As many as two in five recent high school graduates say that there are gaps between the education they received in high school and the overall skills, abilities, and work habits that are expected of them today in college and in the work force. The majority of college students and high school graduates without a college degree say that they have gaps in preparation in at least one crucial subject or skill that they will face. College instructors and employers confirm these assessments. College instructors are especially unsatisfied with the job that high schools are doing in preparing students in writing and mathematics. Instructors report that they spend a significant amount of time teaching material that they feel should have been learned in high school. Knowing what they know now about the expectations of college and the work force, the majority of high school graduates would have applied themselves more in high school and chosen to take more difficult classes. Yet, fewer than one-quarter of high school graduates feel that they were significantly challenged and faced high expectations in order to graduate from high school. Those graduates who did face high expectations are much more likely to feel adequately prepared for college or the work force. High school graduates welcome raised standards of achievement. A majority of graduates say that they would have worked harder if their high school demanded more of them and set higher academic standards. High school graduates, employers, and instructors support a broad reform agenda, including measures that would raise the expectations for high school students, test them more rigorously, and require them to take more challenging courses. (Contains 10 figures.) [The research described in this report was conducted by Peter D. Hart Associates/Public Opinion Strategies for Achieve, Inc.]