Preparing All Graduates for College and Careers

Despite the progress states have made over the last two decades to raise expectations and measure results in America's schools, most high school graduates are unprepared for the demands they face when they enter the workforce or college:

• Four out of five college students (82 percent) and non-college students (80 percent) say that they would have worked harder if their schools had demanded more of them and set higher academic standards.

• Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of recent high school graduates feel strongly that they would have worked harder if schools had demanded more of them, set higher academic standards and raised course requirements for graduation.

• Nearly two-thirds of high school students (65 percent) would work harder if high school offered more demanding and interesting courses.

The national business community has made aligning high school expectations with the skills needed to succeed in careers and college one of its top national priorities. Keep reading to get facts and data about the magnitude of the current challenge - and learn what schools and states can do to address the challenge.