Quality Coaching: 5 questions for Strada’s Craig Robinson
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Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Craig Robinson’s first job was at a summer youth camp. He still has the first work evaluation, in which his manager noted:
“You are a rebel without a cause. Once you find your cause, you’re going to be powerful.”
Robinson took the message to heart. Today he thinks of that manager as someone who came into Robinson’s young life and helped him steer his direction. “He helped to inspire in me this notion of finding a purpose that would become a passion,” Robinson said. “For me, education has been that.”
As Strada senior vice president, quality coaching, Robinson works to ensure all students have access to education-to-employment guidance that helps them reflect on their talents and interests, choose a career goal, map pathways through education, and successfully navigate challenges. An advocate for equity, access, and success in education, Robinson’s career has progressed through tenures at organizations that emphasize providing students access to higher education and coaching that helps them succeed.
Why is quality education-to-career guidance and coaching such a game changer for students?
Students shouldn’t have to navigate complex education and workforce systems on their own. Quality coaching helps make the invisible visible — it clarifies options, builds confidence, and connects students to real opportunities. For many, especially first-generation and low-income students, having someone in your corner who knows how to translate dreams into plans can make all the difference.
Do we have a clear picture of how many individuals actually experience this kind of coaching?
We are learning more every year about how individuals are experiencing quality coaching. What we do know is that when students receive timely labor market information, personalized guidance, and support in overcoming obstacles, they are more likely to secure a college-level job and feel satisfied with their early career progress. However, not enough students currently have all of these experiences, and that can ultimately limit outcomes for both graduates and the workforce. The 2025 State Opportunity Index, which will be released next month, will provide us with the latest data on how many students are receiving quality coaching. Our hope is that state leaders will use that information to work with their partners to increase access to quality coaching for more learners.
Strada worked with other organizations to develop a set of guiding principles for quality coaching. Why was this an important step?
We heard again and again that the field lacked a common language. The Principles for Quality Education-to-Career Guidance give us a shared foundation — something we all can point to when we’re building programs, shaping policy, or funding work in this space. Just as important, they center the experiences of learners and workers. The goal wasn’t to create a rigid framework. It was to name what quality looks like and invite others to build on it.
Offering students and individuals guidance, support, and timely information about education-to-employment pathways seems like an idea everyone can embrace. So why is it still so hard for some individuals to access this kind of quality coaching?
Because we haven’t yet treated it as essential. Too often, coaching is left to chance or seen as a nice-to-have, when in fact it’s a critical lever for equity. Access is uneven, especially for students of color, first-generation college students, and those from low-income backgrounds. We need better systems — more coordinated, better resourced, and more accountable — to ensure every learner has access to the guidance they deserve.
Did you experience any kind of coaching after you graduated high school?
I had great teachers and mentors who offered advice, but no one whose job it was to help me make sense of my options or build a plan. I stumbled my way through, often relying on luck or last-minute decisions. That’s part of why I care so much about this work now. No one should have to rely on luck to find their way.
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?
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.
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.
The institutions receiving the grants will develop innovative approaches to career services and share their knowledge and experiences with other schools.
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.
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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.
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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.
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.
Both Robinson and Love will support the foundation’s efforts to conduct research and develop policy solutions.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The recognized economic and workforce development leader with successful tenures in Virginia and Louisiana will join the national nonprofit in January 2022.
The grant competition seeks to connect learning with employment for first-generation students, those who struggle to afford education, and students of color.