Academic rigor, accountability, enlightenment and pedagogical professional development are some of the current buzz words used to persuade the public to trust and believe that today's educational policies are in the best services of students, but is it really? Let's start with the requirements for a high school diploma. What is required of students at different stages of their education? In the state of New York, High school students must take a number of state exams called Regents in various subjects with 65 or better and earn a total of 44 credits to be eligible for graduation. The receipt of a high school diploma by society's standards means that the recipient is college and career ready. However, Colleges are finding that they have fallen victim to the same system that has been cheating students out of an education for decades. Over the next several weeks we'll be looking at educational policies and the impact it has had on the students, teachers and the community in order to determine if eduction in the U.S. is stagnant or progressive?