A public education system's effectiveness should be based primarily on whether graduates have been equipped to be productive workers following program completion. Otherwise, neither the system nor the completion certificate (diploma) is worth the tax dollars spent. As Kentucky's education commissioner, the author found it woefully apparent that despite schools' and policymakers' best intentions, too many students who earned high school diplomas in Kentucky's public schools lacked the minimum knowledge or skills to succeed in college or the workforce. These educational shortcomings are neither new nor isolated to Kentucky. While there is no simple solution to the longstanding American education problems of social promotion, watered-down curriculum and expectations, and secondary school experiences that are misaligned with the realities of postsecondary education and the workforce, some commonsense measures should be championed by conservatives and implemented in every state to make the high school diploma more meaningful. The following measures to implement are presented: (1) Requiring demonstration of basic skills; (2) Diversifying secondary school curriculum and program offerings; (3) Prioritizing career and technical education; and (4) Aligning secondary curriculum and expectations with postsecondary realities.