States Make Progress on Closing the Expectations Gap

Yesterday morning, Achieve, Inc. released its third annual report, "Closing the Expectations Gap 2008." The news is good - a majority of states have committed to raise expectations for high school students, and more than one-third of states have already adopted college and career-ready standards and graduation requirements.

I've blogged before about the need for all states to hold their students to high academic standards, and I'm not alone.

"It's clear that states are leading the way in ensuring that students leave high school with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in college and careers," said Michael Cohen, president of Achieve. "For states this is not just an academic exercise, it's about preparing students for the global economy and the demands of citizenship in an increasingly complex world."

Currently, 18 states and the District of Columbia now report that their high school standards are aligned with postsecondary expectations, eight more than a year ago. Twenty-six additional states report that they are in the process of aligning standards or plan to begin.

A few other key findings from Achieve:

• Testing: Nine states currently give college readiness tests to all high school students, while 23 others plan to do so.
• Accountability: Four states now hold high schools accountable for the college readiness of their graduates and offer incentives for improving college-ready graduation rates, while seven more are planning to do so.
• Data Systems: Eight states now have data systems that can track students from pre-K through college graduation, while 39 states have plans to develop similar systems.

We still have a ways to go - I'll feel better when all states are holding their students and schools accountable for meeting rigorous expectations, not just planning to do so - but the progress our nation has made in only one year is encouraging. One thing that is becoming clear is that state and national level leadership together play a tremendous role in getting these reforms in place.

The next president will influence the future of education in our country, but he or she will need strong state partners in that effort. That is why the new generation of governors must continue to take on the education challenges our nation faces as a whole, and do their part to work with the next president to dramatically reform and improve schools for all students, whether they live in Mississippi or Massachusetts.