Through the years, educators, parents, and the general public believed that a college degree is one of the most powerful strategies for our nation's war on poverty. The increased earning power of individuals with college degrees and the contribution to our economic security were frequently acknowledged. Our commitment and attention to college readiness, persistence, and success intensified after President Obama announced, in his 2011 State of the Union Address, the goal of moving America from 12th place globally back to number one in the proportion of young people with a college degree. The urgency to return to number one by 2020 was coupled with the prediction that by 2018, nearly two-thirds of all jobs will require a college education. Just as no single key factor can guarantee college readiness, no single cut score alone can define college readiness. Nonetheless, the 2012 ACT results and the College Board State Capital Campaign suggest that we are far from achieving President Obama's goal of being number one in the proportion of young people with a college degree by 2020. The Americans have identified key success factors but they have not demonstrated the political will to scale these key factors fast enough to transform the lives of the most underserved and to return to a global leadership position.