A new report from the Economic Policy Institute concludes that all students need access to quality instruction in critical thinking, social skills and a work ethic, citizenship and community responsibility, physical health, emotional health, appreciation of the arts and literature, and reparation for skilled work. The nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank says closing the achievement gap between different subgroups of students requires much more than narrowing the gap between their standardized test scores.

In its seventh annual report on high school graduation, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education estimates that between 2005-06 and 2014-15 the nation's public high schools will produce almost 207,000 more Latino graduates (an increase of 54 percent); about 12,000 more African American graduates (an increase of 3 percent); and nearly 197,000 fewer white non-Latino graduates (a decline of 11 percent). WICHE is a regional organization of 15 Western states, including California, that focuses on sharing resources to increase support for and access to higher education.