The global economy is changing the nature of work and the kinds of jobs our young people will enter. Jobs that once required a high school degree and paid a family-sustaining-wage and included retirement and health benefits are disappearing, and new jobs require more knowledge and skills than ever before. Today, roughly two-thirds of all new jobs require some form of postsecondary education. Experts say this percentage only will increase in the future.

States Need to Keep Pace with Rising Knowledge Demands

Employers and college leaders say that graduates from high school need to master higher-level mathematics and communications skills more than ever before. Research reveals that the ticket for student success in work or future learning is taking courses in math beyond Algebra II and advanced courses in English and science. But few states expect students to take these courses. In fact:

• Only twenty states, and the District of Columbia, have aligned their high school graduation requirements with college and workplace expectations.
• Twenty-six states require students to pass an exam before they graduate high school, but these tests tend to measure only 8th, 9th or 10th grade skills rather than the higher-level skills students need to succeed in college and the workplace.
• Meanwhile, only fourteen states have testing systems with components that assess whether or not students have mastered college- and career-ready knowledge and skills.

High School Graduates Aren't Prepared To Succeed

Expectations gap in high school and postsecondary standards: lack of alignment, low high school graduation requirements, and the disconnect between high school assessments and college/ career aspirations result in students earning a high school diploma without necessary skills for success.

As many as 39 percent of recent graduates now enrolled in college and 46 percent in the workforce say there were significant gaps in their preparation. Professors and employers agree, estimating that four out of 10 high school graduates aren't ready for college or employment.

Students Will Respond if We Challenge Them

Young people tend to achieve what's expected of them. The problem is, we're just not asking enough. According to a recent poll, 88 percent of students said they would work harder if their schools demanded more of them, set higher standards and raised expectations. An overwhelming majority of students who've entered college and the workforce say that, knowing what they know now, they would've worked harder and applied themselves more in high school. Most would take harder courses if they could go back.