An Update from the Launch Impact Cohort: Priorities & Trends from States’ Action Plans

Seven geographically and politically diverse states have been working over the past year to expand and strengthen high-quality, equitable pathways into in-demand careers through the Impact Cohort of the national Launch initiative. In 2023, state teams composed of state and local leaders from across education, the public workforce system, and the private sector rolled up their sleeves to promote better alignment across their systems in support of more accessible, more seamless transitions for students to move through K-12, postsecondary education and training, and into the labor market.

In Launch’s first year, Impact state teams completed a three-month needs assessment to review existing practices and policies, and to uncover barriers to student enrollment, participation and success in existing pathways. They also participated in two intensive technical assistance ‘‘academies’’--one focused on aligning education systems toward high-value credentials and the other focused on improving transitions between high school, postsecondary education, and the labor market. Teams identified goals and mapped out specific steps they will take to improve credential alignment and student transitions. Taken as a whole, the states’ goals reveal several shared priorities and common strategies that may be instructive for other state leaders. They are eager to establish more clarity on what credentials carry labor market value; to better understand and track the outcomes of their existing college and career pathway opportunities; and to develop strategies to deepen cross-system and cross-sector partnerships. Below is a summary of common priority areas that states from the Impact Cohort have identified through Launch’s first year.

To build high-quality and equitable pathways that connect K-12, postsecondary education and training, and workforce systems, partners from these agencies must align program offerings so students can more easily navigate education and training opportunities that lead to good jobs and careers. Currently, many high schools offer programs that are not well-connected to related postsecondary opportunities, and both K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions offer programs that may not necessarily be responsive to local labor market needs. Through the Alignment Academy, Launch teams considered ways to better connect these systems and to orient them towards credentials with labor market value. This work can involve modifying or phasing out programs that are poorly-aligned with postsecondary opportunities or labor market demand. It can also involve targeted efforts to expand access to pathways that prepare students for in-demand jobs that lead to promising, economically stable careers.

In their efforts to better align systems towards valuable credentials, Impact state teams are especially focused on improving the use of data in determining which credentials carry value and who has access to them; strengthening engagement and partnerships with employers; and expanding, formalizing and codifying definitions and lists of credentials of value.

Data: Six of the seven states recognized the need for improved data gathering and cross-system data sharing to support alignment and to track progress toward targets for equitable access and outcomes. States also prioritized making improvements to how they collect, understand, and report local and state data to align themselves toward shared goals for credential attainment and other metrics. States shared a desire to continue learning from their existing data, statewide stakeholders, and one another. States developed plans to conduct opportunity gaps analyses, surveys of district leaders (e.g. CTE Directors) to identify data barriers, and even a national landscape scan of work being done in other states to support better credential alignment through data collection and analysis.

Employer Engagement: States realize true alignment is not possible without employers or other industry partners at the table to help identify in-demand skills and credentials. To better understand how to engage them in alignment efforts, states plan to establish working groups to tackle big questions, including how to improve employer engagement in developing and offering career pathway opportunities, and how to ensure they derive value from work-based learning.

Credentials & Credential Lists: While many states have formally adopted statewide “credential of value’’ lists, one Launch state will take steps to codify the concept into existing legislation. Others would like to educate policymakers on the importance of credential alignment. Launch states that do maintain a credential of value list want to expand them to include additional postsecondary and workforce information and also want to translate their credentials of value into competencies that can be used to support course and program development statewide. One state has proposed ranking its existing credential list from ‘‘valued’’ to ‘‘preferred", and aims to adjust rankings to reflect labor market demand. Another would like to develop a strategy to encourage education institutions to offer credentials that are valued by employers, and to hold them accountable for doing so.

To learn more about alignment to credentials of value, the Launch Partners recommend the following resources: Credential Currency, the Credentials of Value Database, and Credentials Matter.

Understanding a high school diploma is no longer enough to land a good job in today’s workforce, many education leaders are working to bridge gaps between secondary and postsecondary education so that students have more seamless, supported transitions from high school into postsecondary education and training options. Strategies like dual enrollment and statewide credit articulation and transfer agreements can be critical to supporting students’ transitions from secondary to postsecondary and into the labor market. Supported transitions can increase postsecondary credential attainment, which in turn can increase access to good jobs, leading to a more inclusive labor market and economy.

While the Impact Cohort’s states have policies in place to support transitions, the policy landscape across them is varied. Accordingly, the priorities, goals and activities they identified through this Academy varied as well. However, several states focused on improving data use and access, infrastructure to support better cross-system partnership, and opportunities to leverage technology to improve transitions and outcomes for youth.

Data: Similar to priorities that emerged from the Alignment Academy, states are also recognizing a need to improve data to support successful postsecondary transitions. While many states have made progress in connecting education data systems, Launch teams saw room for improvement. They want to develop strategies to collect more granular data to track progress toward students’ career goals, including dual credit participation, industry certifications earned, postsecondary enrollment, and advising. One state in Launch will prioritize developing a statewide longitudinal data system that stretches across the entire pathway from K-12 to postsecondary and into the workforce.

Cross-System & Sector Partnerships: To facilitate seamless transitions across systems, leaders in those systems must routinely engage with one another, as well as with their shared stakeholders. To do so effectively, one state is exploring a strategy to support regional intermediary organizations that can help to broker and maintain partnerships between public systems and industry. Intermediaries play a critical role in addressing barriers and facilitating partnerships to ensure pathways are designed and implemented seamlessly. Many states are also leveraging partnerships between K-12 and postsecondary systems to enhance articulation agreements that will remove barriers for students by supporting the transfer of credits from one institution to another. They are also working to remove barriers to early postsecondary opportunities to allow students to earn college credit in high school through dual credit, dual enrollment, or through early college high school models.

Tools, Resources & Communications: Four states in the Launch Impact Cohort want to leverage technology to promote transparency and mobility in support of student transitions. Ideas introduced by states included data wallets, digital transcripts, or interactive websites to serve as a one-stop-shop for information about career pathways opportunities available across K-12 schools, the state’s postsecondary system, and the public workforce system. Others are interested in launching communications campaigns to better communicate postsecondary opportunities to families or to raise awareness about the concept of career pathways opportunities.

To learn more about seamless transitions between K-12, postsecondary, and workforce, the Launch Partners recommend the following resources: Five Models for Earning College Credit in High School, The Big Blur, and Intentional Acts of Dual Enrollment.

Teams are now shifting their focus to two remaining domains of high-quality pathways--advising and work-based learning--which will be the subject of the next two technical assistance academies for the Launch Impact Cohort. Launch teams will continue to refine their existing plans this year and will develop goals and action steps related to the remaining academies. State teams will complete and finalize their Launch Action Plans and begin strategizing for implementation in late 2024.

For more information on the Launch initiative, or to continue tracking the progress of this initiative, please visit the Launch resources webpage or sign up for the Launch newsletter.