States raise the bar for schools and students.

"America's high schools are obsolete." That was Bill Gates' message to the National Governors' Association (NGA) at its 2005 National Education Summit on High Schools, held in February in Washington, D.C. Building on the ideas and momentum generated at the summit, the NGA and Achieve Inc. launched initiatives to help states make education policies that result in higher graduation rates and more rigorous college-preparatory standards.

The NGA's Honor States Grant Program, partially funded by the foundation, has given grants to 27 states for a wide range of initiatives to improve high schools. To receive a grant, states had to commit to certain policy objectives, including setting goals for higher graduation rates and improving student data collection. Getting better data is vital. Until recently, most states listed artificially high graduation rates—around 90 percent, when they were closer to 70 percent or even lower—because they didn't factor in students who dropped out before 12th grade. In addition to securing pledges from the 27 Honor States, the NGA got governors from all 50 states to sign a "graduation compact" to demonstrate their commitment to counting graduation rates accurately.

After the National Education Summit, Achieve launched the American Diploma Project Network. The states in the network, which now number 22, all committed to working toward "alignment"—lining up high school graduation requirements and college entrance requirements—and ensuring that state tests are based on college-ready standards.

Together, the NGA Honor States Program and the American Diploma Project have helped the majority of states set priorities that will result in better high schools and more students who are prepared for success in college and work.