Strada collaborates with students, policymakers, educators, and employers across the U.S. to strengthen the link between education and opportunity.
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We prioritize policies, practices, and programs that help ensure postsecondary education provides equitable pathways to opportunity.
We advance our mission through research, grantmaking, social impact investments, public policy solutions, Strada-supported nonprofit organizations, and strategic initiatives.
Building an education-to-employment system that supports all Americans won’t be an easy task. But for millions of people working toward purpose-filled, prosperous lives, it’s an essential one. Through strategic philanthropy, engagement with policymakers, investments, and solutions and services — all informed by the latest research —we can create large-scale change. That’s our network effect.
Since 2014, we have advanced our mission through more than $120 million in strategic philanthropy, partnering with people and organizations developing promising and scalable models for education and workforce success. We engage directly with governors and other policymakers to connect education and employment, helping them to build a skilled workforce aligned with promising career pathways in their states.
While researchers at the Strada Institute for the Future of Work study how best to prepare people for a rapidly changing workplace, our Center for Education Consumer Insights team is partnering with Gallup to create the nation’s largest data set of education consumers’ perspectives on the value of their education.
Through our affiliate organizations, we deliver an array of solutions and services to individuals and institutions, supporting students and workers as they pursue education and careers and helping employers build talent pipelines for the future.
The State Opportunity Index was developed to help states build a stronger connection between education after high school and equitable pathways to opportunity so students realize the full value of their education and employers have the workforce they need to fill high-demand jobs.
This more detailed set of technical appendices provides state-specific details on select measures in the State Opportunity Index.
Strada researchers answer key questions about the State Opportunity Index, what it measures, and how it can be used by states and important stakeholders.
Mamie Voight, president and CEO of the Institute for Higher Education Policy, on how states can use State Opportunity Index data to identify what is working within higher education and what needs to improve.
Michael Collins, vice president of the Center for Racial Economic Equity at Jobs for the Future, on how the State Opportunity Index tells a more nuanced story of the data surrounding the value of education after high school.
Wil Del Pilar, senior vice president of The Education Trust, on how the State Opportunity Index helps measure whether policies and practices are actually benefiting the students they were designed to support.
Part of the State Opportunity Index, these profiles for each of the 50 states plus Washington, D.C., provide a breakdown of state progress for return on investment and the five priority areas.
As part of the State Opportunity Index, these technical appendices provide the details behind the data.
Sign up for the Strada Education Foundation newsletter to stay up to date on how we are working to strengthen the link between education and opportunity.
The Texas Credentials for the Future program helps universities close the gap between the skills employers need and what students learn in a degree program. Rather than place the responsibility on students to find opportunities to develop practical skills related to their education, credentialing programs like the University of Texas System’s add a layer of training onto degree studies that helps students signal to employers their readiness to apply their education.
‘Colleges and universities, states, and our country can do more to help prepare students for the critical transition from college to the labor market.’
New research highlights what states and institutions can do to help more graduates secure college-level jobs.
The gift of time. A recognition of talent. A helping hand. How our mentors helped shape us as people and professionals.
Strada Education Foundation Appoints Heather McKay to Direct Institute for the Future of Work
At the heart of MiraCosta College’s Increase Diversity, Equity, and Advancement in Biotechnology (IDEA-BTEC) program, funded in part by a $400,000 grant from Strada Education Foundation, is a unique partnership between the college and two local biotech employers: Sterogene Bio-Separations and Open Biopharma Research and Training Institute.
The community college learning lab and dental clinic is now a newly refurbished space where dental hygiene students refine their technique on mannequins outfitted with realistic incisors, molars, and cuspids. The clinic was remodeled through a partnership with Delta Dental of Rhode Island and supported by a $400,000 grant from Strada Education Foundation.
The letter was delivered in response to the department’s request for information regarding the disclosure of confidential wage records under the department’s regulations governing the confidentiality and disclosure of state unemployment compensation data. Strada also included specific recommendations for regulatory amendments.
Report indicates both success and need for improvement in meeting students’ varied goals
Veteran education policy advocate brings extensive federal experience to shape policy solutions that strengthen pathways to opportunity
A new and improved Free Application for Federal Student Aid expected late this year should provide opportunities for more students and their families to access money to pay for college. Yet the transition to this new form presents unprecedented challenges for those who work to help students complete it.
To better understand the value community colleges provide to individuals and communities, we need to acknowledge the range of needs they serve.
According to new Strada Education Foundation research, community college attendees who complete an associate degree or successfully transfer to a four-year institution value their education at rates comparable to or higher than recent bachelor’s degree completers. However, researchers found first-generation students rated the value of their community college education about 20 percentage points lower than those who are not first-generation students.
Newly established teams will focus on collaboratively shaping policy at state, federal levels to create pathways to opportunity for more people
Eloy Ortiz Oakley, president and CEO of College Futures Foundation and former chancellor of the California Community Colleges, will join a Strada Education Foundation webinar Sept. 7, when he and other panelists will explore Strada’s latest report, “The Value of Community Colleges: Recent Students’ Motivations and Outcomes,” which captures several factors that motivated recent alumni to enroll in community college.
Major changes in the form, combined with an expected delay in its release, are combining to intensify the work of spreading the word about the updated FAFSA.
Initiative designed to support aspiring leaders at HBCUs through scholarships, work-based learning opportunities, expands to 50 schools
Veteran higher ed leader will provide collaborative leadership to help Strada strengthen the link between education and opportunity in America
A wide range of experiences prepare students for success beyond the completion of their college degree. The evidence for the value of interning on students’ future careers is strong.
The recognition, awarded to Strada plus all four supported nonprofit organizations that make up Strada Collaborative — CAEL, Education at Work, InsideTrack, and Roadtrip Nation — signals a continued prioritization of DEI efforts.
Longtime senior leader to assume role permanently after leading Strada’s financial operations through leadership, strategy transition as interim CFO
In an era of student enrollment declines, tight labor markets, rising college costs, and a growing lack of confidence in the value of a postsecondary education, community colleges and employers have ample reasons to partner together.
Partnerships between community colleges and employers have the opportunity to address local and regional economic needs through a range of tools, including supporting student success through resources and services, integrating work-based learning, and building career pathways.
Strada Education Foundation supports programs, policies, and organizations that strengthen connections between postsecondary education and opportunity in the U.S., with a focus on helping people who face the greatest challenges.
We work to ensure education delivers better results for all students.
Providing access to postsecondary education isn’t enough. Neither is ensuring students complete it.
We build relationships with partners that share our vision for helping students realize the full value of education.
Research, grant-making, investments in promising solutions, and advocating for better state and federal policies — these are the ways we work to improve postsecondary education.
Together with policymakers and our partners, we will craft and advocate for policy solutions for postsecondary education.
We direct our efforts at five priorities that will improve the benefits students gain from postsecondary education.
Accurate information on employment outcomes should be available for all postsecondary education programs.
Every individual considering or pursuing postsecondary education can benefit from high-quality coaching.
Education after high school should be accessible to any student willing to invest the time and effort to pursue it.
All students should have the opportunity to benefit from quality work-based learning experiences, including internships and apprenticeships.
Policymakers and executives can partner to improve outcomes for individuals and employers.
Our Leaders Leadership Team Board of Trustees
Innovative leader brings an extensive track record of navigating through challenges to create effective education-to-employment data systems
Seasoned postsecondary education policy leader to oversee nonprofit organization’s advocacy work with state and federal policymaker
Three-year grants awarded to four institutions will support expansion of programs designed to help learners succeed during and after completion of their degree or credential. These programs deploy a broad range of strategies from new technology solutions to embedded, industry-recognized credentials, which will be made available to thousands of new learners through these grants.
Veteran corporate leader brings diverse range of experience to guide Strada’s legal team and serve organization’s Board of Trustees
Two-year grants will support proven partnerships that connect learners to education and in-demand employment opportunities and strengthen regional economies.
A rich mixture of skills gained in college improves post-completion outcomes for graduates
At a time of growing societal uncertainty about the value of higher education and declining enrollment, the views of alumni turn out to be particularly insightful. This group can provide especially valuable feedback about how their education experiences have enriched their lives, which can help us ensure that today’s students maximize all the benefits that college offers.
The list of benefits associated with earning a college degree is extensive and oft-repeated. It includes higher average lifetime earnings, employment security, greater self-esteem, and better health, among many others.