HPCUMC Mentors #19-STRIVE

Strive is a community-wide collaborative effort that launched this past Fall. Preliminary presentations and discussions were held at our Church. The vision of STRIVE "is to create the best education system in the world so every child in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky thrives and succeeds from birth through college and into a meaningful career." Strive has adopted five simple but ambitious goals.

Every student will:

Be Prepared for school in early childhood education
Be Supported inside and outside the school walls
Succeed Academically
Enroll in college: 2-year, 4-year or job training
Graduate and enter a career
Our region is fortunate to have strong community investments in education with numerous school and community based programs and initiatives working toward the same goals. But this is the first effort to coordinate them to ensure they reach as many students, families, and educators as possible.

Through STRIVE, the education, business, non-profit, civic, and philanthropic sectors are all sitting at the same table with community members to engage in discussions about how we can work together to support students, families, and educators academically and socially as they work toward a better future.

The partners and community members agree that student success doesn’t depend on any single part of the educational pipeline from preschool through college. Instead, we must focus on each and every step along the way and ensure the proper supports inside and outside the school walls are in place.

To crystallize this belief, Strive partners reviewed extensive research to develop the Roadmap to Success (http://www.strivetogether.org/documents/roadmap.jpgthat) which identifies key experiences, benchmarks, and transition points that are necessary for success from birth through some form of education beyond high school.

Together with partners in the community, STRIVE hopes to identify, support, and implement strategies that will ensure every student and family meets success throughout the Roadmap. STRIVE pledges to hold itself accountable for results by releasing a community report card on student success. If interested in working to ensure every child in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky is prepared for college, successful careers, and productive citizenship or to learn more about STRIVE go to http://www.strivetogether.org/get_involved or contact STRIVE at info@strivetogether.org. Or contact Ronda Deel of our Church (at rodeel@fuse.net).