Achieve, Inc.
Closing the Expectations Gap 2008, February 2008
This survey updates the efforts of all 50 states to align their high school standards, graduation requirements, assessments, and accountability systems with the demands of college and careers.

Achieve, Inc.
Do Graduation Tests Measure Up? A Closer Look at State High School Exit Exams, June 2004
Achieve studied graduation tests from six states — Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas — to determine how high a bar high school graduation exams set for students. Among the findings, the exams represent reasonable expectations for students — they aren't overly demanding — and they'll need to be strengthened to better measure college- and career-readiness.

Achieve, Inc.
Rising to the Challenge: Are High School Graduates Prepared for College and Work?, February 2005
In this survey, high school graduates (college bound and not), college professors and employers reported that high school graduates are not prepared for college or work, did not feel challenged in high school, and would have worked harder if more was expected of them. Achieve worked with Peter D. Hart Research Associates to poll 1,487 students, 300 college professors and 400 employers. A PowerPoint summary also is available.

Educational Testing Service (ETS)
Ready for the Real World? Americans Speak on High School Reform, June 2005
Americans say high schools are not challenging our students and that the United States will be less competitive in 25 years unless high schools are overhauled. This annual survey was conducted by Peter Hart and David Winston. The focus of the survey was parents, administrators and teachers, with a special emphasis on those in California, New Jersey and Ohio. The survey’s major findings include that high school is not rigorous enough, freshmen are not arriving prepared, teachers need to be better qualified and expert in the subjects they teach, students should have to pass a test in core subjects to graduate, and our nation’s competitive position rests on education. They surveyed 2,250 adults with a margin of error plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc.
State of Our Nation’s Youth 2005–2006, August 2005
This annual survey of 13–19 year-olds was conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc. The 1,005 young people surveyed said they want to go to college, have more rigorous academics in high school and be given the opportunity to meet these challenges.