Across the country, members of the Cradle to Career Network are working to reduce barriers to postsecondary success for students in their communities. Here are three insights into how they’re getting results: Make data accessible and actionable. Using data to make informed decisions and improve strategies is critical to getting better outcomes for students. Cradle…
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…
The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network has a clear vision – every child and young person should have a pathway to economic mobility. The seven outcomes we pursue are the milestones that make up that pathway. A growing body of research supports the notion that outcome improvements in postsecondary enrollment, postsecondary completion and employment are…
Systems change can be a daunting challenge, requiring cross-sector coordination across organizations. But even the most complex systems are made up of people. When we support people to take up their roles and use their individual power, we can create lasting change. StriveTogether’s coaching program, Coaching for Collaborative Action, supports leaders in stewarding their work…
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…
In Marin County, California, more than 100 community, organizational, philanthropic and governmental leaders are changing systems to ensure every child in the county achieves their full potential. This work is facilitated by StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network member Marin Promise Partnership. In a recent assessment, Marin Promise Partnership earned the Systems Change designation along…
The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network reaches nearly one in seven young people aged 0–24 in this country. To put those young people on a path to economic mobility, network member communities are building what’s called civic infrastructure. Like physical infrastructure — roads, bridges, electrical grids — civic infrastructure creates the connections a community needs…
This guest blog was written by Rebecca Parshall, Ph.D., director of strategy at Learn4Life. In it, Parshall shares research she did during her dissertation, focused on how collective impact can improve education outcomes. Hard questions As we are inundated with study after study describing the pandemic’s devastating impact on learning, it is important to ground…
At the 2022 Cradle to Career Network Convening last month, we gathered with changemakers, community leaders, youth, experts, government leaders and more to explore how we can unite around our shared vision and get to transformational change for kids across the country. The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network already reaches one in seven young people…
When we transform systems, we open pathways for youth to thrive. Systems transform when changes are embedded in a community and its institutions, creating permanent shifts to policies, practices, resources and power structures. The way a community works together leads to better outcomes for kids, especially for Black, Indigenous, Latine and Asian youth and…
When we first landed on this year’s theme for the annual convening, What Unites Us: Their Future. Our Work., I immediately thought that Eric Liu would be a perfect speaker for the occasion. For the last 15 years I’ve kept a copy of his book, The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker, on my…
Stories create and sustain our unique and shared cultures. These stories become a set of data that informs our beliefs and values – and influence the systems that perpetuate the disparate and inequitable results kids and families of color and those experiencing poverty face across our country. Clint Smith kicked off the second day of…