Improving College Readiness

How can we ensure that every child is prepared to enter college or the workforce? There is a widespread agreement among policymakers, business leaders, and educators that the U.S. needs to raise the educational achievement of all students. Yet, there is a disconnect between secondary education and higher education.

Today, the New America Foundation released a new report, Bridging the Gap. The report offers policy recommendations for improving the P-16 pipeline. Some of these recommendations include setting national college and work-readiness standards in math, science and language arts; strengthening college remedial courses; and leveraging federal dollars to identify and seed further growth of promising models currently being tested in states, in local school districts, and on college campuses. Other education groups have recommended strategies for improving college readiness such as: strengthening K-8 education standards; improving students' academic behaviors; and implementing intervention programs for students with academic deficiencies.

What policies need to be in place to ensure that every child is ready for a 21st workforce and higher education system?