As inflation and economic inequity deepen, too many Americans face financial instability and diminished opportunities. But amid these uncertainties is a path forward with transformative potential: place-based solutions. Place-based partnerships are expanding across the country, fostering economic mobility and creating local solutions to address our most pressing challenges. Now, place-based solutions are gaining more national…
In the work to create stronger futures for kids and families, change often feels slow. We lay the groundwork for transformation that will impact generations to come. Patience is a daily practice. Sometimes, though, we get to celebrate monumental wins — defining successes that pave the way for significant progress. Earlier this month, I was…
Do you believe the next generation will be better off? That was the question posed to us by Professor Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum (WEF), whose Annual Meeting takes place each year in Davos, Switzerland. Surrounded by the other changemakers before the event’s opening ceremonies, I contemplated the question. Professor Schwab asked…
Trust makes so much possible. When we have trust, we can take risks. We can innovate. We can upend the status quo — which is exactly what we must do in order to transform systems of opportunity and put more young people on the path to economic mobility. But when trust is lost — as…
Recently, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the gold standard of federal standardized testing, released data indicating that 13-year-olds have hit the lowest math and reading performance scores in decades. Unsurprisingly, this correlated with data about learning loss from the pandemic, especially for children of color. As I read this newest report, I reflected…
As I sit down to reflect on my sabbatical, I marvel at the journey. Time has flown by, and yet it also feels like a lifetime’s worth of experiences and revelations were condensed into the past 58 days. My world of deadlines, emails and meetings for the past 20-plus years was put on hold as…
After more than 20 years working in the nonprofit sector, the majority of which have been dedicated to the work of StriveTogether and its predecessor organizations, I’m taking a sabbatical this summer. I never dreamed I’d be in a position to take an extended break from this work. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to…
March is the month that our country has committed to celebrating and honoring women’s history. As a new month begins, I’m reflecting on the barriers and obstacles women face every single day, the sheer resilience and grit we muster to battle through them, and the that women comprise the greatest percentage of leaders at all…
I was recently reminded of a poem by Wendell Berry that resonated strongly because it describes the very nature of our work. Berry is one of my literary heroes, we’re both Kentucky natives and University of Kentucky graduates. As an English major, I read much of his poetry and fiction. And I find myself returning…
At StriveTogether, we aren’t just proving what is possible; we’re proving what is measurable. Today, I’m proud to be sharing a new framework and guide for measuring the impact of systems on getting better, more equitable results for youth and families. Systemic inequity creates opportunity gaps particularly for children, young people and families of color.…
We are approaching a tipping point in our work to close disparity gaps and improve outcomes for children of color and children living in poverty. The precipice of change is built on a mountain of efforts, and many have persisted in this important work to bring us to this point. And like all critical moments,…
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to be a part of an amazing all-female panel discussing the role of neighborhood organizations and the networks that support them in improving outcomes for youth and families. Moderated by the brilliant Angela Glover Blackwell, I joined Dreama Gentry and Sondra Samuels to share what we have learned…
