Education is critical to the American dream. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, unemployment rates for those without a high school degree are 8.1 percent compared with 2.2 percent for college graduates.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's bipartisan report on state educational effectiveness shows that America's K-12 schools are failing their students and putting America's future competitiveness at risk.

"We are not making the grade when it comes to preparing students for their future," said Tom Donohue, Chamber president and CEO. "Without real leadership in education reform, our economic future and prosperity are at risk. If companies were run like many education systems, they wouldn't last a week."

Leaders and Laggards: A State-by-State Report Card on Educational Effectiveness graded all 50 states and Washington, DC, on nine broad categories including academic achievement, return on investment, truth in advertising, rigor of standards and data quality.

The report and accompanying recommendations for reform were prepared with John Podesta, CEO of the Center for American Progress and former Clinton White House chief of staff and Frederick M. Hess, director of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute.

"The business community cannot sit on the sidelines while another generation loses its chance at the American dream," said Donohue. "Young people cannot succeed without a first-rate education and we cannot succeed as a nation without them.

In an effort to ensure the economic prosperity of future generations of Americans, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Center for American Progress also issued a report titled, "A Joint Platform for Educational Reform." 

The report outlines several structural changes that can significantly improve the current education system in the United States, including four core goals that the two organizations will focus on:

Better teaching - states and districts must ensure that teachers are effective.

More innovation - federal, state and district leaders must implement innovative educational practices and school models.

Better data - state and local policymakers must improve data collection and equality dramatically, then use that data to make better educational decisions.

Better management - schools and school systems must adopt sound management principles.

"The quality of United States public education must be significantly improved for all students and most especially for those students who historically have received lesser educational opportunities students of color, with special needs and/or from low-income families," said Podesta. "We need every student to be a successful learner if we are to maintain a thriving economy in which everyone contributes and succeeds."

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