Good things came to the education space in 2022!
There was such incredible momentum and action in the education advocacy space this year, we wanted to take a moment to highlight a few of our favorite things (in addition to bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens) from our peers in 2022:
- Getting Smart’s New Pathways Campaign: a road map for American schools, where every learner, regardless of zip code, is on a pathway to productive citizenship, high wage employment and economic mobility, and a purpose-driven life.
- The Christensen Institute’s social capital work: in the words of Julia Freeland Fisher, “if internships are going to operate as engines that promote inclusion rather than perpetuate inequality in the labor market, compensating interns with both financial and social capital matters.” (We definitely agree.)
- The Catalyze Challenge: accelerating the creation of seamless pathways from education to career across the country, especially for Black, Latino, Indigenous, low-income and rural students, thanks to support from a variety of funders such as American Student Assistance, Charles Koch Foundation, and Walton Family Foundation.
- North Carolina’s Portrait of a Graduate: as part of State Superintendent Truitt’s “Year of the Workforce”, the new portrait aims to ensure that North Carolina students are well equipped for the broadest range of postsecondary opportunities by fousing on Durable Skills such as adaptability, communication, critical thinking, and empathy.
- CAEL’s ALLIES Framework: to provide guidance on best practices that effectively meet adult learners’ needs within today’s learning and labor market environment. Because if we’ve learned anything over the past two years, it’s that change is inevitable; and, having a plan for change built around data-driven decisions leads to equity and expanded success for more learners.
- C-BEN’s Competency Xchange Agenda: outlining a shared vision for “ensuring all learners have access to credentials that demonstrate mastery of knowledge, skills, and behaviors required to thrive in their lives and chosen career.” There’s also a detailed action agenda for postsecondary partners that lays the groundwork for transformative change across education pathways – including K12, higher ed, and workforce institutions.
- Sold a Story Podcast: summarizing incredible investigative journalism on something that touches everyone’s work in this space – successfully teaching all children reading skills, and the forces behind our failure up to this point. You can see the rest of our podcast recommendations here.
Congratulations and thank you to all our colleagues doing amazing work in this sector to prepare learners for success in life and work. We are grateful for your partnership and support.
Happy holidays and best wishes for rest, health, and a new year full of wins for students!
Onward,
The America Succeeds Team
P.S. We are also excited to share some of our favorite America Succeeds moments from this year in our 2022 Impact Report, coming soon to your inbox early next year.
