Collective impact partnerships from across the country gather in Memphis for StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network Convening this week
Cincinnati, Ohio — This year, 246 more San Antonio, Texas, students completed their FAFSA than in 2015, thanks to help from P16Plus Council of Greater Bexar County. In Tulsa, Okla., college-going seniors accessed $740,000 in additional college student aid because of efforts by ImpactTulsa. And in Portland, Ore., nearly 6,000 incoming ninth-graders are more prepared for high school because of a summer institute supported by All Hands Raised.
Students, families and neighbors across the country are seeing and experiencing better educational outcomes, thanks to cradle to career partnerships that bring together cross-sector partners from across communities. Nearly 400 educators, elected officials, community leaders, business executives, nonprofit professionals and policymakers from those partnerships will gather in Memphis, Tenn., from Sept. 20-22 for the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network Convening, “Rise Up: Education Excellence for Every Child.”
“Throughout our country’s history, education has been a catalyst for social and economic mobility,” StriveTogether Managing Director Jeff Edmondson said. “Still today, though, ensuring quality education for all students remains one of the most important civil rights issues. Partnerships throughout the Cradle to Career Network show that the hope for education equity that ensures every child can reach his or her potential can become a reality.”
The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network brings together cross-sector leaders who are committed to improving education outcomes for kids. Representing over 65 partnerships in 32 states and Washington, D.C., attendees at the sold out event will share their work to unite communities around shared goals, measures and results in education.
“Cradle to Career Network member communities are illuminating disparities, identifying existing and new interventions that get results, and shifting resources to make them accessible to the children who need them the most,” Edmondson said. “Opportunity gaps are closing, education outcomes are improving, and communities are changing. Throughout the convening, partners learn from their peers about how to rise up, build on this momentum, and sustain the progress they’ve already seen.”
During the convening, attendees will attend sessions around engaging diverse audiences, sustaining change, moving outcomes, closing achievement gaps and building a culture of continuous improvement.
About StriveTogether
StriveTogether, a subsidiary of KnowledgeWorks, works with communities nationwide to help them create a civic infrastructure that unites stakeholders around shared goals, measures and results in education, supporting the success of every child, cradle to career. Communities implementing the StriveTogether framework have seen dramatic improvements in kindergarten readiness, standardized test results and college retention.