CINCINNATI, OH — StriveTogether, a national network working to bring communities together around data to make decisions and improve results for kids, today announced more awardees for its Opportunity Fund grant program. The four grantee communities are Northfield, Minn.; Salt Lake City, Utah; San Antonio, Texas; and South Seattle/South King County, Wash.

“StriveTogether is taking bold steps to improve how systems serve youth and families,” said Jennifer Blatz, StriveTogether president and CEO. “True transformation requires breaking down and rebuilding the policies and power structures that hold back youth of color and those living in poverty. We are honored to be supporting this important work in four new communities that are committed to helping every child succeed in school and in life.”

Opportunity Fund grants extend the work of communities by focusing on deeper systems-level change. They are awarded to communities that have demonstrated progress changing systems like education, housing, health and transportation to improve opportunities for every child.

The four communities will work on:

• In Northfield, Minn., Northfield Promise will use its grant award to improve kindergarten readiness, third-grade literacy, high school graduation and postsecondary completion for Northfield youth. Efforts will include supporting children from low-income households in accessing high quality preschool; expanding local postsecondary options and supports for high school graduates; scaling successful strategies including the Move 5 Kids Initiative; and expanding family engagement efforts at elementary schools.
• In Salt Lake City, Utah, Promise Partnership of Salt Lake will use its grant award to fund strategies that support better cradle-to-career and economic mobility outcomes. Efforts will include ensuring more cross-sector involvement in the work; connecting youth and residents with legislators to share their lived experiences and inform policy; hiring youth researchers and organizers from impacted communities to identify priorities and challenges; and shifting funding to grassroots groups through youth and parent hiring.
• In San Antonio, Texas, UP Partnership will use its grant award to increase college readiness and postsecondary enrollment for Latinx and African-American students. The partnership will fund cradle-to-career strategies throughout Bexar County and the strategies of several networks including My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio and Diplomás. Efforts will include ensuring equitable access to tools that prepare students for their future; reducing disciplinary rates through policy and restorative justice practices; and co-designing a policy agenda with youth, parents and teachers.
• In South Seattle/South King County, Wash., Road Map Project partners will use the grant award to improve early learning access and postsecondary enrollment and attainment for students furthest from opportunity. Efforts include elevating a strategic leadership body of community members to identify and mobilize around local advocacy for systems change; supporting an initiative between school districts and community colleges to improve postsecondary enrollment and completion; and increasing access to early entrance kindergarten for families with limited or no access to quality early learning programs.

The communities are being awarded up to $350,000 from the Opportunity Fund per year for three years. This brings the total number of communities with an Opportunity Fund grant to 13.

The Opportunity Fund is part of StriveTogether’s Cradle to Career Community Challenge, which invests in efforts to improve equity and economic mobility for children and their families. Since launching the Community Challenge last year, StriveTogether has invested $14 million in 30 communities on projects that advance equity, improve results and spread bold strategies to help students progress from kindergarten to postsecondary completion and a job.

About StriveTogether
StriveTogether partners with nearly 70 communities across the country, providing coaching, resources and rigorous approaches to create opportunities and close gaps in education, housing and more. Together, the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network impacts the lives of more than 13 million youth — including nearly 9 million children of color — across 29 states and Washington, D.C.

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CINCINNATI, OH –

“StriveTogether has the simple belief that every child deserves every opportunity to succeed,” said Danae D. Davis, board chair and executive director of Milwaukee Succeeds, a member of StriveTogether’s Cradle to Career Network. “The board provides vital strategic guidance to the organization in reaching this goal and we are thrilled to have Roberto join us in getting better outcomes for over 13 million kids across the country.”

Rodríguez spearheads Teach Plus’ work to grow and strengthen the teacher leadership movement, by empowering excellent, experienced and diverse teachers to lead educational change that advances equity, opportunity and student success.

“At Teach Plus, we’re committed to connecting the voices of educators with those of community and policy leaders to change systems and advance opportunity for students,” said Rodríguez. “I have long admired the work of StriveTogether to shape collective impact and drive systemic change, and I look forward to contributing to the vision of helping every child succeed in school and in life, from cradle through career.”

Rodríguez served in senior roles in the U.S. Senate and in the White House. From 2009 to 2017, he developed and led President Obama’s education initiatives to build systemic change and improve opportunity and outcomes across the educational continuum. His efforts as deputy assistant to the president for education led to an increase of tens of thousands of additional children enrolled in early education; new partnerships to better personalize and redesign the high school experience to meet individual needs of students; creation of a new, national focus on excellence in science, technology, engineering and math education; and an expansion of the Pell Grant to boost participation in higher education. Under his leadership, support for higher academic standards, enhanced teacher development and advancement, and deeper investment in America’s schools ultimately led to the enactment by Congress of the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015.

“Roberto’s dedication to advancing equity and access to education aligns well with our mission,” StriveTogether President and CEO Jennifer Blatz said. “His insights and leadership will be valuable on our board as we challenge the status quo and take brave steps to ensure every child has every opportunity to succeed in school and in life.”

Prior to his service in the White House, Rodríguez spent eight years as principal education advisor to the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. In the U.S. Senate, Rodríguez led successful bipartisan efforts that resulted in the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 and the Head Start Act of 2007. He began his professional career in Washington, D.C., at Unidos US, where he directed research and policy analysis of federal and state education issues.

Rodríguez holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Alliance for Excellent Education, The Achievement Network and the Bainum Family Foundation. Rodríguez lives with his wife and two children in Washington, D.C.

About StriveTogether
StriveTogether partners with nearly 70 communities across the country, providing coaching, resources and rigorous approaches to create opportunities and close gaps in education, housing and more. Together, the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network impacts the lives of more than 13 million youth — including nearly 9 million children of color — across 29 states and Washington, D.C.

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Save the Children, which works in rural communities across the United States where child poverty rates are high and resources are low, has joined forces with StriveTogether, Partners for Education at Berea College and the Annie E. Casey Foundation to develop and launch a first-of-its-kind collective impact effort for rural America. Designed to address complex social issues through a collaborative approach adapted to the unique needs and interests of rural communities, the effort has kicked off in three pilot communities – Perry County, Ky.; Whitley County, Ky.; and Cocke County, Tenn. — with the goal of improving children’s lives from cradle to career.

As part of the effort, the Rural Accelerator Initiative will provide $400,000 over three years to the three pilot communities — an unprecedented $1.2 million investment of funds to rural communities to align action plans developed in each community to prioritize kids and families.

“At StriveTogether, our mission is to help communities transform how they serve children and families,” said Jennifer Blatz, StriveTogether president and CEO. “We know we can achieve more by working together than apart and have proof from nearly 70 communities across the country that the collective impact of organizations working across sectors can influence outcomes for every child. We are excited to bring our proven approach to this initiative and are proud to be part of a landmark effort to accelerate results for youth and families in rural America.”

Rural collective impact combines leadership development, strategic investments, local partnerships and peer learning to ensure children in rural America enter school ready, have a successful education and leave high school ready for a career or higher education. With the support from the national partners, rural communities are working to change local systems to improve results for children, with an initial focus on early developmental milestones of kindergarten-readiness and third-grade reading and math proficiency.

“We have the opportunity to harness the expertise of national leaders in education as well as the local communities where we work, to drive progress toward positive outcomes for children in rural America,” said Betsy Zorio, vice president, Save the Children’s U.S. Programs & Advocacy. “We are grateful to our partners for their support, skills and knowledge and look forward to working together to empower communities to create a successful cradle-to-career pathway for every child in rural America. It’s our ambition to take these learnings and scale to support the nearly 2.5 million children growing up in poverty in rural communities.”

“This Rural Accelerator Initiative recognizes that transformative and lasting change in rural communities must be led by community members,” said Dreama Gentry, executive director of Partners for Education. “To do this difficult work, communities need partners who can provide the resources needed to implement change, and we are proud to support the people in rural areas who are leading the way.”

“The Annie E. Casey Foundation has honed an approach to leadership development — called Results Count — that it’s bringing to the Rural Accelerator Leadership Program,” said Shanda Crowder, senior associate at the Casey Foundation. “Participants will become more skilled at making effective and lasting changes that will help children grow up healthier and better off.”

Building on the success of StriveTogether’s work in collective impact across the country, Save the Children’s legacy of serving children in rural America, Partners for Education’s achievements throughout Appalachia, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s powerful Results Count leadership development approach, the national partners plan to expand rural collective impact into additional communities in 2020.

About Save the Children
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Since our founding 100 years ago, we’ve changed the lives of more than 1 billion children. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

About StriveTogether
StriveTogether partners with nearly 70 communities across the country, providing coaching, resources and rigorous approaches to create opportunities and close gaps in education, housing and so much more. Together, the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network impacts the lives of 13.7 million youth — including 8.6 million children of color — across 29 states and Washington, D.C. In 2015, StriveTogether launched an initiative called the Cradle to Career Accelerator Fund to accelerate progress in communities toward supporting the success of every child.

About Partners for Education at Berea College
Partners for Education at Berea College uses a place based, student focused approach to improve educational outcomes in Appalachian Kentucky. By braiding services and aligning federal, state and private funding streams, Partners for Education works to ensure all Appalachian students succeed at school.

About The Annie E. Casey Foundation
The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a private philanthropy that creates a brighter future for the nation’s children by developing solutions to strengthen families, build paths to economic opportunity and transform struggling communities into safer and healthier places to live, work and grow.

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CINCINNATI, OH — While collective impact is widely regarded as the best approach for large-scale social change, evidence of its effect in communities has been scant until now. StriveTogether, a national network of nearly 70 communities, asked independent evaluator Equal Measure to follow the progress of its network to determine if collective impact works.

Based on evidence from a three-year evaluation of StriveTogether’s approach to collective impact, the resounding answer is, “Yes!” Equal Measure surveyed more than 4,000 network members and local partners from 2015 through 2017. Data was collected in depth across 10 communities along with interviews with network members and community stakeholders to qualify the findings.

“We found that StriveTogether’s framework for collective impact helps communities build the civic infrastructure necessary to deliver better results for young people,” said Justin Piff, vice president of learning and impact at Equal Measure. “We examined contributing indicators that lead to big outcomes like the number of full-day pre-K classrooms contributing to kindergarten readiness.”

Contributing indicators like attendance rates for third-grade reading proficiency are helpful in tracking incremental gains over time. StriveTogether President and CEO Jennifer Blatz said, “We are working to put young people on the path toward economic mobility. We see a lag time for data on the big outcome areas and use contributing indicators as interim measures to guide strategy.”

The StriveTogether Theory of Action^TM was built on learning from across its network of communities over the last 10 years and has been revised four times since its first release in 2013. Principles are the foundation of the framework that includes four streams of work. Communities follow the theory of action to change systems like education, housing and transportation to get deliver more equitable results for every child.

“We are constantly learning and improving our approach to collective impact,” Blatz said. “This framework was not developed in a boardroom by a few. It’s the result of our network sharing insights and fail forwards as we challenge the status quo.”

About StriveTogether
StriveTogether partners with nearly 70 communities across the country, providing coaching, resources and rigorous approaches to create opportunities and close gaps in education, housing and so much more. Together, the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network impacted the lives of 13.7 million youth — including 8.6 million children of color — across 29 states and Washington, D.C. last year.

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The StriveTogether communities that will work with KaBOOM! to design a community playground to help close racial and socioeconomic gaps in kids’ access to great places to play and build civic infrastructure through a project model that brings diverse residents and organizations together for youth.

“We can all agree that play is an essential part of childhood, and all kids should have opportunities to play as a matter of their human right,” said KaBOOM! Vice President of Partnership Development Lysa Ratliff. “Research shows — what many parents know — that children learn through play. The more time they have to play outside with their peers, the more likely they are able to grow essential social, physical and cognitive skills that are so important for their future success. We are proud to partner with StriveTogether to bring this vision to life.”

The communities are:

• Northfield, Minn.– The project will be led by Northfield Promise. The team has learned from Latinx families on the city’s north side that playground development is a high priority for families living in low-income housing. The team supports youth programs and community organizing in this neighborhood, creating strong opportunities to collaborate on the playground using established local relationships.
• Rio Grande Valley, Texas – The project will be led by RGV FOCUS. The team aims to use this project to support educational outcomes in the Rio Grande Valley. They consider this project an opportunity that will bring together the collective impact initiative, partner organizations and a community of parents and kids, in a part of their region where they’ve been concentrating their efforts.
• Rochester, N.Y. – The project will be led by ROC the Future. In 2017, using data provided by the city, the team mapped parks, playgrounds and recreation centers, drew a quarter-mile radius around each location and overlaid the address data of Rochester City School District students. The team will use insights from this “play desert” mapping project to prioritize neighborhoods where a playground would have the greatest impact.

Each project will involve a local youth-serving organization and over 200 community volunteers in the design, planning and installation of the playground before September 2020. The process will kick off with Design Day, where kids and families will come together to create the design specifications for an innovative, custom play space, and culminate with a day where hundreds of volunteers will build the playground. In between, partners and volunteers will work on a grassroots campaign to raise local matching funds and engage with elected officials and leaders.

“StriveTogether shares the belief with KaBOOM! that the well-being of communities starts with the well-being of kids,” StriveTogether President and CEO Jennifer Blatz said. “Creating shared spaces fosters community pride and helps close the racial and socioeconomic gaps that deny many children great places to play. Local change is possible when the community unites around a common vision for families and kids.”

To be considered for this opportunity, StriveTogether communities engaged in key activities at the Cradle to Career Network Convening, including providing feedback on StriveTogether’s new racial equity statement and plan and participating in the #SuccessTogether campaign. #SuccessTogether asks youth across the nation to share what success looks like and creates a positive conversation about the impact of the Cradle to Career Network.

About StriveTogether
StriveTogether partners with nearly 70 communities across the country, providing coaching, resources and rigorous approaches to create opportunities and close gaps in education, housing and so much more. Together, the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network impacts the lives of 13.7 million youth — including 8.6 million children of color — across 29 states and Washington, D.C.

About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national nonprofit dedicated to giving all kids — especially those living in poverty — the childhood they deserve through great, safe places to play. KaBOOM! inspires communities to make play the easy choice and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of PLAYces. KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build or improve more than 17,000 playspaces, engage over 1.5 million volunteers and serve nearly 10 million kids. To learn why play matters for all kids, visit kaboom.org and join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom, facebook.com/kaboom, and instagram.com/kaboom. #playmatters #PLAYceforKids

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CINCINNATI, OH — StriveTogether is leading a national movement to help every child succeed in school and in life from cradle to career, regardless of race, zip code or circumstance. Nearly 70 communities across 29 states and Washington, D.C., make up the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network. Their impact is highlighted in StriveTogether’s first annual report released today.

“We refuse to settle for a world where a child’s potential is dictated by the conditions into which he or she is born,” said StriveTogether CEO and President Jennifer Blatz. “We believe change is possible. We witness change when communities collaborate around a shared vision and put children and families at the center. We see outcomes improving for youth across our Network.”

The StriveTogether annual report details how the Cradle to Career Network uses data to illuminate the nation’s most pressing challenges, laying the foundation for tough conversations and evidence-based actions. It also highlights how communities are changing the systems that serve youth and families and delivering better outcomes.

The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network seeks to transform systems like education, health, housing and more to better serve every child. Blatz explained, “Today’s systems perpetuate inequities in the lives of black and brown youth and families living in poverty. Equity is at the heart of our work and equitable systems serve every child better.”

About StriveTogether
StriveTogether partners with nearly 70 communities across the country, providing coaching, resources and rigorous approaches to create opportunities and close gaps in education, housing and so much more. Together, the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network impacts the lives of 13.7 million youth — including 8.6 million children of color — across 29 states and Washington, D.C.

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“StriveTogether — like so many movements that changed our society — is fueled by passion and a shared belief that we can do better for every child,” said StriveTogether CEO and President Jennifer Blatz. “We refuse to settle for a world where a child’s potential is dictated by the conditions in which the child is born. We are committed to helping every child succeed in school and in life from cradle to career, regardless of race, zip code or circumstance.”

Joining the movement as keynote speakers in September are:

• Stacey Abrams, activist, author, lawmaker and civil rights leader
• David Brooks, cultural commentator, executive director at the Aspen Institute and author of “The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life”
• Cecilia Muñoz, vice president for Public Interest Technology and Local Initiatives at New America
• Richard V. Reeves, director of the Future of the Middle Class Initiative at the Brookings Institution and author of “Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do About It”
• Jim Shelton, former deputy secretary of Education and founding executive director of My Brother’s Keeper under President Barack Obama

Featured speakers are (from left) Stacey Abrams, David Brooks, Celia Muñoz, Richard Reeves and Jim Shelton.

“They share our cradle-to-career vision,” Blatz said of the featured speakers. “We know the systems designed to serve our youth are failing children and families of color and those living in poverty. We exist to give every child, every chance, cradle to career. We’re here to help create possibilities — giving children opportunities to go further and do better than the generations before them.”

StriveTogether works to break down barriers, change systems and improve outcomes for as many families as possible.Using data to illuminate the nation’s most pressing challenges, StriveTogether lays the foundation for tough conversations and evidence-based actions. This data-driven approach proves what’s working and what’s not and improves outcomes in education and beyond.

The annual convening connects hundreds of community leaders and experts with thought leaders and more than 50 interactive sessions and how-to workshops.

About StriveTogether
StriveTogether partners with nearly 70 communities across the country, providing coaching, resources and rigorous approaches to create opportunities and close gaps in education, housing and so much more. Together, the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network impacts the lives of 13.7 million youth — including 8.6 million children of color — across 29 states and the District of Columbia.

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CHICAGO, IL — Coalition for Community Schools, Communities In Schools and StriveTogether today announced four communities across the country will receive a combined $3.75 million to implement student-centered blueprints for learning. Through the Together for Students initiative, these grants will transform how entire communities support student-centered learning by funding a more integrated, intentional system for meeting the unique needs of every child. The collective goal is to showcase how collaborative decision making among families, educators and partners can create better outcomes for nearly 100,000 youth.

“As a former local affiliate of the Coalition for Community Schools, I can’t tell you how excited I am about elevating the lessons learned from these four communities on how we all can unite our efforts on behalf of all young people,” said Jose Munoz, Institute for Educational Leadership vice president of Equity and Impact.

The following communities will receive Together for Students grants to implement their blueprints for student-centered learning:

Chicago, IL (Thrive Chicago)

• Project summary: Give Chicago youth access to engaging learning opportunities — in and outside the classroom — to develop critical social-emotional learning skills
• Grant award: $750,000

Dayton, OH (Learn to Earn Dayton)

• Project summary: Continue to increase parent, youth and teacher involvement in planning and overseeing programs and changing policy through community organizing
• Grant award: $1 million

Lehigh Valley, PA (Lehigh Valley Reads)

• Project summary: Provide a holistic, culturally and linguistically relevant learning community, including creating a regional data warehouse and embedding students and families in decision making
• Grant award: $1 million

Memphis, TN (Communities In Schools of Memphis)

• Project summary: Expedite academic growth for students by co-designing a strategy with the community, school system, nonprofits, social services and city government
• Grant award: $1 million

“There is no one-size-fits-all fix for the challenges facing America’s students,” said Dale Erquiaga, Communities In Schools president and CEO. “Individual communities know what they need to do to get their students on the path to success — the Together for Students grants will help our communities make those ideas a reality. From giving youth access to engaging learning opportunities to expediting academic growth, these community-designed, student-centered plans will create real change with generational effects.”

“We refuse to settle for a world where a child’s potential is dictated by the conditions in which the child is born,” said Jennifer Blatz, StriveTogether president and CEO. “Through the Cradle to Career Network, we see the power of communities to create local change that gets better results for kids. This initiative shows we can accomplish even more by working together across our three networks and truly putting students at the center.”

This set of grants is the second phase of the Together for Students initiative. The first phase involved giving grants of up to $150,000 to 10 communities to support development of student-centered learning approaches.

With support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Coalition for Community Schools, Communities In Schools and StriveTogether launched Together for Students to accelerate the progress of communities in transforming how they meet the needs of individual learners, particularly the most vulnerable. Over the past few years, they have advanced student-centered learning — an approach that combines quality educational opportunities with health and wellness services, mentoring, college readiness activities and work-based learning experiences.

All three organizations support networks that focus on students from early education through postsecondary completion and employment. Together, they lead a movement that aligns resources and unites families, educators and local partners around this student-centered goal, with their combined networks totaling nearly 300 communities.

About Coalition for Community Schools
The Coalition for Community Schools, an initiative of the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL), is an alliance of national, state and local organizations that utilize community schools as an equitable continuous improvement strategy for public schools, and an approach to build stronger and healthier families and communities.

About Communities In Schools
Working directly in more than 2,350 schools in 25 states and the District of Columbia, Communities In Schools is the nation’s leading dropout prevention organization proven to keep students in school and on the path to graduation. For the 2016-2017 school year, Communities In Schools served nearly 1.6 million students and successfully helped 99 percent of our case-managed students stay in school.

About StriveTogether
StriveTogether is a national movement with a clear purpose: help every child succeed in school and in life from cradle to career, regardless of race, zip code or circumstance. In partnership with nearly 70 communities across the country, StriveTogether provides resources, best practices and processes to give every child every chance for success. The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network reaches 13.7 million students and has partners in 29 states and Washington, D.C.

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CINCINNATI, OH — StriveTogether, a national nonprofit working to bring communities together around data to make decisions and improve results for kids, today announced the second set of awardees for its Cradle to Career Community Challenge grant program. Up to $7 million over the next three years will fund projects across the country that advance equity and spread bold strategies to help students progress from kindergarten to postsecondary completion and a job.

“StriveTogether launched the Cradle to Career Community Challenge because we refuse to settle for a world in which a child’s ability to thrive is dictated by factors like race or income,” StriveTogether President and CEO Jennifer Blatz said. “From partners across the country, we know the urgency of this work and the value of creating lasting change in communities. We are proud to start this year supporting 21 cradle-to-career partnerships to get real results for youth and families.”

Communities in the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network were eligible to apply for the Community Challenge. This grant program seeks to create local change to enable economic mobility. The goal is to strengthen and align the many systems, such as education, employment, health and housing, that shape opportunity for children and families in America.

“Communities across the country are tackling big issues that are best solved at the local level,” said Nancy Zimpher, StriveTogether board chair and chancellor emeritus of the State University of New York. “This Challenge is designed to help them think bigger and bolder. We look forward to spreading the ideas that prove most effective at getting better outcomes for kids.”

During this round of grants, the Community Challenge program consists of two funds:

• The Accelerator Fund will advance equity and systems change in communities to help them more quickly achieve proof point, an important measure of progress along StriveTogether’s framework for cradle-to-career work. The 10 selected communities were each awarded a maximum total grant award of $550,000 over three years to reach proof point. This initiative also combines an intensive leadership development program with targeted training and technical assistance.
• The Promising Practices Fund is intended to fund local projects applying bold strategies that can be spread across StriveTogether’s national network. These projects will focus on deeper community engagement and align education with other sectors such as health, housing and transportation. Eleven community-based organizations were awarded grants of up to $150,000 for one year.

The Accelerator Fund will support projects in 10 communities. During the first year, these communities will learn strategies and tools to apply to additional cradle-to-career projects in the second and third year of the grant. These first-year initiatives are:

Adams County, Colo. (Youth Initiative of Adams County)

• Facilitate the partnership to increase access to job opportunities, with the goal of closing disparity gaps in employment rates.

Baltimore, Md. (Baltimore’s Promise)

• Reduce the unemployment rate and number of opportunity youth by linking education and workforce systems, helping workforce providers better support young adults and connecting high school graduates with opportunities in skills training.

Boise, Idaho (RISE: Treasure Valley’s Education Partnership)

• Address the impending shortage of qualified workers by empowering more low-income and Latinx students to earn postsecondary credentials, to support the state’s goal of having 60 percent of workers ages 25 to 34 years old hold a credential by 2025.

Charleston, S.C. (Tri-County Cradle to Career Collaborative)

• Ensure that the region’s students are ready for kindergarten by aligning organizations, individuals and resources in the community and committing to a shared vision.

Marin County, Calif. (Marin Promise Partnership)

• Align early childhood efforts to improve kindergarten readiness, including closing persistent gaps for students of color, low-income students and English language learners.

Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn. (Generation Next)

• Improve early-grade reading through a variety of methods, including teacher diversity, social-emotional skills, and academic and behavioral outcomes for young students of color.

Redmond, Ore. (Better Together Central Oregon)

• Unite the region around achieving better high school graduation rates, with the goal of ending significant disparities that exist for low-income students and students of color.

Rochester, N.Y. (ROC the Future)

• Support third-graders’ ability to read on grade level through efforts that include revising the K-2 curriculum to be more developmentally and culturally appropriate.

South Bronx, N.Y. (South Bronx Rising Together)

• Close gaps between students in the South Bronx and greater New York City by improving third-grade reading outcomes, including building on and sharing successful practices across schools.

Summit County, Ohio (Summit Education Initiative)

• Connect more families with resources in education, health and social services to increase kindergarten readiness, with a focus on closing gaps for African American children and children from low-income households.

The Promising Practices Fund will support these 11 projects:

Austin, Texas (E3 Alliance)

• Create standardized tools and trainings to help school improvement networks accelerate better student outcomes, while also developing a set of practices to help other learning networks.

Baltimore, Md. (Baltimore’s Promise)

• Develop the capacity at agencies to link and share data about the needs of children, youth and families, with a focus on inequities so programs can respond faster with appropriate resources.

Boston, Mass. (Boston Opportunity Agenda)

• Identify and address systemic issues that cause students, primarily males of color, to put their college journeys on hold before obtaining a diploma or degree.

Bridgeport, Conn. (Bridgeport Prospers)

• Create a bundle of universal supports for children 0 to 3 years old to ensure their good health, well-being and development success.

Winston-Salem, N. C. (The Forsyth Promise)

• Activate the power of those with lived experience to plan and implement strategies that improve core outcomes by reducing racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps.

Green Bay, Wis. (Achieve Brown County)

• Combine individual student-level records from seven school districts with data from partners in early education, health care and community programs, establishing a comprehensive set of data to inform local action.

Marin County, Calif. (Marin Promise)

• Pass a new graduation policy in the county’s school districts to set high expectations and provide access and support for required courses, ensuring that students of color, low-income students and English language learners graduate ready for college and career.

Northfield, Minn. (Northfield Promise)

• Establish a transportation co-op, developing a rural rideshare and expanding access to driver education courses, helping low-income parents get their kids to preschool, social services and medical appointments.

Pocatello, Idaho (imPACT East Idaho)

• Secure state preschool funds using digital engagement tools to develop local support, making a big impact in a state with the country’s lowest preschool participation rates and no public funding for preschool.

San Antonio, Texas (P16Plus Council of Greater Bexar County)

• Reduce disciplinary practices that disproportionately impact male students of color by building the capacity of local organizations to offer technical assistance across multiple campuses, in an effort led by My Brother’s Keeper San Antonio.

Southeastern Kentucky (Partners for Education at Berea College)

• Implement a service year model in rural areas to improve educational outcomes and reduce disparity gaps.

The Cradle to Career Community Challenge is funded by Ballmer Group, the philanthropy co-founded by civic activist Connie Ballmer and her husband Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft, chairman of the LA Clippers and founder of USAFacts. Since launching in 2018, the Community Challenge has committed to investing nearly $30 million in 35 communities over the next three years.

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“StriveTogether is working to address some of the greatest challenges facing children and families right now. The Board has a responsibility to ensure that we support StriveTogether with strategic guidance and diverse perspectives. James and Tony will be vital contributors as the organization works toward our 2023 goals,” said Nancy L. Zimpher, president of the StriveTogether board of directors and former chancellor for the State University of New York.

“James and Tony have led initiatives that have resulted in significant impact for children and families across our country. They are amazing additions to our board of directors as we continue to advance equity for every child to have every chance to succeed,” said StriveTogether CEO Jennifer Blatz.

The Burns Institute has worked in over 200 counties in 23 states to engage justice stakeholders and communities to build equity in the administration of justice. Bell has extensive experience in the international justice arena. He assisted the African National Congress in the administration of the juvenile justice system in South Africa and consulted with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. Most recently, he spent time in Holland and England, where he advised on emerging issues of racial, ethnic and religious minorities being over-represented in the justice system.

He has trained and addressed thousands of human services professionals and community members on race, ancestry and inclusion as a necessary and vital component of the safety of all communities. He has authored sections of published anthologies on school discipline, youth justice history and health. Bell attended the California State Polytechnic University and Hastings College of Law.

Pipa has almost three decades of leadership in the philanthropic and public sectors addressing poverty and advancing inclusive economic development. During the Obama administration, he held several positions at USAID, including chief strategy officer and deputy assistant to the administrator of policy. He also served as a special envoy to the UN at the U.S. Department of State.

At the Brookings Institution, Pipa is working with communities that are adapting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for local use, applying goals and metrics to accelerate social progress. He has led the NGO Leaders Forum at Harvard University and was the founding CEO of the Warner Foundation, where he chaired several funder collaboratives to advance social and economic justice in North Carolina. He helped launch Foundation for Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and assisted funders and organizations working in rural Mississippi and Louisiana to ensure an equitable recovery. He attended Stanford University, Duke University and the Harvard Kennedy School.

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