Striving Together

Chronicles the development of a framework for collective impact in education through the perspectives of its founders and lessons learned from pioneering sites.In 2006, Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky had been suffering from many of the same challenges facing metro regions across the country. Despite significant investments in education from the public and private sectors, outcomes were alarming: Kindergarten readiness was below fifty percent, and nearly half of the students in the Cincinnati Public Schools were dropping out before high school graduation. Fortunately, a diverse group of community leaders across sectors was exploring a transformative approach to improving education as a system. This gathering of leaders was the genesis of the StrivePartnership, which served as the inspiration for the theory of collective impact. Together, these partners are building a cradle-to-career civic infrastructure based on the idea that everyone in a community has a stake in the success of every child.>Jeff Edmondson is Managing Director of KnowledgeWorks subsidiary StriveTogether and was the founding Director of the StrivePartnership. Nancy L. Zimpher is Chancellor of the State University of New York and Chair of the StriveTogether National Advisory Board.