StriveTogether

June has been an exciting month for pathways work — and we want to make sure you have the tools to take it further than this moment.

The Training Hub Powered by StriveTogether now has a learning journey to support you in the work — Purposeful Pathways: From Vision to Action.

Whether you're an intermediary, educator, employer or community leader, this learning journey was made for you. Work through five self-paced courses to explore the Commission on Purposeful Pathways report and supporting action guides:

✅ The vision behind purposeful pathways
✅ High-impact practices for implementation
✅ How to scale, sustain, and measure your work

Plus, join an optional live virtual session to connect with peers and go even deeper.

Ready to turn vision into action? Enroll today and build the knowledge your community needs to help every student find their path.

Link to register is in the comments.

What does it really take to make sure every student leaves high school with a clear path forward?

That's the question the Commission on Purposeful Pathways spent a year working to answer — and we're sharing what they found.

A Launchpad for Life is a research-backed blueprint for building the kind of connected, high-quality experiences every student deserves: high-quality advising, accelerated coursework and career-connected learning — designed together, not delivered in isolation.

When these experiences are built around a student's sense of purpose, belonging and social capital, they don't just move through programs. They graduate with goals, credentials, relationships and real momentum.

The Pathways Impact Fund catalyzed by StriveTogether builds on the Commission’s vision by helping partners work together to design and scale purposeful pathways.

Stay connected this month for more resources on building purposeful pathways in your community.

And read the full report — linked in the comments.

What an incredible three days at the 2026 StriveTogether Policy Summit in Washington, D.C.!

We gathered with state coalitions, community partnerships and Cradle to Career Network members from across the country — connecting, learning and working side by side to advance the policies that help young people thrive.

A huge thank you to all of our speakers and an equally big thank you to every coalition, partner and Network member who showed up ready to work. This was a working summit, and the energy you brought to every session made it exactly that.

The work doesn't stop here — it goes home with every person who attended and carries it back to their community. That's the strength of this network.

What does it take to close the gap between a high school diploma and a career that pays a living wage?

In Dayton, Ohio, Learn to Earn Dayton — a StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network member and inaugural Pathways Impact Fund grantee — is answering that question with a connected, data-driven system built around every student.

The results speak for themselves. Valley View Local Schools hit a 98.6% graduation rate in 2025. College and career readiness scores have climbed steadily year over year. And students are entering postsecondary education with college credit already earned and a career plan already in hand.

None of that happens by accident. It happens when school districts, employers, postsecondary institutions and community organizations work together around shared data and a shared goal — and when young people have the advising, accelerated coursework and real-world experience to move forward with confidence.

This is what purposeful pathways looks like in practice. Read the full story to learn how Learn to Earn Dayton is building them. https://hubs.li/Q04lq1240

We're excited to announce our participation in Anthropic's Claude Corps program — and to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that communities are supported by the best tools possible.

Our work to build a future where everyone can thrive requires constantly analyzing and sharing data and on-the-ground insights — so the strategies driving change in one place can reach youth across the country. Our Claude Corps fellows will enable us to move faster on work that benefits the millions of young people we serve.

Learn more about the program in this article from The Associated Press: https://hubs.li/Q04l607l0

Have you ever left a meeting where great ideas were shared — but nothing actually moved forward? You're not alone.

The Training Hub Powered by StriveTogether's mini course, Building Facilitation Skills for Collaborative Action, is designed to give you those skills. You'll dive into the foundations of Results Based Facilitation — a proven approach to helping groups make collaborative decisions that drive real progress.

Led by facilitator Nicole Johnson, this course walks you through the foundational skills of Results Based Facilitation — so you can lead conversations that actually produce results.

Registration closes June 24. Spots are limited, so don't wait — enroll today: https://hubs.li/Q04kM4nM0

📍 June is all about Pathways.

All month, we're sharing what it takes to build the connected, well-designed systems that help young people move from high school into careers — and economic opportunity.

Here's what the data tells us:
78% of Gen Z students say they want to determine their career plans before graduating.
Only 13% feel prepared to do so.

That gap is not a motivation problem. It's a system design problem.

A purposeful pathway is the intentionally designed journey that connects a young person's experiences in high school and beyond — education, training and career preparation that leads to work with family-sustaining wages.

When the journey works, each experience builds on the last:
✔️ High-quality advising keeps students connected to trusted adults at every transition
✔️ Accelerated coursework provides access to college credit and industry credentials
✔️ Career-connected learning bridges the classroom and the real world

Graduation, enrollment and credential completion all matter. But in isolation, they don't add up to a pathway. When those experiences aren't designed together, students — especially those in the most complex circumstances — can fall through the gaps.

The goal: every student is able to say, "I know who I am, I know where I'm going and I know who can help me get there."

📘 Read our Pathways explainer to learn what purposeful pathways are and why they matter for economic mobility. https://hubs.li/Q04k7FPR0

Stay tuned all month for stories, strategies and resources on building pathways that work for every student.