One way in which Americans have always been exceptional has been in our support for education. First we took the lead in universal primary education; then the “high school movement” made us the first nation to embrace widespread secondary education. And after World War II, public support, including the G.I. Bill and a huge expansion of public universities, helped large numbers of Americans to get college degrees.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/09/opinion/krugman-ignorance-is-strength.html?_r=2&ref=paulkrugman