Post-Secondary Pathways

The Post-Secondary Pathways project was a part of the Chicago Student Success Initiative (CSSI), a collaborative effort between the Education Lab and the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to identify and support students facing the most significant barriers to educational and career success. Through the Post-Secondary Pathways project, the Education Lab worked to identify promising interventions to support students on all the paths they may take after high school. One of the insights from CSSI was that it may be possible to help students stay connected to school and improve their postsecondary career and educational outcomes by providing opportunities to gain professional skills and addressing the immediate financial need many students cite as a barrier to educational attainment, all while students are still in high school.

From 2019-2022, the Education Lab provided technical assistance for the implementation of interventions that aimed to help students reach graduation and beyond while helping them prepare for future careers and assisting with immediate financial needs. These interventions included the Professional Pathways Pilot and EdWorks.

The Professional Pathways Pilot worked to enhance the capacity of alternative credentialing and career pathway programs. By offering direct financial resources to schools, this initiative created additional program slots and provided support for graduating students to achieve their post-secondary goals. The Professional Pathways Pilot provided over 20 students with professional certifications and training courses in areas such as nursing, personal training, and robotics, as well as online and in-person certification courses in areas such as entrepreneurship, phlebotomy, and emergency medical response.

EdWorks is an intervention that aimed to remove the immediate financial barriers for students in high school by connecting them to paid internships. Students work 2-3 hours daily after school, which offers them an opportunity to earn money while still attending school. The internships are carefully matched to students’ interests by a school community representative and students are exposed to a diverse range of career options. In the 2021-22 school year, EdWorks offered over 40 students internships at local organizations.

As part of CSSI, CPS also implemented Post-Secondary Champions: advisors and mentors embedded in schools to provide the intensive, tailored support many Chicago students need to reach their goals.