2024 State Opportunity Index
The 2025 State Opportunity Index Looks at Achievement After Graduation
.jpg)
The following organizations have endorsed the Principles for Quality Education-to-Career Guidance. We asked these organizations: How can the Guiding Principles support your work? Here are some of their responses.
A practice called tuition discounting has become a key tactic for public institutions seeking to enroll students and generate revenue. It can leave students, families, and the general public confused about what college actually costs.
.jpg)
‘For many, having someone in your corner who knows how to translate dreams into plans can make all the difference.’
Over the course of her career, Strada Executive Vice President Gabriella Gómez has focused on how to use federal and state policy to provide better access to opportunities in education.
.jpg)
The components are industry leaders that have the skilled workers they need, education and training providers that understand employers’ needs, and strong collaboration between those employers and educators.
The largest meeting of the Postsecondary Employment Outcomes Coalition brought together postsecondary leaders from colleges, universities, state agencies, and other institutions.
A new Roadtrip Nation documentary, “Rethinking Higher Ed,” asks: What is required to ensure the path provides the most value for each person? Where do students find guidance as they chose their path? How can we be sure every learner has a guide?
States invest billions of dollars on education and training, but most can’t answer fundamental questions about which programs lead to good jobs and how well programs meet employer needs. By making enhancements to the workforce data they already collect, states could answer these questions and more.
This year the Strada HBCU Initiative celebrates its fourth year — a milestone that includes the graduation of many students in the first cohort of Strada Scholars.
College costs and concerns about affordability are persistent barriers for individuals interested in pursuing an education after high school, with 77 percent of adults believing college is unaffordable and most people significantly overestimating the cost of public institutions, both two-year and four-year.
One year after its release, Strada CEO and President Stephen Moret reflects on what has been learned so far and what to expect in the next iteration.
How a student chooses a college major is often the result of personal factors, such as interests, strengths, or education and career guidance.
Strada CEO and President Stephen Moret testified before the House Committee on Education and Workforce about reauthorizing the nation’s main workforce development legislation — the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, or WIOA.
The senior vice president of HBCU and engagement discusses how a $25 million investment created a community of students who learn from one another while celebrating the legacy of HBCUs.
The longtime insurance brokerage executive and Strada trustee begins his second term as board chair.
The institutions receiving the grants will develop innovative approaches to career services and share their knowledge and experiences with other schools.
In 2025, Strada’s look and brand image will change to reflect our commitment to working with focus, connection, curiosity, agility, and optimism — qualities that will guide us and undergird all our efforts.
Strada is extending an invitation for each institution to participate in the State Opportunity Index survey and to receive confidential and benchmarked results, free of cost.
Hundreds of institutions have come together to provide simple and clear pricing and financial aid information to students and families as part of the College Cost Transparency Initiative.
Cobert, who has extensive public and private sector experience, will oversee the Strada affiliates and relationships with other nonprofits.
.avif)
Strada’s agenda lays out ambitious steps for improving education and employment systems so students realize the economic value of their education and employers have the talent they need to fill jobs.
Guidance in connecting education to a career can make the difference in improving completion and postcompletion outcomes. When grounded in effective practices including proactive outreach and comprehensive support, coaching is associated with improved persistence and graduation rates.
Strada’s report, Quality Coaching, looks at students’ experiences across three elements of quality coaching and we examine the experiences of recent graduates. The report also offers insights to leaders, practitioners, and others seeking to improve students’ career outcomes.
Strada worked closely with state data agencies and higher education executives to identify 10 critical elements that contribute to the capacity of state data systems.
The organization’s chief data ecosystem officer says education-to-employment data help individuals make informed decisions about college and workforce training.
Mentors in Tech, supported by a Strada grant, recruits veterans from the Seattle region’s robust tech industry to mentor students at the area’s small, affordable, open-access colleges.
Ellspermann, Flores, and Williams will provide leadership and support for Strada’s strategic plan, with a goal of creating more effective links between education and employment.
Both Robinson and Love will support the foundation’s efforts to conduct research and develop policy solutions.
Draeger, who is an expert in federal financial aid systems, will lead the foundation's efforts to make post-high school education less expensive.
'Colleges and universities, states, and our country can do more to help prepare students for the critical transition from college to the labor market.’
The report offers a comprehensive picture of how college graduates fare in the job market over their first decade of employment after college.
The gift of time. A recognition of talent. A helping hand. How our mentors helped shape us as people and professionals. A few Strada staff members share their thoughts.
The former executive director of the Virginia Office of Education Economics has expertise with many workforce development topics.
MiraCosta College’s Increase Diversity, Equity, and Advancement in Biotechnology program, funded in part by a grant from Strada, includes a unique partnership between the college and two local biotech employers.
A report indicates both success and the need for improvement on the part of community colleges in meeting students’ varied goals
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 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 should help more students and their families access money to pay for college, but presents challenges for those who help students complete it.
The credentialing program, supported by a grant from Strada, gives students training that makes them more attractive to prospective employers and graduate schools.
.avif)
Nine University of Texas campuses now offer microcredentials, funded in part from a Strada grant challenge.
A program partially funded by Strada’s Beyond Completion Challenge enables students to earn a valuable Google Career Certificate and take Adobe Certified Professional exams.
The University of Texas System puts programs in place at nine campuses for students to earn additional certificates and skills badges that should be desirable for employers.
A new Strada research report indicates that community college attendees have mixed opinions on the value of their education from those institutions.
Reindl, Rigdon, and Valle-Palacios will head newly established teams that will focus on collaboratively shaping policy at the state and federal levels to create pathways to opportunity for more people.
Major changes in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, combined with an expected delay in its release, are combining to intensify the work of spreading the word about the updated form.
The initiative,designed to support aspiring leaders at HBCUs through scholarships and work-based learning opportunities, expands to 50 schools.
The higher ed leader will provide collaborative leadership to help Strada strengthen the link between education and opportunity in America.
The recognition, awarded to Strada plus all four organizations that make up Strada Collaborative — CAEL, Education at Work, InsideTrack, and Roadtrip Nation — signals continued prioritization of DEI efforts.
Austin will assume the role permanently after leading Strada’s financial operations through a leadership and strategy transition as interim CFO.
The innovative leader brings an extensive track record of navigating through challenges to create effective education-to-employment data systems.
The postsecondary education policy leader will oversee the nonprofit organization’s advocacy work with state and federal policymakers.
Three-year grants awarded to four institutions will support the expansion of programs designed to help learners succeed during and after completion of their degree or credential.
The experienced corporate leader and legal expert brings a diverse range of experience to guide Strada’s legal team and serve the organization’s board of trustees.
The two-year grants will support proven partnerships that connect learners to education and in-demand employment opportunities and strengthen regional economies.
At a time of declining enrollment and growing societal uncertainty about higher education’s value, the views of alumni can help ensure that today’s students maximize all the benefits that college offers.
The former U.S. Commerce Department official will head the social impact organization’s strategy and innovation team.
A new study from Strada reveals a silver lining at a challenging time in the employment world.
As the U.S. faces a dramatic period of job turnover, economic uncertainty, and postsecondary enrollment declines, employers and educators seek to find ways to meet rapidly changing education and workforce needs.
Phase 2 allows Taskforce on Higher Education and Opportunity members to seek up to $1.5 million ($6.25 million total) to expand efforts to connect education to employment.
Higher education’s measurement of student success is in the midst of an evolution. For nearly five decades, success efforts focused on access, then two decades with completion as the horizon for success, and now the focus is extending to student outcomes beyond completion.
Two centuries after the first historically Black colleges and universities were founded, the 101 accredited HBCUs in operation today continue to deliver on their legacy of expanding educational opportunity for Black students that leads to successful and fulfilling lives.
As a field, higher education has experienced a continuing evolution in how to measure success. For nearly five decades success efforts were focused on access, followed by the past decade and a half pursuing completion, and the field now has a growing focus on the value of a degree and student outcomes beyond completion.
Strada announces the winners in the initial phase of a grant challenge aimed at helping higher education institutions improve career and life opportunities for several disadvantaged populations.
Strada’s prior research on undergraduate perceptions of the value of their education demonstrates that students value their education most when they receive support to connect their education and career interests.
In the wake of historic pandemic-related enrollment declines, postsecondary institutions have responded by developing and expanding innovative approaches to engaging learners.
The recognized economic and workforce development leader with successful tenures in Virginia and Louisiana will join the national nonprofit in January 2022.
Students can see the high costs of education, but a clear and predictable career path is more opaque in an ever-shifting labor market transformed by remote work, gig work, outsourcing, automation, artificial intelligence, and global supply chains.
The grant competition seeks to connect learning with employment for first-generation students, those who struggle to afford education, and students of color.
A $25 million grant from Strada taps the collective experience and insights of HBCU leaders to scale experiential learning and leadership development within the college experience.
Steep declines in undergraduate enrollment during 2020 and 2021 threaten to widen existing equity gaps in college completion and career opportunities.
Nondegree credentials have been growing rapidly for decades. During the COVID-19 economic crisis, interest in nondegree credentials and skills training options was especially high. Questions about their quality and value, however, remain.
The high school classes of 2020 and 2021 have endured massive disruption to their education.
In order to inform solutions for how to reconnect with young adults whose education plans have been disrupted, Strada Education Network is conducting a multiphase research study with high school graduates from 2020 and 2021.
The pandemic has led to a national crisis of widespread disruption to both work and education for millions of adults in the U.S., especially those from historically marginalized groups.
Already, an estimated 28 million Americans have canceled education plans, results from the fifth week of this nationally representative survey* show.
Over the past 15 years, the number of student loan recipients has increased by 51 percent and the debt associated with those loans has more than doubled.
In the recovering economy, employers will play a central role as Americans look to reskill, upskill, and compete in the workforce.
This week’s data are based on the Strada Student Viewpoint and Strada-Gallup Education Consumer surveys.
The former University of Utah leader will drive Strada’s research, philanthropy, policy, and thought leadership on the national stage.
The economic impact of COVID-19 is widespread, but the ramifications are felt disproportionately among people of color.
This week’s data are based on the Strada Public Viewpoint and Strada Student Viewpoint surveys, which together collected more than 25,000 responses this year.
Our mission is to improve lives by forging clearer and more purposeful pathways between education and employment.
Breaux, Jenkins, and Olinger join the governing board; Coulis is selected as board chair for the national social impact organization focused on strengthening education-to-employment pathways.
Seven months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans feel stuck at work and unconvinced a good job or opportunities to advance are within their reach.
COVID-19 is Disrupting Students’ Confidence in the Value of Higher Education
These insights are from the Strada Student Viewpoint survey, which collected more than 4,000 responses from students at four-year institutions between Sept. 10 and 25.
The nationally representative Public Viewpoint survey, with more than 17,000 responses collected between March 25 and Sept. 3, is intended to provide insights to the education and training providers, policymakers, employers, and individual Americans who are navigating the COVID-19 crisis.
The nationally representative Public Viewpoint survey, with more than 16,000 responses collected between March 25 and Aug. 20, is intended to provide insights to the education and training providers, policymakers, employers, and individual Americans who are navigating the COVID-19 crisis.
Five months into the pandemic, Americans are now three times more likely than they were in April to believe COVID-19’s impact will last more than a year.
The nationally representative Public Viewpoint survey, with more than 14,000 responses collected between March 25 and July 23, is intended to provide insights to the education and training providers, policymakers, employers, and individual Americans who are navigating the COVID-19 crisis.
The COVID-19 crisis continues to touch nearly every aspect of American life, but the latest Strada Public Viewpoint research shows Americans’ interest in online learning would be significant with or without the effect of the pandemic.
This week’s data also shows what is motivating the workers looking to change fields—and for about half, the decision isn’t about finances or career advancement.
COVID-19 is taking the lives of Americans and disrupting the fabric of work, education, and daily living for the entire nation, but the impact is disproportionately affecting people of color.
After weeks of impact to Americans’ emotional and economic well-being because of COVID-19, many are beginning to consider what will come next in their lives.