What You Can Do

Companies and business people have many options to support local and state efforts to improve student readiness for college and careers. Click here to read checklists of specific strategies businesses can use in the areas of advocacy, leadership, philanthropy and expertise. We have also prepared snapshots of business-led initiatives tied to these strategies. Click here to search the database of snapshots of effective business involvement.

You can also download  easy-to-use tips for effective involvement to, for example, help you initiate and navigate conversations with local superintendents and policymakers, or align your company's charitable giving with proven practices, or get involved in a variety of advocacy efforts.

As states and school districts prepare to address the challenge of unprepared graduates, parents, educators and others often have questions or concerns about whether these policies are right for students and whether it is fair to expect all students to meet these higher expectations. Click here to find resources that address these concerns. You will find fact sheets, PowerPoint presentations and annotated bibliographies of resources on important issues such as:

• Do all students need a college-ready curriculum?
• Do all students need challenging math in high school?
• Requiring readiness: Can all students benefit?
• Will raising high school graduation requirements cause more students to drop out?
• If we raise standards in high school, won't students become more disengaged?