Dear Friends and Colleagues,

At Carnegie, the heart of our work is to make education a much more powerful engine of economic opportunity for all. We are working to transform the American high school, partnering with the XQ Institute, pathfinding educators, school systems, and states and leading institutions across the nation. And we aim to accelerate social and economic mobility across the post-secondary sector, working in close partnership with the American Council on Education, the Carnegie Postsecondary Commission, and innovative postsecondary institutions across the globe.

While we believe the most powerful antidote to our nation’s challenges is education, we also recognize that often what undermines young people’s efforts to find fulfilling careers has little to do with what happens in school. Rather it is the stunning absence of robust and universal pathways to support young people on their journeys from school to career. As a result, many talented, hardworking young people find themselves with degrees and marketable skills, but unable to translate those assets into livable wages and purposeful careers.  

One person working to solve this problem is Carnegie Foundation Board Chair Diane Tavenner. For those who don’t know Diane’s work, she is the founder of Summit Public Schools, which she led for two decades. Today, she is Co-Founder and CEO of Futre.me, an online platform designed to empower young people to explore, compare, plan, and pursue fulfilling futures after high school. We recently sat down with Diane to hear her thoughts on the state of career pathways for high school students across the country.  In our conversation, she makes a strong case for how we might unlock greater economic opportunity for millions more American students.

Diane reminds us that while there is persuasive evidence to suggest postsecondary education is key to accelerating opportunity, college is clearly not for everyone. Indeed, approximately 40% of high school graduates do not enroll in postsecondary school at all. If we are intent on ensuring the success of all Americans, then all students (including those who don’t enroll in postsecondary school) must have clear, realistic, actionable career guidance, during high school and beyond. Let’s work to help millions more young Americans become career and world-ready. 

In partnership,
Timothy Knowles
President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching