Accelerate ED

The Pathways team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has provided 12 cross-sector “Design Teams” with a grant, technical assistance, individualized coaching, and an opportunity to participate in a community of practice to develop large-scale strategies to expand pathways models that start in high school and lead to an associate degree by year 13 at little or no cost to students. Learn more about these various grants at the Accelerate ED website in the recent Lessons Learned Report which highlights the aforementioned design teams. There you can also find some additional helpful resources, including a Getting Started For Communities Guide.

More coverage about the Accelerate ED initiative can be found below. 

Accelerate ED: Creating Postsecondary Opportunities with Students at the Center | What if every high school student had the chance to take an additional year of courses related to their interests? What if they could earn enough credits to complete their associate degree one year after high school while gaining valuable experience and career preparation—all at little to no cost?

Accelerate ED: Building A Better Path between K-12, College, and Work | Learn how Accelerate ED design teams are building essential opportunities for all students to earn postsecondary credentials.

Accelerate ED: Leading Students to Better Jobs | While the United States is more educated than ever, only approximately 25 percent of adults currently received a bachelor’s degree and about half an industry-recognized certification after high school. How does this stack up to the demands of the job market?

Accelerate ED Spotlight: Texas’ 13th Year Model | Are Texas students prepared for their futures in the workforce? Texas’ Accelerate ED design team is working hard to ensure that the answer to this question is a resounding “yes.” 

Accelerate ED Spotlight: Common Challenges, Shared Potential, and Student Voice in CA and KY | At the heart of the Accelerate ED work is developing a clear understanding of the many barriers that keep students from accessing a postsecondary education. To best understand these challenges, each team began their design process by conducting student empathy interviews