To give states the information they need to sustain hard-fought education reform policy changes effectively, Achieve conducted research on state education reforms that have been sustained successfully for over a decade or more. Funded by the GE Foundation, Achieve hopes this work will help other state leaders, wherever they may be on their road to reform, replicate successful strategies and accelerate systemic reform in their own states, particularly around the college- and career-ready agenda. The project includes: (1) Four case studies that examine both governmental and non-governmental strategies that were effective in making reform last in Indiana, Massachusetts, South Carolina and Texas; (2) A paper that draws on and synthesizes the case studies' overarching lessons and states' strategies for sustainability; and (3) A tool that states can use in their own planning. The four states were chosen because they were able to pass and sustain significant education reforms over time, for at least a decade. The focus of the case studies is not on the specific policies passed, but rather the process and strategies the states employed to make significant change last. The Texas story is remarkable in its continuity. The state's standards-based reforms have evolved over the past 25 years, as Texas has consistently and incrementally ratcheted up the expectations for students, teachers and schools alike. How did this come to be? What pieces needed to be in place for the standards-based reforms to take root in Texas? What type of leadership drove and sustained these reforms? It is hoped that the answers to these questions can help other state leaders, wherever they may be on their road to reform, replicate successful strategies and accelerate school-system reform on their home turf.