Amy Loyd, Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of Education
Goal: Highlight ElevateEdAZ and our success increasing the number of students pursuing high-wage, high-demand occupations, attainment of early post-secondary education and industry recognized credentials, work-based learning opportunities like internships and job shadows, and providing teacher externships. Better understand new initiatives as outlined below and identify ways for ElevateEdAZ to tap into the efforts.
RAISE THE BAR: Lead the World: In January 2023, Secretary Cardona launched Raise the Bar, Lead the World, which included a national tour of schools, started in Arizona, focused on elevating educational pathways for students.
Unlocking Career Success: Unlocking Career Success is an interagency initiative that reimagines how our nation’s high schools prepare all students to thrive in their future careers. The initiative blurs the lines between high school, college, and career, providing students with accelerated and innovative opportunities to earn college credits and gain real-world career experiences. This joint effort across the U.S. Departments of Education, Labor, and Commerce will support public and private sector leaders, government agencies, and other community-based organizations to help students earn postsecondary degrees and industry credentials that our employers need, and our economy demands. Together, we can create multiple pathways to success and fulfill the promise of education as a bridge for people to create the lives that they want and help our students to reach their endless potential.
Career Z Launch: Through this Challenge, the Department invites eligible entrants to engage collaborative ecosystems of educators, businesses, industries, workforce professionals, and community stakeholders to provide students with interconnected and expansive career development opportunities and experiences across grades 9 – 12. Semi-finalists and finalists will be eligible to receive targeted technical assistance, including professional development support, webinars and training, networking with a community of peers, as well as a portion of a $2.5 million prize pool.