There are formidable challenges at every level of the system that confront students who aspire to enroll and succeed in college. In 2007, the College Board formed the Commission on Access, Admissions and Success in Higher Education to study the educational pipeline as a single continuum and identify solutions to increase the number of students who graduate from college and are prepared to succeed in the 21st century. The commission found that a "torrent of American talent and human potential entering the educational pipeline is reduced to a trickle 16 years later as it moves through the K-16 system." In short, too many students fall through the cracks at each point of the P-16 pipeline. Led by William "Brit" Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland, the commission established 10 interdependent recommendations to reach its goal of ensuring that at least 55 percent of Americans hold a postsecondary degree by 2025. The College Board and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) joined together to produce a practical policy guide for state legislators to pursue each of the commission's recommendations. The guide acts as a road map toward increasing the number of Americans who attain a postsecondary degree and empowering legislators to be an even more positive and active force. The College Board and NCSL have identified coauthors in their respective organizations with policy and practice expertise in each recommendation area to create the individual chapters of this State Policy Guide. Each chapter of this guide includes: (1) Brief background information on the topic; (2) A list of questions that state legislators need to ask about conditions in their own states; (3) An overview of current and relevant research; (4) Specific strategies for dealing with the problems; (5) The cost implications of the policy strategies (including low- , medium- and high-cost options); (6) Examples of policies that are currently being implemented in the states; and (7) Short- , medium- and long-term action steps state legislators can take. Individual sections contain figures, notes and references.