Education partnership joins network with national reach

Staff report

WARREN

The Eastern Ohio Education Partnership has joined more than 60 organizations from 31 states in the Strive Together Cradle to Career Network.

“We have found strength in numbers. Our team brings together individual programs, then, based on what the data tells us, we decide on a goal, Next we work collectively to achieve that goal,” said Stephanie Shaw, executive director of Eastern Ohio Education Partnership.

EOEP began in spring 2009 with a focus on impacting preschool through postsecondary education outcomes. Its work centers on four goal areas: kindergarten-readiness, third-grade reading proficiency, eighth-grade mathematics and post-secondary access and completion.

Its current focus is on assuring students are prepared when they enter kindergarten. A team of eight providers, including local libraries, State Support Team-5, United Way, Childcare Connection and Head Start, has worked to develop a form for students who are making the transition from preschool to kindergarten.

The form is designed to support families by providing information on students’ academic achievements and resources to assure families can support their students as they transition to kindergarten.

As part of the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network, Eastern Ohio Education Partnership has access to resources and tools designed to help communities implement StriveTogether’s nationally recognized cradle-to-career collective impact approach, known as the Theory of Action.

Eastern Ohio Education Partnership also has a connection with communities across the country to share knowledge and learn from successes, failures and insights as each community works to align resources around improving education outcomes.

“Across the country, network members are improving student-level outcomes through Strive Together’s collective impact method,” said Jeff Edmondson, managing director, StriveTogether.

“Each of these communities, and the network as a whole, are committed to putting the child at the center of their work. We are excited to welcome Eastern Ohio Education Partnership to the Strive Together Cradle to Career Network.”