Created by the Bush administration, this program will urge students to go beyond minimum high school graduation requirements. This initiative aims to set more students who aspire to go to college on the right academic path toward meeting admissions requirements. It recommends that students take at least four years of English, three years of mathematics - including Algebra II and geometry - three years of laboratory sciences, 3 1/2 years of history and social studies, and two years of the same foreign language. Students who complete the recommendations of the program will earn incentives that might include recognition from the federal and state education departments, as well as local officials. They may also be eligible for admission and scholarships at public colleges and universities in their states.

Arkansas was the first state to receive a portion of this $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.