We, the CEOs of Business Roundtable have a plan to revitalize U.S. economic growth and job creation. We believe that America’s business leaders have an obligation to bring their real-world experience on economic matters to public policy, especially in a time of widespread joblessness and economic distress. Job creation depends on economic growth, which cannot occur unless businesses are free to innovate, invest and grow. Taking Action for America is a comprehensive plan to jump-start new business investment and knock down barriers to economic growth.

Education attainment is the lynchpin of a productive and prosperous society. A young person who chooses not to finish high school makes a life-altering decision that limits his or her lifetime earnings and ability to succeed in today’s global economy. Dropping out of high school, as almost 7,000 U.S. students do daily according to the Alliance for Excellent Education, is the single biggest mistake a person could make.9 A high school diploma is not enough to meet the education requirements of the fastest growing new jobs, and continued employment and higher pay increases are more likely with additional education credentials.

Highly educated, foreign-born professionals have a long history of making great contributions to the United States. They drive economic growth, innovation and job creation. Immigrants are 30 percent more likely to form new businesses than U.S.-born citizens, and major U.S. employers, such as Intel, eBay, Yahoo! and Google, were all co-founded by immigrants. Among people with advanced degrees, immigrants are three times more likely to file patents than U.S.-born citizens, and for every high-skilled, temporary H-1B visa position requested, U.S. technology companies increase their employment by five workers.