Across the country, communities in the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network are working to put more young people on a path to economic mobility. StriveTogether’s seven cradle-to-career outcome areas are critical milestones that shape a child’s educational journey and future success. Each post in this series will provide an in-depth look at one of these key areas, highlighting the challenges, opportunities and impactful strategies that can drive positive change.
Postsecondary completion is more than the achievement of a degree or credential. It is tied to higher earnings, better health outcomes and stronger civic engagement. Workers with bachelor’s degrees earn 84% more than those with only a high school diploma, and associate degree holders see a 31% increase. But beyond individual benefit, postsecondary attainment builds stronger communities: families are more financially stable, children are more likely to thrive and local economies become more resilient.
Increasing Postsecondary Completion Through Community Collaboration
In Appalachian Kentucky, the Appalachian Cradle to Career Partnership is leading a collaborative effort to improve postsecondary completion and economic mobility across the region. Their efforts are grounded in the belief that economic mobility and regional success start with access to education and that every student, no matter their background, should have the opportunity to pursue their dreams.
A key partner in this work is Hazard Community and Technical College (HCTC), which serves seven rural counties: Breathitt, Perry, Knott, Lee, Leslie, Wolfe and Owsley. HCTC plays a central role in helping students transition from high school to college, working closely with local districts and initiatives like GEAR UP Kentucky to strengthen pathways to postsecondary success. Through this collaboration, studen
ts receive additional advising, mentoring and supports designed to increase college enrollment, persistence and completion.
“In Appalachian Kentucky, postsecondary completion isn’t just a milestone, it’s a lifeline,” shared Dr. Melissa Newman, executive director of Appalachian Cradle to Career Partnership. “Through initiatives like GEAR UP and strong place-based partnerships, we’re ensuring that students not only dream bigger but also have the support to reach those dreams. When communities come together around a shared goal of economic mobility, the results are transformative, for students, families and entire regions.”
That transformation is already underway. Across the full region, postsecondary completion rates for all students increased from 5.9% in 2017 to 25.9% in 2023. For low-income students, completion rates rose from 5.7% to 18.7% over the same period. That is nearly five times more young people unlocking new opportunities for themselves, their families and their communities.
One strategy fueling this success is GEAR UP Kentucky’s support for both high school students and postsecondary-going students. For many students, this kind of support is transformative. Morgan Riffe, now a fourth-year medical student at the University of Pikeville–Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine, credits GEAR UP with shaping her college journey: “GEAR UP opened doors that otherwise may not have been too easy to open ourselves,” she shared. “It’s what led me to choose my undergraduate program. Without GEAR UP, those college tours or the opportunity to meet faculty from different colleges wouldn’t have been available to us.”
By helping students through these critical milestones, GEAR UP boosts college enrollment and supports persistence through postsecondary education. Through the GEAR UP Scholars program, Kentucky students will continue to receive guidance during their first year at nine partner postsecondary institutions. Early, sustained support helps students navigate college transitions and stay on track toward earning a degree or credential. These changes are part of a broader pattern with 64% of current seniors across the region having already completed the FAFSA this year, a strong indicator of growing momentum toward postsecondary success.
Personalized Messaging is one part of a broader strategy led by GEAR UP to support students on the path to postsecondary completion. It has become a powerful tool for reaching students at critical moments on their postsecondary journey. Through Personalized Messaging using the Signal Vine platform, high school students receive targeted text messages with reminders about critical steps like FAFSA completion, college enrollment processes and class registration. The strategy is embedded into the daily operations of schools, colleges and community organizations, ensuring that students receive consistent, reinforcing messages throughout their transition from high school to college.
With leadership from the Appalachian Cradle to Career Partnership, partners are providing timely information, engaging families, strengthening advising and building smoother transitions across high schools, community colleges, universities and nonprofits. These efforts work together to create the wraparound support students need to enroll, persist and complete a credential.
GEAR UP Kentucky has now expanded to 42 school districts across 31 Appalachian counties. Along with rising postsecondary completion rates, communities are also seeing improvements in key indicators like FAFSA completion, semester-to-semester persistence and student retention. These results show that systems can change and outcomes can improve when the right supports are in place.
To build on this momentum, the Appalachian Cradle to Career Partnership is helping more students stay on track and reach completion. Communities across Appalachian Kentucky are investing in dual-enrollment programs, advising services and career readiness initiatives to help students navigate key transitions.
The partnership is expanding internship and work-based learning opportunities that provide real-world experience and keep students engaged through to a degree or credential. It is also deepening alignment across K–12, postsecondary and workforce systems to create clear, coordinated pathways. By embedding high-impact strategies into regional systems, the partnership is strengthening a cradle-to-career pipeline that supports every student to complete their postsecondary journey.
Strengthening the Workforce Through Local Opportunity
Students in Appalachian Kentucky earning degrees and credentials are fueling economic growth across the region. These completions translate into more skilled health care workers, teachers, social workers and small business owners, filling essential roles in rural communities. For employers, higher completion rates mean a stronger, more stable talent pipeline. For the region, it means the potential for economic renewal rooted in local leadership and homegrown talent.
The Appalachian Cradle to Career Partnership has made significant progress in improving postsecondary completion through coordinated efforts across sectors. Through the Eastern Kentucky Student Success Pipeline, the partnership is aligning K-12 education, postsecondary institutions, workforce training, employers and social wraparound services. This comprehensive approach ensures that all components needed to support students are effectively integrated. The initiative aims to double the number of students achieving postsecondary readiness and success by 2030, creating pathways for greater economic mobility and opportunity across the region.
The partnership tracks its progress using data sources including the Kentucky Longitudinal Data System (KLDS), the KYSTATS High School Feedback Report and the National Student Clearinghouse. Collaboration has been vital in delivering targeted support services, engaging families and communities, and building strong relationships with colleges and employers.
This progress illustrates a broader truth: postsecondary completion is critical to building strong, thriving communities. When education, workforce and health systems align around student success, outcomes improve across entire regions. In Appalachian Kentucky, the Appalachian Cradle to Career Partnership has shown how coordinated systems can drive lasting transformation. After the devastating floods of 2022, the partnership leveraged recovery efforts as a catalyst lasting change, reinforcing resilience across the region. This earned them StriveTogether’s Systems Transformation designation, the highest level of impact within the Cradle to Career Network. With postsecondary completion rates rising from just 5.9% to 25.9% in six years, the Appalachian Cradle to Career Partnership is demonstrating what’s possible when systems work together to support students beyond high school.
Postsecondary completion is one of the seven key outcome areas addressed by the Cradle to Career Network, all critical milestones in the journey toward economic mobility. Learn more about this outcome in the StriveTogether cradle-to-career outcome guide here.
