The same day the Commission on the Future of Higher Education approved its final report, news broke of the foiled terrorist plot to bomb U.S-bound airplanes. Could there be a connection between the way we train our youth and how successful we will be in making peace with the rest of the world? If the Commission’s recommendations are carried out, the United States is in trouble.

According to the commission, universities “should measure student learning” with standardized tests. This oversimplified No Child Left Behind solution will not work to create a generation of problem-solvers and creative thinkers. Ironically, the inadequate recommendation is designed to ensure that universities produce adults capable of competing in a global economy.