David Gergen adds more words to the debate over U.S. competitiveness, including a North Carolina reference in his latest U.S. News column:

What this means for America is that if we wish to remain great, we must improve–dramatically–the way we compete. We all know this starts with K-12 education, and we have made progress, but it has been shamefully slow and uneven. In May, the Education Department announced that the first nationwide science test in five years found that while fourth graders made some nice gains, 12th graders actually fell back. One of our most progressive states, North Carolina, reports that its multiple universities have over the past four years produced only three new physics teachers for grades K-12. One can find similar signs of complacency in other competitive areas.