States Acting to Raise Bar on H.S. Skills

Push to Boost Readiness Taking Hold, Survey Finds

States are moving to close the gap between high school preparation and college and workforce readiness, but momentum is far greater in some policy areas than in others, a 50-state survey released this week shows.

At the National Education Summit on High Schools, held a year ago, state governors agreed to a broad set of actions needed to address the gap. Those include raising graduation requirements and academic standards, building stronger data and measurement systems, better preparing teachers, redesigning high schools structurally and academically, and holding both the K-12 and postsecondary systems accountable for results. ( "High Schools in Limelight for Summit," Feb. 23, 2005)

Since then, according to the report by the Washington-based Achieve Inc., which co-sponsored the summit with the National Governors Association, every state, plus Puerto Rico, has signed an NGA compact to improve data on high school graduation rates by agreeing to...