Commission on Opportunities After High School

This commission envisions a future wherein all students can choose, and succeed in, the path that best serves their needs and aspirations. Together, commissioners will address the various societal, economic, and education obstacles that impede a student’s progress by identifying and highlighting promising existing pathways from high school into higher education or directly into the workforce. Throughout this work, emphasis will be placed on expanding the possibilities for historically underserved students, so that multiple routes to success are broadly accessible.  Additionally, policies and practices that enhance these pathways will be highlighted to allow for the full participation of a diverse talent pool.  

Commission goals include: 

• uniting K-12, higher education, and the workforce -- sectors that historically have been siloed; 

• learning from multi-faceted perspectives through listening sessions and by building on the expertise of the Commission members; 

• highlighting solutions that have increased economic and social opportunities for students within historically marginalized and underrepresented populations 

• identifying successful policies and practices in states and localities across the country and could be scaled; and 

• providing regional/geographic-specific recommendations that can be implemented in ways that respond to local priorities.  

By the conclusion of the commission’s work, members will have developed a set of recommendations to ensure students have multiple routes to success that are broadly accessible and are able to thrive and find rewarding jobs in an ever-changing global economy, empowering them to actively engage in society.