other than his or her own choice. From a purely economic standpoint, the wage paid to a graduate of a four-year college is about 45 percent more on average than that paid to someone who holds only a high school diploma.

A college education also opens avenues to a more fulfilling life, increasing occupational opportunities, providing a nationwide (and even worldwide) social and professional network, and broadening students’ experiences by exposing them to varying views and ideas. These intangible benefits are also invaluable assets for further economic and social success, informing and enriching graduates’ lives long after graduation.

Nevertheless, while everyone should have the opportunity to attend college if he or she chooses to do so, it is unfortunate that a college education is increasingly viewed as the best and only path to a successful and fulfilling life. High school graduates should matriculate because of their own desire to do so, not simply in response to the commonly accepted idea that in today’s society a college degree is a prerequisite to any path in life. Guidance counselors and other advisors should inform students of the multitude of opportunities available to them after graduation and the benefits and costs that are associated with each choice.

The tangible and intangible benefits of attending college make the opportunity to gain a postsecondary education invaluable and necessary for all college graduates. Because this opportunity is a necessity, the government must turn its resources towards improving public education in order to provide all American high school students with the chance to succeed.