(RALEIGH) -- The Public School Forum, a nonprofit think tank, has  issued a report with recommendations for improving education in North Carolina. Forum Executive Director Jo Ann Norris said after three years of budget cuts, the state merely reacts to problems without having a long-range plan for a child's education.

"As our study is titled, Our Kids Won't Wait, we cannot ask them to sit idly by while we come out of this recession, so we have got to be pragmatic.  We've got to target.  We've got to focus," said Norris.

Specific proposals include creating uniform standards and more rigorous training for future teachers in college, with a focus on math, science and reading.  The group also recommends new salary ranges for teachers that would give more pay to those in high-demand jobs, and offer preschool programs to all "at-risk" children.

The Forum maintains "Smart Start" and "More at Four" are key programs that help reduce North Carolina's "unforgivably high" dropout rate and should be preserved. The group's report offers a long-term roadmap around two main goals: attracting high quality teachers and reducing the dropout rate.