Guest post by Mackenzie Magnus of Thrive Chicago, a StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network community. Thrive Chicago is now trending in #Chicago. On March 14, Thrive Chicago launched the 10,000 Reconnected Campaign, a citywide initiative to reconnect 10,000 youth ages 16-24 to school or work by 2020. Although March 14 was a visible moment for…
Having a rigorous process for testing and implementing changes to get better results has always been deeply embedded in our work at StriveTogether. In fact, developing a culture of continuous improvement is one of the four principles in our Theory of Action. We know it is crucial for Cradle to Career Network communities if they…
As communities work to change systems, improve outcomes for kids and close disparity gaps, one of the most common questions is: How do we talk about this work? Systems change efforts take time and don’t result in immediate outcome improvement. But a multitude of wins and successes occur on the path to changing behaviors, practices…
Communities across the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network are making significant strides in improving education for kids, but we still struggle with communications and messaging about our work. That’s why I was excited to attend an advocacy training held earlier this month by The Campaign Workshop in Washington, D.C. Along with another colleague, Robert Harris,…
“What is the best way to visualize data?” asks Lee Feinberg, president of DecisionViz. Lee is standing in front of 17 data managers from across the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network, all of whom are intent on identifying the correct answer. They offer several suggestions in response to his question — pie charts, bar graphs,…
Guest post by Becky Hoffman, executive director of Adams County Youth Initiative, a StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network community. In late 2016 our team and board of directors at Adams County Youth Initiative took some time to gain additional clarity on our mission, to define our role as the backbone and to further develop our…
Earlier this month, Parv Santhosh-Kumar and I had an incredible opportunity to gather together with 35 social sector leaders and spend three days at the Skid Row School for Large-scale Change. The experience was transformative. For one, it came at the end of what has been a year filled with high highs and low lows.…
Collective impact has been one of the biggest buzzwords in the social sector, and, unfortunately, the term gets used for a range of activities that deviate from the original intent: achieving results at scale. Our focus with the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network has been to establish standards for what this work really takes to…
When working to increase rates for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), cradle-to-career partnerships are always looking for proven, easy-to-replicate strategies that lead to results. Through the work of StriveTogether’s Postsecondary Enrollment Impact and Improvement Network, we know the effective strategies used to make sure that more students successfully completed the FAFSA. 1.…
As hundreds of leaders and practitioners across sectors converge in Memphis for StriveTogether’s Cradle to Career Network Convening, we are proud to announce the designation of StrivePartnership of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky as our first Proof Point Community, celebrating the achievements of local partners and institutions working together to change how education systems work…
Guest post by Victor Cedeño, director of networks and education policy with Generation Next, a cradle-to-career partnership in Minnesota. This past June, I had the opportunity to attend the StriveTogether Expert Convening in Las Vegas. I was honored to be invited but was even more excited for the opportunity to learn from other communities. As it…
Adriane Johnson-Williams, founding facilitator for the Seeding Success partnership in Memphis, Tenn., is exploring what it looks like to truly do the work of collaborative action. Through stories of challenging conversations and genuine relationship building, she shares her experiences working to change behaviors and practices in pursuit of better and more equitable outcomes at scale.…