Twenty years ago, Massachusetts enacted its landmark Massachusetts Education Reform Act (MERA), which put the state at the forefront of the nation's move toward standards-based education. The Act kicked off two decades of reform that have built one of the best educational systems in the country; the state's students, on the whole, have achieved remarkable academic growth since 1993. That focus drove the state's initial reform efforts and ultimately helped build an improved education system for all students. Getting students to high school graduation--or even getting them enrolled in college--is no longer sufficient. There is a need to ensure that all students are prepared to succeed in college through to graduation. This involved working with goals and programs that would move the needle for the thousands of students currently enrolled in middle and high schools across the state. Goals were put in place that included: Striving for Excellence, Achieving Equity, and Building the best K-12 STEM education system in the country.