StriveTogether

💫 The StriveTogether team is made up of passionate changemakers working behind the scenes to connect, support and champion communities across the country. Each person plays a unique role in helping local partnerships strengthen outcomes for youth and families. 👋 Meet Sydney Webber, Event Operations Specialist at StriveTogether! She joined the team in early 2025 and provides logistical and operational support for in-person convenings that advance StriveTogether’s mission of ensuring every child has every opportunity to succeed, cradle to career. Sydney helps plan and execute national events for network members across more than 70 communities, as well as internal gatherings. By managing everything from vendor coordination to on-site logistics, she helps deliver high-quality, inclusive experiences that strengthen relationships and accelerate learning across the Network. We asked Sydney: What’s one moment since joining StriveTogether that made you feel especially connected to our work? Here’s what she shared 👇 💬 "One moment that made me feel especially connected to our work was attending the 2025 Cradle to Career Network Convening. Meeting network members in person and watching them actively engage, learn from one another and share their experiences brought our mission to life in a powerful way. Seeing that energy and commitment helped me connect how our work supports partners on the ground and contributes to our larger goal of achieving economic mobility for 4 million futures. I am very grateful to be a part of an organization and community that is breaking barriers and creating meaningful change for communities all across the United States." Read more about Sydney and her experience here: https://hubs.li/Q03VYb3p0

What happens when an entire region decides that every child deserves to read proficiently by third grade — and then builds the systems to make it real? In Metro Atlanta, Learn4Life, Metro Atlanta Education Partnership, a StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network member is proving what’s possible. In partnership with Atlanta Speech School, United Way of Greater Atlanta, Whitehead Foundation, Vision To Learn, school districts across five counties and many others, Learn4Life is transforming systems. 📚 Early literacy is one of the strongest predictors of lifelong success — yet only 41% of third graders in Metro Atlanta read proficiently. Rather than accept that reality, local leaders built a place-based partnership that aligns education, business, philanthropic and community partners around shared goals. The result? ✨ Marietta City Schools saw an 11-point jump in ELA scores — five times the state and metro growth. ✨ Third grade English Language Arts scores climbed by 17 points and the share of students reading at or above grade level increased by 8%. ✨ And now, the approach is shaping statewide policy through Georgia’s Early Literacy and Dyslexia Act. And it doesn't stop at instruction. When Learn4Life uncovered that 47,000 students need glasses but don’t have them, they partnered with regional mobile vision providers to launch the Atlanta Vision Project — making vision care a public good, not a privilege. This is systems change in action: aligning data, policy and people to create measurable results and lasting mobility. As Dr. Rebecca Parshall, Learn4Life’s director of strategy and development says, "Our goal is to prove what’s possible, then make it part of our public infrastructure." Dive into the full case study and see how Learn4Life and partners are transforming early literacy in Georgia. https://hubs.li/Q03VH4Lj0

Helping students take their next step after high school is more important than ever. With 70% of U.S. jobs expected to require some education or training beyond high school by 2031, postsecondary enrollment plays a major role in shaping long-term opportunity for young people and community well-being. Higher enrollment is connected to stronger local economies, lower unemployment and better health outcomes. This fall, we released the StriveTogether Outcomes Playbook: Postsecondary Enrollment — a practical guide for communities working to help more students continue their education or training. Supported by the Gates Foundation, the playbook brings together research and proven strategies that leaders can use to take action. The playbook, inspired by Mathematica's Education-to-Workforce Framework, helps local leaders: • Identify priority areas for improvement • Track key indicators of progress • Design strategies with partners • Strengthen support for investments in student success Download the Postsecondary Enrollment Playbook today to learn the strategies shaping stronger futures for students and communities. https://hubs.li/Q03Vg7_G0 Want to explore the next step? You can now also access our Postsecondary Completion Playbook, which focuses on helping students finish the programs they start. https://hubs.li/Q03Vg6TB0

We’re energized by the learning that emerged from Jennifer Blatz and Bridget Jancarz’s recent trip to the U.K. with The Reach Foundation. Their time on the ground underscored something we see every day across the Cradle to Career Network: when communities organize around place-based partnerships, they create the conditions for real, lasting change. What stood out from this cross-border exchange is how educators, community leaders and policymakers in England are embracing shared accountability and aligning around outcomes — a powerful affirmation that the principles behind our work resonate globally. Seeing schools act as conveners, and witnessing firsthand a culture built on connection and belonging, reinforces that systems transform when people do. We’re proud of Jennifer and Bridget for bringing StriveTogether’s perspective to this growing international conversation and for returning with insights that will strengthen our work here at home. Explore Jennifer's full reflection and what it means for our movement: https://lnkd.in/gM9vAvc7

💫 The StriveTogether team is made up of passionate changemakers working to connect, champion and support communities across the country. Each person plays a unique role in helping local partnerships strengthen outcomes for youth and families. 👋 Meet Allen Xuan He, eLearning Specialist at StriveTogether! Allen joined the team in early 2025 and supports the design and development of high-quality, engaging online learning experiences for StriveTogether’s Training Hub and the Cradle to Career Network. She creates accessible, interactive content grounded in adult learning principles — strengthening leadership capacity and helping place-based partnerships in the Network and beyond build the knowledge and skills needed to drive systems change. We asked Allen: What’s one moment since joining StriveTogether that made you feel especially connected to our work? Here’s what she shared 👇 💬 "What really makes me feel connected to StriveTogether’s work is seeing how everyone across the organization shares the belief that every child deserves the opportunity to succeed from cradle to career and works toward it every day. That shared belief is inspiring, and it’s made even more meaningful by my amazing team. From day one, everyone has been welcoming, supportive and willing to share knowledge and celebrate each other’s wins. This combination of shared mission and genuine care makes me proud to be part of a team that not only drives impact in communities but also lives out those values in how we treat one another." Read more about Allen and her experience: https://hubs.li/Q03TGftW0

Collaboration isn’t just a strategy — it’s a system for change. Across the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network, communities are proving what happens when local partnerships, state leaders and policymakers align around a shared goal: better outcomes for every child and family. This fall, leaders from across the country came together to explore how collaboration drives results that last — and how civic infrastructure built through place-based partnerships is changing the way systems work. Moderated by Rob Watson, executive director of the EdRedesign Lab at Harvard Graduate School of Education, this panel brought together voices from across sectors: 🔹 Josh Davis, vice president of policy and partnerships at StriveTogether, shared how collaboration between state and local partners can turn good policy into real results. 🔹Christian J. Motley, vice president of partnerships and community impact at Results for America, reflected on the power of civic infrastructure during moments of crisis. 🔹Stacy Schweikhart, CEO of Learn to Earn Dayton, showed how Ohio’s $170 million investment in early literacy is reaching over 150,000 students through strong local-state alignment. 🔹Christina Drushel Williams, director of community initiatives for the Maryland Governor’s Office for Children, described how the state is aligning more than $200 million in investments across agencies to cut child poverty in half within a generation. This ongoing collaboration is embodied in StriveTogether's and The EdRedesign Lab's Policy Implementation Community of Practice, where states and local partnerships are learning side by side — testing ideas, sharing data and strengthening relationships that make impact sustainable. ✨ As Christian reminds us, "Communities bring innovation and evidence; government brings scale. We need both to achieve results." 👉 Read the full story on how the power of place-based partnerships is turning collaboration into measurable results for children and families: https://hubs.li/Q03T838C0

Communities know what it takes for young people to thrive. Through place-based partnerships, the right partners come together to make change possible. This week, I traveled to Salt Lake City for a roundtable exploring how communities can use this approach to get better outcomes across the state of Utah, especially in rural places. The conversation was well-timed, following the release of a report by The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute that showed that when communities in Utah worked together toward shared cradle-to-career outcomes — aligning schools, families and community organizations — they improved education, health and economic opportunity for youth. In Salt Lake City, I joined a panel conversation with Dreama Gentry, Mayor Cherie Wood and Bill Crim on what it takes to create this kind of change. Here’s what I walked away from our conversation thinking about: 💡 The importance of bringing in the right partners and sharing accountability, because this work belongs to the entire community 💡 The power of data to help communities drive collective action toward shared goals 💡 The crucial nature of trust, which forms the foundation for progress At StriveTogether we’ve seen how place-based partnerships transform opportunity for young people. I’m inspired by the conversations happening here in Utah and the potential to build a statewide movement rooted in local leadership and collaboration. Together, we can create communities where every child has every chance to succeed. https://hubs.li/Q03TmhCY0

🎓 Postsecondary completion is the true gateway to opportunity. Finishing college, training or an apprenticeship program unlocks long-term stability and economic mobility for individuals and communities alike. When learners earn a degree, credential or certification, the benefits are lasting — from higher earnings and better job security to access to vital benefits like health insurance, retirement savings and paid leave. The StriveTogether Outcomes Playbook: Postsecondary Completion, made possible through support from the Gates Foundation, is a comprehensive guide to the latest research and strategies driving success. It helps communities: ✅ Identify priorities ✅ Track key indicators of community-level progress ✅ Design strategies with stakeholders ✅ Build collective support for investments in postsecondary completion Mathematica’s Education-to-Workforce Framework inspired the playbook’s structure, connecting data, research and action to ensure every learner has a path to meaningful economic opportunity. 📘 Download the Postsecondary Completion Playbook and see how your community can take the next step toward stronger postsecondary outcomes: https://hubs.li/Q03SSqTR0

The StriveTogether team is made up of passionate people working to connect, champion and support communities across the country. Each person plays a unique role in helping local partnerships strengthen outcomes for youth and families. 👋 Meet MaKenzie Mosby, M.P.P., network advisor at StriveTogether! She joined the team in early 2025 and accelerates the work and impact of StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network members along the Theory of Action™. MaKenzie connects Network members to tools, resources and peer learning opportunities while sharing best practices that help place-based partnerships put more youth on a path to economic mobility. We asked MaKenzie: “What’s one moment since joining StriveTogether that made you feel especially connected to our work?” Here’s what she shared 👇 💬 "Witnessing the collective power of our movement through the Cradle to Career Network Convening was an incredible experience. Being in community with more than 700 system change leaders from across the country, working towards a common goal, sustained my commitment to systems change work, and deepened my vision around what's possible for youth and families." Follow this link to read more about MaKenzie: https://hubs.li/Q03SS6QV0

Strong starts lead to strong futures. 💪 At this year’s Cradle to Career Network Convening, hundreds of leaders came together to explore a powerful question: What would it take to build an economy that works for all children and families? In a thought-provoking opening plenary, Professor Darrick Hamilton and Dr. Michael Strain — moderated by Josh Davis, StriveTogether’s vice president of policy and partnerships — shared how we can turn that question into action. From investing in baby bonds and place-based partnerships to rebuilding trust in our systems, the conversation revealed inspiring truths: ➡️ Strong policy starts with people. ➡️ Opportunity grows when communities lead. ➡️ Real change happens when perspectives meet in common purpose. Read Josh’s reflections on this powerful discussion — and what it means for the future of economic mobility — in our latest blog: 🔗 https://hubs.li/Q03StpfR0 #CradleToCareer #EconomicMobility