Six states - Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Utah Arizona, Delaware, and New Mexico – have committed to the “Tough Choices or Tough Times” education reform agenda created by the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce.  The Commission argues that today’s education system in the US fails to prepare workers for global competition; US graduates are ‘mediocre’ against international competition in the labor market. The Commission suggests many improvements to the US education system including lean, performance-oriented management systems, and fewer more high quality tests.  Perhaps another improvement could be the use of international benchmarks in setting rigorous state standards around top academic performance, creativity and innovation, and ability to learn.