As the United States grinds its way through a halting economic recovery, one thing has become abundantly clear: The recession of 2007 continues to reshape the economy in significant and permanent ways. Perhaps the most profound change is the accelerating disappearance of good-paying jobs that require only a high-school education or less. That means, of course, that an ever-growing share of the jobs that remain will be reserved for workers with some kind of postsecondary education and training. Education has long been a well-traveled route to good jobs, economic advancement, and success. What has changed in recent decades is that the relationship between education and opportunity has become much stronger. Education--especially higher education--is no longer just the preferred path to middle-class status. Today, it has increasingly become the "only" path. The importance of education is clear. While race, gender, and other factors can affect earnings and advancement in a career, education is the primary key for entrance to middle-class opportunity. Without postsecondary credentials, workers find themselves in an ever-shrinking pool where jobs are usurped by information technology and possibilities dwindle with each passing day. (Lists 1 resource.)