Families
Many parents and families are open to exploring pathways programs for their children. In fact, nearly half of all parents want to see something other than a four year college for their child.
Below are research and tools to help you communicate with families and caretakers who are helping learners make education and career decisions.
Research Report
Education at a Crossroads
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
High school graduates no longer see the traditional 4-year college pathway as their only postsecondary option, according to the latest research from YouScience®. This report contains insights into pathways students are choosing instead, where they turn for influence and guidance, and where there are opportunities for improvement. The report includes data and solutions for:
- Career and Technical Education (CTE) awareness.
- Post-graduation satisfaction.
- Educator/student interactions.
- Counselor impact.
- Aptitude discovery.
Research Report
Success Index: Misunderstanding the American Dream
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
The Success Index represents a private opinion survey of the American people’s personal definitions of success and the American Dream. It uses tools and methodologies that minimize distortions found in traditional public opinion polls to reveal not only what Americans prioritize most — and least — in a successful life, but also what they believe about other people’s priorities.
Book
Choosing College
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This report looks at how people make decisions regarding higher education through “Jobs-to-be-Done” theory which interrogates and exposes the real reasons people make personal choices, from buying a milk shake to make life-changing decisions. The analysis based on this theory, provides important insights, both for college-bound students and their families, but also institutions of higher education, many of which might be tooling themselves to perform the wrong job.
Research Report
Family Voices
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
Faced with unprecedented change in the postsecondary landscape, America's families are wrestling with questions of college, careers, skills development and meaningful work. This study aimed to understand American parents' aspirations for their children after high school, as well as the barriers they face to following a preferred postsecondary path.
Research Report
Pathways Matter to Families: What Parents and Young Adults Believe and Want to Know About Education to Workforce Pathways
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
Pathways Matter to Families offers insights and actionable resources for students and families. The two complementary resources linked are informed by original research investigating what parents and young adults think and want to know about education-to-workforce pathways and experiences.
Research Report
Striving to Thrive
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This is a set of research about how young people form their occupational identities. From 2018-2019, Equitable Futures gathered key insights from qualitative and quantitative research with over 4,000 young people on how they see themselves and the opportunities and challenges they anticipate in pursuing their career and life goals.
Research Report
The Features of Narratives: A Model of Narrative Form for Social Change Efforts
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
Calls for narrative change abound in social change work. But what kinds of patterns qualify as narratives, and how narratives are embedded within particular stories, remains hazy. This report introduces a model of narrative, defining the elements and identifying the patterns in stories that comprise the narrative form. Our model identifies a set of features that make up a narrative, offering a practical tool for those working to change narratives within and beyond the issue of poverty.
Research Report
Question the Status Quo: Gen Z Teens Have Changed Their Priorities for Education and Work
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
Toolkit
What does it take to engage in narrative change
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This website captures insights and lessons learned from the Pathways Narrative Project and shares tools and resources for organizations interested in engaging in narrative change as part of their mission and work. The Pathways Narrative Project is a two-year collaborative initiative, led by Wonder: Strategies for Good and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Walton Family Foundation and others, that convened nine organizations to improve education and career pathways for young people. Together the cohort explored how to leverage the power of narrative to advance programs and systems change in the pathways space.
Article, Research Report
Failing on Purpose
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This survey explores the perspectives and experiences of those in closest contact with the American education system—namely parents, current students, and recent graduates. In partnership with YouGov, American Compass surveyed representative American parents young adults about their views on the purpose of public education; their reflections on the way that the school system has performed; and their desire for reforms to both K–12 schools and higher education. They found that Americans want (1) a public education system less focused on college, more focused on preparing people to build decent lives in their communities, and (2) education reforms to emphasize non-college pathways.
Filters
Research Report
Education at a Crossroads
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
High school graduates no longer see the traditional 4-year college pathway as their only postsecondary option, according to the latest research from YouScience®. This report contains insights into pathways students are choosing instead, where they turn for influence and guidance, and where there are opportunities for improvement. The report includes data and solutions for:
- Career and Technical Education (CTE) awareness.
- Post-graduation satisfaction.
- Educator/student interactions.
- Counselor impact.
- Aptitude discovery.
Research Report
Success Index: Misunderstanding the American Dream
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
The Success Index represents a private opinion survey of the American people’s personal definitions of success and the American Dream. It uses tools and methodologies that minimize distortions found in traditional public opinion polls to reveal not only what Americans prioritize most — and least — in a successful life, but also what they believe about other people’s priorities.
Book
Choosing College
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This report looks at how people make decisions regarding higher education through “Jobs-to-be-Done” theory which interrogates and exposes the real reasons people make personal choices, from buying a milk shake to make life-changing decisions. The analysis based on this theory, provides important insights, both for college-bound students and their families, but also institutions of higher education, many of which might be tooling themselves to perform the wrong job.
Research Report
Family Voices
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
Faced with unprecedented change in the postsecondary landscape, America's families are wrestling with questions of college, careers, skills development and meaningful work. This study aimed to understand American parents' aspirations for their children after high school, as well as the barriers they face to following a preferred postsecondary path.
Research Report
Pathways Matter to Families: What Parents and Young Adults Believe and Want to Know About Education to Workforce Pathways
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
Pathways Matter to Families offers insights and actionable resources for students and families. The two complementary resources linked are informed by original research investigating what parents and young adults think and want to know about education-to-workforce pathways and experiences.
Research Report
Striving to Thrive
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This is a set of research about how young people form their occupational identities. From 2018-2019, Equitable Futures gathered key insights from qualitative and quantitative research with over 4,000 young people on how they see themselves and the opportunities and challenges they anticipate in pursuing their career and life goals.
Research Report
The Features of Narratives: A Model of Narrative Form for Social Change Efforts
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
Calls for narrative change abound in social change work. But what kinds of patterns qualify as narratives, and how narratives are embedded within particular stories, remains hazy. This report introduces a model of narrative, defining the elements and identifying the patterns in stories that comprise the narrative form. Our model identifies a set of features that make up a narrative, offering a practical tool for those working to change narratives within and beyond the issue of poverty.
Research Report
Question the Status Quo: Gen Z Teens Have Changed Their Priorities for Education and Work
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
Toolkit
What does it take to engage in narrative change
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This website captures insights and lessons learned from the Pathways Narrative Project and shares tools and resources for organizations interested in engaging in narrative change as part of their mission and work. The Pathways Narrative Project is a two-year collaborative initiative, led by Wonder: Strategies for Good and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Walton Family Foundation and others, that convened nine organizations to improve education and career pathways for young people. Together the cohort explored how to leverage the power of narrative to advance programs and systems change in the pathways space.
Article, Research Report
Failing on Purpose
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This resource may be shared with proper attribution to the organization.
This survey explores the perspectives and experiences of those in closest contact with the American education system—namely parents, current students, and recent graduates. In partnership with YouGov, American Compass surveyed representative American parents young adults about their views on the purpose of public education; their reflections on the way that the school system has performed; and their desire for reforms to both K–12 schools and higher education. They found that Americans want (1) a public education system less focused on college, more focused on preparing people to build decent lives in their communities, and (2) education reforms to emphasize non-college pathways.