NATIONAL PATHWAYS INITIATIVE ANNOUNCES BIPARTISAN SUMMIT TO ADDRESS CRISIS IN EDUCATION WITH A BOLD REFORM AGENDA

The National Pathways Summit will bring together bipartisan political officials with prominent leaders from business, education, labor, Students and the Civil Rights Community who are convinced the "Pathways Approach" is the most promising strategy for reviving the American Dream for millions of young Americans

Summit to be Held March 16th in Washington D.C.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Pathways Initiative (NPI), a national coalition of prominent leaders from education, business, government, students and the civil rights community today announced that it will be convening a national education summit in Washington DC on March 16th, 2023 to advance the pathways approach to education. 

To learn more about the National Pathways Summit click here.

Today's announcement reflects the growing and diverse support for the "Pathways Approach," the belief that education should focus on helping ALL students navigate pathways leading from school to college to career. The "Pathways Approach" is by far the most promising strategy for reviving the American Dream for millions of young Americans long frustrated by a system that has only reinforced the decline in social mobility, widening economic inequalities, and persistent racial disparities. Now, examples of success need to be brought to scale with the adoption of necessary and needed policy change.

To bring this initiative to life and marshal the support of federal, state and local policymakers, NPI formed a diverse National Pathways Coalition composed of leaders in sectors vital to this effort, including business, education, government, the civil rights community, non-profits, and importantly students and young adults. Our leadership committee and supporters include:

• Prominent business organizations such as the State Business Executives as well as major companies. 
• Key educational organizations including the Education Commission of the States, Education Trust, the Teachers and Principals Unions, and Pathways innovators like the National Academies Foundation.
• Government and political leaders including key federal agencies, and Democratic and Republican Governors who have championed pathways initiatives to improve their state systems
• Leading Civil Rights Organizations including The Urban League and UNIDOS.

"The numbers are clear – the pandemic decimated educational progress for an entire generation of students," said NPI Chair Stan Litow. "The result is that U.S. businesses, already struggling to find trained and talented workers, will continue to have challenges finding workforce-ready candidates as students move from the classroom, to college, to careers less prepared than ever. We desperately need an effective pipeline from school to college to career. While education issues continue to be divisive, there are consensus policies and solutions that unite leaders across the political spectrum in fields ranging from business, labor, education, and community organizations, as well as parents, and students."

By making targeted and strategic improvements in key policy areas, we can achieve scalable and sustainable change. Initial policy focuses include:

• Expanding Pell Grants to cover tuition of students taking college credits while in high school, thus improving college accessibility 
• Expanding apprenticeships and paid internships for students in high school and college, partly by expanding the existing college work-study programs.
• Prioritize career planning and career development in middle and high school to help students develop personal career plans that will guide them after graduation.
• Ensure that ALL students have meaningful access to high-quality pathway programs.

"The American Dream is one of the aspirations that binds us as Americans. It is not just about hard work. Americans need access to the relevant skills and knowledge that create opportunity and pathways to a bright future. Educators strive to prepare students for full lives—lives enriched by knowledge itself and by meaningful, rewarding work. The schools they work in should be hubs connecting the needs of students, employers and society. Successful CTE programs embed that hub but we need to bring it to scale so all students have pathways to good careers or college or both. Without these pathways, we lose too many students who don't graduate from high school, and even many who do, to low-paying jobs and unfulfilled opportunity," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. 

"The business community has a vested interest in improving outcomes for students all over the country. If America is going to continue to lead in the 21st Century, we need our students to be prepared to compete in a global economy, and sadly, coming out of the pandemic, test scores show a true crisis. We need to change the paradigm to refocus on providing our students the skills they will need for the careers they want after they graduate. State Business Executives and the larger business community want America's schools to be the best in the world, and we will do our part to advance through Congress the policies adopted by the National Pathways Initiative; policies that will improve opportunities and outcomes for all," said Justin Yancy, Chairman, State Business Executives.

"The education policy debate in Washington has been bogged down in politics for more than twenty years. It has been that long since Congress passed significant education reform. Now, the National Pathways Initiative has put forward a policy agenda with achievable reforms that have bipartisan support. We have already seen Pathways succeed at the state and local level to provide our teachers, administrators, and community leaders with the tools they need to prepare our students to go to college if they choose to, and to advance and succeed in their careers," Ernest Logan is currently Executive Vice President of the American Federation of School Administrators.

"Student Government leaders believe higher education faces an overwhelming crisis. Most students are not prepared for the transition from high school to college, and less prepared for the transition to careers after graduation. Students also face pervasive financial obstacles. We are proud to support the National Education Summit and create a more robust pathway from school to college to career," said Alexandria Chun, President, Student Assembly of the State University of New York (SUNY).

The summit in Washington D.C. will convene all these stakeholders and members of Congress to chart a path forward to adopt these bi-partisan solutions.

Stanley S. Litow is a Professor at both Columbia and Duke University. At Duke University, he also serves as Innovator in Residence. Stan is the author of The Challenge for Business and Society: From Risk to Reward and co-author of Breaking Barriers: How P-Tech Schools Create a Pathway from High School to College to Career.

Stan previously served as President of the IBM International Foundation and as Deputy Chancellor of Schools for the City of New York. Before his service at IBM and the NYC public schools, he served as President and Founder of Interface and as Executive Director of the NYC Urban Corps, operated out of the Mayor's Office.

Stan has served on multiple of Presidential and Gubernatorial Commissions and in addition to his service on the SUNY Board of Trustees; he also serves on the board of Roosevelt House and the Citizens Budget Commission.

Stan helped devise the innovative school-to-college-to-career program called, PTECH as well as the IBM Corporate Service Corps, often referenced as the corporate version of the Peace Corps.

He has received multiple awards for his community service, from organizations such as the Ann Frank Commission, the Marin Luther King Commission, and the Center for an Urban Future as well as the Corning Award from the New York State Business Council.

SOURCE National Pathways Initiative