"We're here because there's a crisis in education, which has been building up for the past 40 years," said Holly Zardus of the Strong American Schools in '08 campaign. (Daily Texan)

Half of Americans say U.S. schools are doing only a fair to poor job preparing kids for college and the work force. Even more feel that way about the skills kids need to survive as adults, an Associated Press poll released Friday finds. (Associated Press)