Grow the U.S. Economy and the Customer Base

Individual companies and the U.S. economy will benefit if the pool of individuals with significant buying power enlarges. Put simply, the more education an individual has, the more earning and spending power she has. The typical bachelor's degree recipient can expect to earn 80 percent more over a 40-year working life than a high school graduate. Those with an associate degree will earn 27 percent more.

Earning more translates to spending more. The average annual spending of a household headed by a high school dropout is about $29,000, while a household headed by an individual with a bachelor's degree spends nearly $64,000 per year on goods and services.

Yet far too many young people drop out before they finish high school, which often has devastating effects on an individual's ability to participate in the marketplace and economy. Not enough of today's high school graduates are not equipped with the basic skills or decision making acumen to be astute customers and active citizens.

By partnering with policymakers and educators to raise graduation standards for all students and motivate students to achieve excellence in technical fields, businesses will help produce more savvy consumers.