Our partners assembled community-based organizations, postsecondary institutions, school districts, employers, and the young people themselves to create seamless pathways into postsecondary education. They also worked with us to identify a robust comparison group for the evaluation. And, of course, the employees of all of those organizations worked directly with the young people and showed them, daily, that they were committed to their growth and success.
Challenges Lie Ahead
But as excited as we are for the positive outcomes of the Opportunity Works initiative, we know that we all need to dedicate ourselves to meeting big challenges that still lie ahead.
The stalwart organizations that helped these young adults enter postsecondary education did not have the funding they needed to ensure that the students persisted to graduation. And complicating matters is the fact that these under-resourced organizations also play a crucial role helping students who face inevitable poverty-related roadblocks like homelessness or unstable jobs.
Above all, while we’re proud of our achievements, we recognize that the number of young people we’re reaching is a pitifully small percentage of opportunity youth across the country.
Scaling Back on Track to reach all of the young people who deserve the same shot at career-track employment is our next imperative. It is work that will take us on a path to making a difference in the lives of the 4.5 million opportunity youth and in the economic health of this nation.