Sunday’s Seattle Times carried a strong editorial page call to action. “Losing kids on the path to prosperity” charts a course from early learning through higher education. Editorial page editor Kate Riley explains the urgency.

The state of Washington’s education system — and by system, we mean the ways we educate our citizens from birth through graduate school — is imperiled. State decision-makers over the years have prioritized many things over this core function of government, which underpins our economy and quality of life.

She singles out a significant higher education gap.

The state’s higher-ed institutions are economic engines in their communities, educating our own citizens to take the jobs our businesses offer. But there is a gap: Even in this era of high unemployment, many jobs in our state want for qualified Washington applicants.

Elsewhere on the page, Microsoft General Counsel and EVP Brad Smith makes the case for widespread reform, noting that the budget challenge creates an opportunity to make substantial progress.

The education debate this legislative session cannot be limited to a conversation about funding. Because the solution is not just investment; it requires putting our dollars into what works in helping students succeed. Student success is the single most important outcome against which our teachers and schools should be measured. And it is toward that outcome that our public resources should be directed.

I encourage you to read the whole thing.