UPenn report confirms state officials failed leadership on higher education

FAILED political leadership has left Washington state's university system disjointed and financially imperiled. Access to higher education has declined. Because of limited resources, the institutions do not produce enough bachelor's degrees, forcing employers to hire workers from out of state — and from out of the country.

Times editorials have made this point repeatedly. Powerful validation now comes from a damning report by the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. Penn researchers looked at states underserving their college-age students.