Launch: Equitable & Accelerated Pathways for All welcomes
site teams from Maryland,
Massachusetts, and Virginia with
the support of Salesforce.
SILVER
SPRING, Md., May 8, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Advance CTE, Education Strategy Group (ESG),
ExcelinEd, Jobs for the Future (JFF), and New America are
excited to announce the expansion of Launch: Equitable &
Accelerated Pathways for All with the addition of three teams
from Maryland, Massachusetts, and Virginia thanks to the
generous support of a new initiative funder, Salesforce. The new
investment will also help extend Launch into a third year, through
fall 2025.
"Salesforce is excited to be part of building more pathways to
success for students, especially those furthest from success," said
Emily Anthony, Senior Director,
Philanthropy, Salesforce. "The Launch initiative showcases the
power of partnerships - between K-12 and higher education
institutions, between the education sector and industry, and
between business and government. Together, we're creating systemic
change to benefit students for years to come."
Cross-sector partnership and collaboration have been at the core
of Launch initiative activities and efforts over the last year. The
purpose of Launch is to build the capacity of state and local sites
to lead equitable, sustainable systems for career pathways. To that
end, Launch creates dedicated time, space, and support for local
and state leaders to reimagine policy, partnerships, and systems
that influence how students transition from high school to college
and careers. By including leaders across education, government, and
workforce, the Launch initiative generates opportunities for new
collaboration so that state and local systems meet the needs of the
learners and workers they serve.
"We are eager to collaborate, learn, and contribute to this
national effort," said Maryland's
State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carey
M. Wright. "The Launch initiative aligns perfectly with our
goals under the Blueprint for Maryland's Future and will help make
Maryland a model for
transformative education and workforce development."
Site teams from Maryland,
Massachusetts, and Virginia will
join the seven existing Impact Cohort teams from Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, North
Carolina, Rhode Island, and
Tennessee, each including a mix of
state, regional, and local leaders who have come together to
evaluate, strengthen, and scale their current college and career
pathways.
"Team Massachusetts is proud to join the Launch initiative and
incredibly optimistic about what's possible as a result," said
Erika Giampietro, Executive Director
of the Massachusetts Alliance for Early College. "Our students, our
communities, and our economy will benefit greatly from the support
of the Launch community as we refine and deepen our college and
career pathways in Massachusetts."
Each site has been selected because of their foundational work
in creating pathways and enabling conditions that have built
connections between secondary and postsecondary institutions and
employers. The sites are committed to ensuring every learner will
earn the credentials needed for living wage jobs and will work
towards this outcome by focusing on four key priority areas:
alignment of high-quality pathways to credentials of value;
seamless transitions across secondary, two- and four-year
institutions; learner-centered supports and advising; and
next-generation work-based learning experiences.
"Participating in the Launch initiative will support [our
state's ability to establish] a unified process and structure to
assess and develop opportunities for every learner in the
Commonwealth," said Dr. Lisa Coons,
Superintendent of Public Instruction, Virginia Department of
Education. "Launch is aligned to our vision and will help foster
the development of many new pathways. Launch is also bringing
entities together that have not traditionally been at the same
table which, together, are attempting to create a common language,
definition, and platform for credentials for postsecondary life for
all students."
The site teams for the three new participating states
include:
- Maryland: Maryland
State Department of Education, Baltimore
City Public Schools, Frederick
County Public Schools, Governor's Workforce Development
Board, Montgomery County Public
Schools, and Talbot County Public
Schools.
- Massachusetts:
Massachusetts Alliance for Early College (MA4EC), Lawrence Public Schools, Lynn Public Schools, Massachusetts Board of Higher Education,
Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, Massachusetts
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Massachusetts
Department of Higher Education, North Shore
Community College, Northern Essex
Community College, Salem
Public Schools, Smith Family Foundation, Springfield Empowerment
Zone Partnership (SEZP), and Springfield
Technical Community College.
- Virginia: Virginia Department of Education, Roanoke County Public Schools, Southwest
Virginia Public Education Consortium and Foundation, Stafford County Public Schools, Suffolk Public Schools, Virginia Office of the Governor, and
Virginia Works.
To view the full list of states and site teams participating in
the Impact Cohort, please visit
https://launchpathways.org/impact-cohort/.
Through the work of the Impact Cohort to evaluate and improve
existing efforts and the Innovation Cohort to develop and pilot
innovative new solutions, Launch will create a comprehensive
approach to developing college and career pathways that drive the
entire nation forward. To learn more about the Innovation Cohort,
please visit https://launchpathways.org/innovation-cohort/.
Salesforce joins the coalition of Launch initiative funders
without whom this work would not be possible: the Annie E. Casey
Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bloomberg
Philanthropies, Carnegie Corporation, Joyce Foundation, and the
Walton Family Foundation.
For more information please visit www.launchpathways.org.
About Launch
Launch: Equitable & Accelerated
Pathways for All is a national college and career pathways
initiative that strives for every learner to have access to and
succeed in high-quality and equitable pathways. Launch is led by a
partnership of five national organizations - Advance CTE,
Education Strategy Group, ExcelinEd, Jobs for the Future
(JFF), and New America - with the generous support of a coalition
of philanthropic funders: the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Carnegie
Corporation, the Joyce Foundation, Salesforce, and Walton Family
Foundation.
About Salesforce
Salesforce empowers companies of
every size and industry to connect with their customers through the
power of data + AI + CRM + trust. For more information about
Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com.
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SOURCE Advance CTE