Dayton and Montgomery County become sixth community recognized by nonprofit organization for consistently improving outcomes and closing gaps

CINCINNATI, OH — Dayton and Montgomery County in Ohio today join only five other communities in the nation to receive the highest possible designation from StriveTogether, a national nonprofit working to improve education for every child. With the recognition of this community for getting better outcomes using a data-driven approach, StriveTogether has surpassed its initial goal of naming five communities as national models by 2018.

“We are thrilled to recognize Dayton and Montgomery County as the sixth community in the country to achieve remarkable results for students,” StriveTogether President and CEO Jennifer Blatz said. “Through the work of regional partners and participation in our Cradle to Career Network, Learn to Earn Dayton is creating real change for children and families. This designation recognizes the strong collaboration and focus on equity being done to improve education and upward mobility for every child.”

Learn to Earn Dayton and its partners have:

• Led the adoption of a Preschool Promise, prompting Dayton taxpayers to pass a levy providing more than $30 million to support access to quality preschool for every 4-year-old child in the city.
• Increased countywide completion rates for federal college student aid to more than 60 percent in 2017 and 2018.
• Launched a racial inequity awareness campaign that included the release of an equity report card, stakeholder data walks and early learning summits focused on equity. This work has led to launch of a community-level effort with 15 cross-sector partners to address racial disparities.
• Integrated culturally responsive training into professional development opportunities at Trotwood-Madison City Schools. This includes creating a professional learning community for 20-plus teachers committed to addressing disproportionate discipline rates and improving academic performance for male African-American students.
• Worked to decrease discipline referrals and suspensions and increase academic performance for students in the Boys to Men Program. Each week, male teachers and administrators in the Trotwood-Madison City Schools meet for an hour with male students to set goals and develop social-emotional skills.

“Learn to Earn Dayton is honored by this important recognition from StriveTogether,” said Tom Lasley, CEO of Learn to Earn Dayton. “StriveTogether has been critical in helping the Dayton community identify best practices that are helping improve academic achievement and ensure the success of every Montgomery County child from cradle-to-career.”

The five other communities that have received StriveTogether’s highest recognition are Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (StrivePartnership), Dallas County (The Commit Partnership), Portland/Multnomah County, Ore. (All Hands Raised), Racine County, Wis. (Higher Expectations for Racine County) and Tacoma, Wash. (Graduate Tacoma).

Now, thanks to a major funding commitment from Ballmer Group, the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network will accelerate progress for children through a community challenge fund, with up to $10 million annually in investment over six years. Ballmer Group is an organization co-founded by philanthropist Connie Ballmer and her husband Steve Ballmer, chairman of the LA Clippers and former CEO of Microsoft. Ballmer Group works to improve economic mobility for children and families in the U.S. who are disproportionately likely to remain in poverty.

About StriveTogether
StriveTogether leads a national movement of nearly 70 communities to get better results in every child’s life. We coach and connect partners across the country to close gaps by using local data, especially for children of color and low-income children. Communities using our proven approach have seen measurable gains in kindergarten readiness, academic achievement and postsecondary success. The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network reaches 10.4 million students, involves 10,800 organizations and has partners in 30 states and Washington, D.C.

About Learn to Earn Dayton
Learn to Earn Dayton is dedicated to fostering the success of all Montgomery County children from birth until their graduation from college or selection of a career. The organization’s central goal is that 60 percent of Montgomery County’s workforce will have a college degree or high quality credential by 2025.