In recent decades, the United States economy has undergone a dramatic shift to a knowledge-based economy that, when coupled with simultaneous, rapid globalization, has created a greater demand for a more educated and skilled workforce. The share of U.S. jobs requiring some level of postsecondary education is expected to grow to 63% in the next decade. By 2018, the United States will need 22 million new college degrees and at least 4.7 million new workers with postsecondary certificates, but it will produce three million fewer degrees than are needed. Evidence suggests that a substantial fraction of the student population in the United States is insufficiently prepared for postsecondary education, which results in a great cost to the nation. Students' performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a nationally representative assessment, is an indication of the challenges that states face in trying to prepare students for postsecondary education. For example, 2009 NAEP data indicate that just 38% of U.S. 12th-graders performed at or above proficient in reading, and only 26% performed at or above proficient in math. Data from international academic assessments indicate that students in the United States are being outperformed by other developed nations. On the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), 15-year-olds in the United States ranked 17th in reading and 31st in mathematics. Secondary and postsecondary institutions must address the academic rigor of their programs and why students are not successfully completing postsecondary programs. This brief is intended to support policymakers in achieving the goal that every student graduating from high school is ready for both college and career.