Jack O'Connell is right: California's high schools need improvement. O'Connell, the state's superintendent of public instruction, wants to give high school achievement more emphasis, an attention it has not always received in the state's educational reforms.

O'Connell's intent to improve the quality of the education every high school student receives deserves support, but his goal of having every high schooler attend college fails the reality test. Not all students are suited for a college education, and it's time California admits that.

No one should be surprised that high schools haven't seen the same level of improvement that lower grades have. The state's reform efforts focused mostly on the primary grades, on the basis that a good educational foundation helps avoid academic problems later.

One consequence of that approach, however, comes in high schools that still lag in student achievement. It takes time for the reforms in lower grades to make themselves felt in high schools.

One high school reform -- an exit exam -- has been repeatedly postponed from taking effect, because many fear a significant number of California students would fail and not graduate.

Too many high schools don't meet goals on test scores, and the Cal State colleges find that about half the students who enter the system need remedial work in reading and math.

That should change, and a renewed attention on high schools meeting the state's educational standards is welcome.

However, O'Connell overreaches when he declares college attendance the goal for every California high school student. The reality is that not everyone is cut out for college. He might as well expect every California high schooler to be able to throw a 90 mph fast ball; skills and abilities -- not to mention interests -- vary widely, and some people simply don't fit the college mold.

While the state has worked to improve academics, it has let its vocational education system languish, which is a mistake. Many California youths could benefit from this education, as could the state: Skills in everything from auto mechanics to carpentry are in demand in California.

O'Connell's assertion that all students should attend college sounds much like humorist Garrison Keillor's fictional Lake Wobegon, where all the children are above average. Unfortunately, it ignores the reality of schooling and lets too many students -- ones who would put vocational education to good use -- slip through the cracks.

California should improve high school education, certainly. But expecting every high school freshman to be college-bound does high schools, students and the state a disservice.