Across the country, education leaders are asking a key question: How can state policy create stronger, more equitable pathways for students and support education systems in doing so?
New insights from Chiefs for Change show that state policy isn’t just guidance or a compliance tool; it can reimagine what high schools offer and the opportunities available for students post-graduation.
The insights surface five key strategies for translating state policy into progress:
- Name urgent problems – Focus on shared challenges to align stakeholders.
- Leverage existing pathways policies – Build on existing initiatives rather than starting anew.
- Build leadership coalitions beyond K–12 – Bring higher education, employers, and legislators into the conversation.
- Craft workforce- and opportunity-framed messaging – Show how pathways benefit students and local economies.
- Position to drive future policy development – Develop policy conditions that made passage and implementation possible, including messaging that builds bipartisan support.
The brief underscores a key lesson: there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
However, with state support funding and intentional collaboration, education systems can offer students multiple pathways to postsecondary and career success.
How K-12 Leaders Leverage State Policy to Accelerate Pathways from High School to Career
Read the full insights at https://bit.ly/twostatesonegoalreport.
