Since the launch of the Michigan Achieves! campaign, the Education Trust-Midwest (ETM) has tracked Michigan's performance and progress towards the goal of becoming a top ten state for education opportunity and achievement, focusing on key data-driven indicators. It's important for Michiganders to understand how the state's students are performing compared to other states and the nation overall, especially in a globally connected and competitive world. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which is the largest nationally representative assessment that provides for long-term comparisons of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas, can help provide this national perspective. Results from leading education states on the NAEP assessment -- also commonly known as the national assessment or the Nation's Report Card -- show that it's possible to improve education outcomes dramatically. There are many other indicators, which ETM reports on annually, that also signal that Michigan's trajectory needs to change. They are: (1) Student Attendance; (2) Access to Rigorous Coursework; (3) College Readiness; and (4) College Attainment. A recent poll of Michigan parents conducted by EPIC-MRA and The Education Trust-Midwest entailed phone interviews with 600 parents in Michigan with one or more children age 18 or younger. This major survey was conducted to better understand how parents-essential stake holders in public education, think about issues impacting children. Results are telling: (1) Quality Education is "the" Top Concern; (2) Parents support both transparent accountability "and" equitable school funding; and (3) Parents believe effective teachers matter. Unlike political discourse on the topic, the vast majority of parents support using data on student learning as a significant factor in evaluating teacher performance. As Michigan leaders across sectors look for areas to improve student learning, ETM details recommendations rooted in best practice, as well as baseling data, on five high leverage focal areas: (1) Early Childhood to Third Grade' (2) Equitable Funding; (3) Systems of Data, Transparency and Accountability; (4) Top Talent: Effective Educators and School Leaders; and (5) Transition to College and Postsecondary Opportunities.