Our Priorities

The Strive Partnership has rallied around eight priority outcomes: kindergarten readiness, 4^th grade reading proficiency, 8^th grade math proficiency, high school graduation rates, ACT scores, and postsecondary enrollment, retention, and completion.  These eight outcomes will drive the collective work of The Strive Partnership.  To have the greatest possible impact on these goals, The Strive Partnership has prioritized the following:

Early Childhood Development and Learning: Led by United Way of Greater Cincinnati and Success By 6, school districts, the business community, local non-profit agencies, parents, community leaders and public agencies are working together to raise awareness about the importance of the early years and to make early childhood a top priority for resources and funding.

Teacher and Principal Excellence:  Organized by the Strive Partnership to better align efforts in recruitment, preparation, hiring, placement, evaluation and ongoing development to make our region the leader in school and classroom leadership.   

Linking Community Supports to Student Achievement:  Led by the districts, funders, and providers, this work involves the coordinated approach to leveraging community supports (i.e. mentoring, tutoring, after school programs, etc.) more effectively to improve student achievement.

Postsecondary Enrollment, Retention, and Completion: The collective effort of colleges, universities, districts, funders, and providers to leverage local resources and capacity to increase postsecondary enrollment, retention, and completion.

Key to the Strive Partnership’s work, from early childhood success to postsecondary degree attainment, is a commitment to coordinated advocacy, funding alignment, and data driven decision-making.   

Advocacy and Funding Alignment to Support Innovation:  To align advocacy and funding efforts, including setting a “Cradle to Career” policy agenda and coordinating resources to ensure time, talent, and treasure are invested in improved outcomes.

Promoting Data Driven Decision-Making: Working with key partners, the Strive Partnership releases education results, from kindergarten readiness to postsecondary achievement rates, offers high-quality data analysis, and delivers a portfolio of continuous improvement trainings.  

The guiding principles of the Strive Partnership include a focus on data driven decision-making, facilitating and sustaining coordinated action, and advocating for and align funding around what works.  To measure its success, the Strive Partnership will track its progress relative to the seven priority outcomes, funding aligned to coordinated action, and key value judgments of the Strive Partnership from partners.