At one time, any high school diploma was good enough. It was proof of a well-educated student who was qualified for a decent job. It was a solid foundation for a productive work life.

Times have changed. The world has become more complex, where even trade jobs require more technical expertise and minimum-skill jobs are increasingly moving overseas.

It's estimated that by 2010, nearly two-thirds of jobs in the U.S., and 70 percent of new jobs, will require some post-secondary education.

Clearly, the demand for highly educated students has increased. And it's high time the standards for earning a public high school diploma are raised as well.

The state Board of Education has taken a step in that direction, recently establishing a diploma that mandates specific courses recognized as critical for a solid educational foundation. It's a good idea.

But the effort won't mean much without genuine, consistent buy-in from the state's education bureaucracy, which must ensure that students are prepared to tackle the new standards when they reach the ninth grade.

At the moment, the new diploma, which goes into effect with the class of 2013, is optional. A student entering ninth grade can choose to work for the basic diploma, which is easier but arguably could leave that student at a competitive disadvantage.

That should change. Educators must work toward making the higher standards the basic standards. Granted, setting these new standards for all students will be difficult. Only about 30 percent of high school graduates get the current BOE Recognition Diploma, which is a step up from the basic one.

The new diploma, which replaces the current Recognition Diploma, requires specific, higher level math and English courses, as well as at least two lab sciences such as chemistry, biology and/or physics.

The new diploma can assure employers that our students are well educated and have met solid academic standards. And the Legislature, along with the University of Hawai'i, should continue to fund and expand scholarship programs for these students.

It's a more rigorous academic road, but it's in Hawai'i's best economic interest to encourage students to take it.