WASHINGTON, April 18 (UPI) -- A quarter of all U.S. states are requiring tougher graduation requirements for high school, a survey released Wednesday indicates.
"While the federal government has been driving K-8 education policy, states are leading the way on high school reform," said Michael Cohen, president of Achieve, a bipartisan group created by the nation's governors and business leaders to improve academic performance.
The survey found that at least 48 states are engaged in reform efforts. The most significant progress is in the area of graduation requirements, where 13 states, up from two in 2004, now require high school students to complete a college and work curriculum to graduate, the survey said.
The report comes two years after 45 of the nation's governors joined leaders from education and business to make high school reform a national priority at the 2005 National Education Summit on High Schools.
