Adriana Harrington is the Managing Director of Policy for ExcelinEd.
Parents want their children to find stability and success after graduation. Students want assurance that what they learn in school will connect them to real-world opportunities. Employers urgently need workers with the right mix of knowledge and skills. Yet in many states, the bridge between classroom learning and career readiness remains uncertain.
Every student is on a pathway to a career—through employment, enrollment, or enlistment—but too many students complete high school or college without a clear direction for the practical experience needed to take the next step to a well-paying career.
Students deserve academic pathways that lead to upward mobility and opportunity. Fortunately, more states are stepping up—showing the power of strong, aligned policy. While progress is growing nationwide, gaps in policy remain.
Because education and workforce systems span K-12, postsecondary and beyond, states and agencies must think across silos to drive change. ExcelinEd’s Pathways Matter digital playbook includes new, robust interactive policy resources to help leaders do just that—highlighting where states have bright spots and where opportunities exist.
By building the policy infrastructure for strong pathways, states can ensure that every student has access to high-quality opportunities that lead to growing mid- and high-wage careers, the very ones that shape our economy. ExcelinEd’s expanded Pathways Matter experience was built on the concept that when a policy is fragmented or missing, alignment and opportunities break down. Pathways Matter comprehensive approach to policy solutions offers a clear roadmap of items to tackle next so that every student’s path leads to success.
This post will walk you through how to use Pathways Matter and how to get in touch with our pathways experts to learn more about designing a successful approach in your state.
The Pathways Matter framework is built on four cross-agency foundational policies that provide a blueprint for strengthening alignment across education and workforce systems.
Four Foundational Policies
These four foundational policies provide states with the structure, data and agreed upon definitions to drive a coordinated approach across K-12, postsecondary and workforce.
Three Areas of Policy Impact
Building off of the foundational policies, there are discrete policies within each agencies’ locus of control. ExcelinEd identifies three policy areas of impact and details out 41 additional policy solutions that fit into a student’s pathway with a specific focus on the “core four” opportunities of college acceleration, career and technical education, industry certifications and work-based learning.
The framework page includes definitions for each of the 45 policy solutions along with model policies for states to use and adapt. Additionally, ExcelinEd developed a robust rubric for each of the 45 policy solutions that categorizes each policy into “red/yellow/green” based on the existence (or non-existence) of the policy and markers of quality.
The most powerful feature of ExcelinEd’s expanded Pathways Matter digital experience is the interactive state map, built to assist policymakers in quickly assessing their state’s strengths, policy gaps and opportunities for improvement
How the Map Works
The map provides an easy-to-access method for comparing states, understanding the pathways policy landscape and identifying exemplars. It highlights areas where pathways policies are taking hold, and where states can take action to strengthen the policy system.
Currently, Pathways Matter includes 20 states, with expansion to all states planned by 2027. We are grateful to our state partners whose feedback ensured the accuracy of the reports.
With the framework of policies and interactive state ratings and reports, policymakers have powerful tools at their disposal to drive meaningful change to positively impact their states’ students, graduates and employers.
Pathways Matter helps policymakers answer five essential questions:
The combination of state-level data and actionable guidance empowers state leaders to move quickly from assessment to policy adoption and implementation.
ExcelinEd stands ready to help you develop, craft and accelerate policies that strengthen education-to-workforce systems. Explore Pathways Matter for actionable insights and model policies—and connect with the ExcelinEd’s pathways policy experts to take the next step toward changing policy and changing lives for each and every student in your state.
