Since 2000, the "Measuring Up" report cards have evaluated the progress of the nation and individual states in providing Americans with education and training beyond high school through the bachelor's degree. The purpose of the series is to assist the nation and the states in improving higher education opportunity and effectiveness. "Measuring Up" focuses on results, outcomes, and improvement, evaluating and comparing states in six areas: (1) Preparation for college; (2) Participation; (3) Affordability; (4) Completion; (5) Benefits; and (6) Learning. A core message of the 2008 report is that despite historical successes in American education, the preeminence of many American colleges and universities, and certain examples of improvement within the past decade, higher education performance in the United States is not commensurate with the current needs of the American society and economy. Contents includes: (1) Foreword (James B. Hunt, Jr.); (2) The 2008 National Report Card: Modest Improvements, Persistent Disparities, Eroding Global Competitiveness (Patrick M. Callan); (3) The National Picture: 2008 Snapshot; (4) Improvements and Declines; (5) State Grades 2008; (6) State Change Over Time on Key Indicators; (7) The Information Gap: Much Talk, Little Progress (Dennis P. Jones); (8) Stuck on Student Learning (Peter T. Ewell); (9) "What's New in Measuring Up 2008?; (10) Questions and Answers about "Measuring Up 2008"; (11) How We Grade States and How We Measure Change Over Time; and (12) Acknowledgments. (Contains 3 footnotes, 7 figures and 2 tables.)