Pathways | July Newsletter

Dear colleagues,

Over the past few editions of this newsletter, I have enjoyed sharing a little about myself and my journey to the foundation, especially at such a pivotal moment. In this latest edition, I am eager to share more about our team, our approach, and what makes it so unique, both within the foundation and in our broader education and workforce ecosystem. Tech-enabled advising, holistic credit mobility, and academic pathways that meet individual student aspirations come together into an integrated framework that keeps learners moving, from K12, to postsecondary, to a strong career path. In this edition of the US Pathways newsletter, we unpack the thinking behind such a framework and what we have planned for the rest of 2025, into 2026.

We call this work Pathways, but we are very aware that the word can be associated with many different aspects of an educational journey. So let me be clear. This is not about overhauling specific programs at a school or institution, nor about supporting one-off initiatives or interventions. Our work is grounded in an Integrated Framework, a structured approach that ties together what students need most across multiple systems to succeed in both specific moments of their journey and throughout the course of their adult lives.

This framework focuses on three core, evidence-based components:

• Advising & Navigation: Helping students define their goals, understand their options, and navigate complex decisions (e.g., college affordability, application processes, financial aid, and credit applicability). This includes providing access to clear, reliable information and tools whether through digital platforms, peer guidance, or institutional resources that empower students to make informed decisions independently or with the support of trusted individuals when available. Credit mobility is a key component, ensuring students can assess how their learning will transfer and contribute toward credential completion.
  
  
• Accelerated Course Sequences: Providing early access to at least 12+ transferable and applicable college credits, at no cost, through dual enrollment and other pathways that connect to in-demand careers.
  
  
• Career-connected Learning: Giving students meaningful exposure to the world of work through internships, job shadowing, and mentorship with a focus on social capital development.

Underpinning and intertwining with these components are essential cross-cutting themes such as belonging, purpose, and social capital. These are not extras or soft add-ons. They are fundamental to a learner’s success. Our goal is not just to guide students toward educational and career outcomes, but to ensure they are equipped with the confidence, relationships, and sense of purpose that help them pursue those goals with resilience and clarity.

While each of these components has its own research base and existing models, what’s missing, and what we are focused on, is their integration. Through undertakings including our support for the Commission on Purposeful Pathways and its recently released concept paper, we are building a field-wide consensus that these supports must work together, not in isolation. That means seamless transitions across institutions, credits that move with a student, and advising that is coherent from high school through college and into careers. It also means clearer data systems, aligned policies, and stronger local partnerships to make all of this work.

In the months ahead, we will use this newsletter to explore each of these core components and share the insights we are gaining from our partners in the field. But this month, we wanted to step back and share the bigger picture—the “why” behind it all.

This is our charge. And we are excited to build it with you.

Warmly,
Cheryl Hyman,
Director, Pathways