For too long, education in West Virginia has operated as a series of discrete silos: early childhood programs, elementary schools, middle grades, high schools, vocational and technical programs, two-year community and technical colleges, workforce training, four-year colleges and universities, and graduate education. As students move from one silo to the next in their academic careers, too many fall through the numerous cracks created by a disjointed system. A third grader who cannot read at grade level enters the fourth grade with little hope of catching up academically to his peers. A middle school student who does not receive appropriate academic counseling enters high school with little hope of taking the courses necessary to prepare her for postsecondary success. A community college student who is unable to transfer course credits enters a four-year degree program with little hope of finishing his degree on time, or at all. An undergraduate student who must take remedial courses has little hope of pursuing a graduate degree. While some students do manage to navigate the system and move through one silo to the next, it is much less common than it should be: for example, of every 100 West Virginia 9th graders, only 15 will receive a college degree within six years of their graduation from high school.