Several states have made progress in aligning their high-school curricula with college standards and in better preparing their students for the demands of college and the workplace, according to a report released on Wednesday. However, the report\'s authors warn, education reformers have a \"long haul\" before them to raise high-school quality to meet the expectations of postsecondary education and the job market. The report, \"Closing the Expectations Gap 2006,\" was compiled by Achieve Inc., a nonprofit group based in Washington and formed by governors and business leaders to help raise national academic standards. The report derives from information provided by the states and is the first in a series of annual reports planned to track high-school reforms in all 50 states. Last February, at a National Education Summit on High Schools co-sponsored by Achieve, participants learned that one-third of students drop out of high school and that, of those who graduate and enter college, one-third require remedial courses. Statistics also indicated that nearly half of high-school graduates entered the workplace unprepared (The Chronicle, February 23, 2005).