“Put young people in a position to lead, and they will make this world a better place,” Jerelyn Rodriguez shared on stage at the 2023 Cradle to Career Network Convening. Rodriguez, co-founder and CEO of The Knowledge House, joined Dr. Tim Lampkin for a conversation about activating youth leadership to help put more young people…
Rick Hess and Pedro Noguera often fall on opposing sides of the ideological aisle. Despite their differences, they regularly engage in important conversations about the toughest issues in K-12 education today. Rick Hess is a senior fellow and the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, where he works on K-12 and…
Welcome to Together for Together for Change, the podcast where we explore the transformative power of systems change and civic infrastructure. Policy plays a critical role in the work of systems transformation. In this episode, we explore different approaches to policy work and show why it can be effective for achieving results at scale.…
Spartanburg, South Carolina, is one of the nation’s fastest growing communities, home to seven postsecondary institutions and committed employers. Collaboration abounds. The city and county governments work closely with nonprofit organizations, businesses and community partners, and the seven school districts regularly collaborate and launch initiatives together. While there is much to celebrate, Spartanburg acknowledges that…
Welcome to Together for Together for Change, the podcast where we explore the transformative power of systems change and civic infrastructure. Part of the work in transforming systems is understanding how different social systems intersect: education, housing, health, criminal justice, etc. On the flip side, there is a large cross section of social impact…
San Antonio, with a population of around 1.5 million residents, is the second most populous city in Texas and the seventh most populous in the United States. Its rich culture is heavily influenced by its diversity — particularly by its Latine and Indigenous populations. Alongside that diversity comes racial and ethnic disparities that affect young…
In the early morning of July 28, 2022, Eastern Kentucky woke to rising water. A historic flood was devastating the region. Families climbed to rooftops with pets and items they managed to save. Some waded in deep, murky waters or swam in places where the water was over neck high. Many describe the event as…
Located less than 40 miles south of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Northfield, Minnesota is a town of about 21,000 residents. In 2017, fewer than half of Northfield’s kids were ready for kindergarten, and kindergarten readiness was at just 10% for Hispanic/Latine children. Disparities like these are what prompted the launch of Northfield Promise, a community movement dedicated…
In Dayton, Ohio, transformative change is creating more opportunities for young people. StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network member Learn to Earn Dayton is using data, collaborating across the community, and shifting power and resources to get better, more equitable outcomes. Learn to Earn Dayton has developed the region’s civic infrastructure — the connections between…
In Central Texas, Cradle to Career Network member E3 Alliance is transforming education systems through data and collaboration. Since 2006, E3 Alliance has worked with school districts, higher education institutions, businesses, nonprofits and policy leaders across the region. Now, their work has earned the Systems Transformation designation along the StriveTogether Theory of Action™. E3…
In Fresno County, California, effective collaboration, community engagement and data use are leading to better outcomes for kids and families, with racial and ethnic equity at the center. Cradle to Career Fresno County has reached a new milestone in its work to build equitable systems and inclusive economic mobility. The Cradle to Career Network member…
Communities across the country are building civic infrastructure to get better, more equitable results for kids. Like physical infrastructure, civic infrastructure connects key elements of a community, including people, ideas and resources. It focuses on outcomes rather than programs and uses data to improve. At StriveTogether, we’ve learned a lot about building effective civic infrastructure…
