And that’s what StriveTogether is all about.

“We refuse to settle for a world where a child’s potential is dictated by the conditions into which he or she is born,” Blatz said. “We are committed to helping every child succeed in school and in life from cradle to career, regardless of race, zip code or circumstance.”

Like-minded local and national partners filled the room with us as the Cradle to Career Network showed up in full force at our nation’s capital where policies and systems are created. Systems, Blatz said, that “perpetuate inequities in the lives of black and brown kids. These are the systems we must transform.”

This is a big ask but essential work. Blatz shared how the Cradle to Career Network was up to the challenge:

• Cradle-to-career outcomes are improving across the Network and for children of color. From Oregon and Illinois to Wisconsin and Texas, she shared examples of how network members are closing disparity gaps in kindergarten readiness, early-grade reading and postsecondary enrollment.
• More and more network members are pushing for public policy that address inequities and increase investment in education. From an $11.6 billion increase in school financing in Texas to the establishment of the Utah Governor’s Early Childhood Commission, Blatz said these policy wins are examples that systems are changing to support better results for kids.
• More network members are following StriveTogether’s validated theory of action, progressing along the framework and moving to systems change. Blatz congratulated Northfield Promise and UP Partnership as the 12^th and 13^th communities to become Proof Points.

Blatz also talked about the importance of equity in grounding the work. She said, “We focus on race equity because we know that we have to take on systemic racism and oppression to get better results for kids.”

She described work over the years to make race equity more explicit in the StriveTogether Theory of Action^TM to creation of a planning team and their work. She asked network members to provide feedback over the coming days to inform this work.

“This is a journey for us, not a field trip. We are in it for the long haul. I invite you to hold us accountable for being courageous and unstoppable in our efforts to transform inequitable systems,” Blatz said.

Finally, she reminded us not to lose sight of youth that are at the center of the work. Every young person yearns for success and has their own vision for what success looks like. She shared a video that allowed us to listen to young people talk about success:

They have big dreams and goals. Dreams and goals not unlike my twin daughters when I ask them about their future and how they define success. Just like I encourage my daughters to dream big and pursue every opportunity, I want the same thing for every child. This is why I am energized to be part of something big, a movement sweeping across the country and impacting the lives of 13.7 million children and counting.

Learn more about the StriveTogether by following us this week, and join the movement by signing up for our monthly newsletter.

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Why All Hands Raised is challenging how educators think about skilled trade professions

I still vividly recall the heart-to-heart conversation my father had with me long ago about college. He never went to college or graduated from high school. Yet he was convinced that I would go to college to have more opportunities.

It all made sense as I listened to him and gazed at his hands. They were the hands of a working man who picked up a mop at 11 years old to earn his first paycheck. He started mopping floors at the local funeral home and then graduated to cleaning up at an auto repair shop. His hard work paid off when a senior mechanic took him under his wings and taught him the trade. My father was a quick study and became a sought-after mechanic, advancing and eventually opening his own business. His skilled hands created lots of opportunities for our family.

But my father firmly believed that a college education would be best for me, and I obliged. I have no regrets because college opened doors for me.

However, college is not the only way to a successful career. My father’s story and financial success prove this. And in communities like Portland, Oregon, companies big and small are vying for talent. They’re not always looking for college-educated professionals. They’re searching high and low for skilled professionals. Trade careers are lucrative in Portland, with high school graduates earning up to $60,000 a year while they learn as apprentices.

Helping students, parents and educators see that college is not the only path to cradle-to-career success has been a three-year effort led by Cradle to Career Network member All Hands Raised. Portland is witnessing a recent dramatic increase in students taking advanced coursework needed for in-demand construction and manufacturing careers. That includes the launch of the state’s first HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) pre-apprenticeship to be embedded within a high school.

Nate Waas Shull, vice president of partnerships for All Hands Raised, says, “The data was showing us that 78% of high school graduates in Multnomah County go college, but just 37% of them graduate. A key driver of that is that the kids are overwhelmed by college. They need to make money. So, they drop out with huge debt.”

Waas Shull works with partners like the Pacific Northwest Carpenters Institute and manufacturing partners like Boeing to host Industry for a Day. Nearly 40 employers provide educators with hands-on experience in construction and manufacturing jobs, so they have a greater appreciation of the options available for their students.

All Hands Raised’s Nate Waas Shull talks with educators at Industry for a Day. Photo by Beth Conyers.

“It’s not hard to turn the light bulb on, but it does take exposure and that’s where our signature event, Industry for a Day, comes in. We’ve taken 350 teachers out to active construction and manufacturing sites. Once they have hands-on exposure, it turns the light on. That’s the head level. But at the heart level, there’s still this deeply held believe that, if it were my kid, I’d rather they go to college,” Waas Shull says.

Emi Donis, general counsel at Senior Aerospace SSP, is working with All Hands Raised at Centennial High School in Portland. She says, “Industry is desperate for workers. At the same time, you’ve got kids in high school — and not everybody’s going to college. But in the schools, all they hear about is college. So, the kids go to college, leave after a year or two and get stuck working in fast food with a bunch of debt. We’re trying to help those kids.”

Donis helps high school students apply for jobs, and she is working with All Hands Raised to help employers improve access to trade professions.

Now, as a mother, it’s my turn to have heart-to-heart conversations with my teenage twin daughters while they weigh the opportunities ahead. As I encourage them to think about career possibilities, I ask them to consider what they enjoy doing and the earning potential. College may end up being their path to success, but it is not the only option available.

Kelly, left, with her family enjoying a vacation on Singer Island, Florida.

The post Discovering another path to prosperity appeared first on StriveTogether.

Ten fellows — ages 18 to 24 — make up the Leading Men. They commit to working in a pre-K classroom alongside a veteran teacher for the entire school year for 25 to 30 hours a week and earn a living wage of $15 an hour. Once they complete the program, they receive a $2,500 education award to help them matriculate into a postsecondary program.

Boys of color are more likely to perform better on standardized tests, attend school more regularly, be suspended less frequently, drop out far less and seek a college degree when at least one of their teachers is of color during elementary school, according to research. As the program manager of the Leading Men Fellowship in Milwaukee, Calvin Lewis knows these statistics well and is leading fellows in the region with support from StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network member Milwaukee Succeeds. The Leading Men Fellowship began in Milwaukee in August 2018 and is already making an impact by preparing more men of color to teach young children.

“In the beginning of the school year, 89 percent of our 4- to 5-year-old students in the Milwaukee region had a composite score that was far below the target measured by the Preschool Early Literacy Assessment. Now students have begun to improve in all assessment areas and 41 percent have achieved kindergarten readiness in alphabet knowledge and 34 percent in comprehension,” Lewis said.

Lewis, a Ph.D. student at the University of Milwaukee, is studying the recruitment and retention of African-American males in public education. He believes that the fellowship is an excellent platform that will help change the adverse narratives that exist about young men of color. Instead of being seen as “the problem,” young men of color will now be seen as part of the solution. Although many of the fellows were initially attracted to the program by the wage offered, it’s their desire to help children learn and be successful that keeps them engaged. Lewis said, “As they do the work, the money becomes secondary. They talk about the relationships they are building with their students and the changes they are seeing in their classrooms.”

Six of the fellows will pursue careers in education. Two are already in enrolled in college and studying early childhood education. Milwaukee Area Technical College serves as the program’s official postsecondary partner and provides the young men with college-level credits for their classroom experience. Five of the fellows plan to continue gaining professional experience as assistant teachers upon successful completion of the fellowship with Next Door Foundation. Others, while not called to become teachers, are exploring other college options. Almost all are first-generation college students.

Minority students often perform better on standardized tests, have improved attendance and are suspended less frequently (which may suggest either different degrees of behavior or different treatment, or both) when they have at least one same-race teacher.

The importance of a diverse teaching force, David Figlio, November 16, 2017, Brookings Institution

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