Global competition, which has become more acute with the onset of the world financial and economic crisis, is forcing countries to look for resources by means of which the crisis can be overcome and national economies will receive a new impetus of development. It is the growth of the educational potential that constitutes the component of the overall human potential that, progressing effectively, can facilitate the transition to the innovative path of development as well as ensure the kind of social reproduction and social balance that are essential for stable development. Young people's striving to acquire a higher education, and older adults' desire to acquire a second or supplementary education, are factors that provide objective evidence of the rise of human potential, or at any rate its quantitative dimension. This article examines the results of a 2009 survey of producers and consumers of educational services, as well as employers. Results show that although the educational potential of the Russian population is rising in quantitative terms, its quality is inadequate for the solution of Russia's economic problems and for the modernization of Russian society.(Contains 1 note.)