Commission on Opportunities After High School Seeks Stronger Education and Career Connections for a Future-Ready Workforce and Thriving Communities
New Report and Resources Underscore Need for Multiple High-Quality Pathways to Success
Cambridge, MA (September 23, 2026) – Today, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Commission on Opportunities After High School released its final report, Thriving After High School: Community, School, Service, and Work, and an extensive online resource. The Commission – comprised of leaders in education, business, service, and philanthropy – worked together for two years to identify strategies that make economic and social mobility more accessible for all.
The Commission’s work recognizes the need for multiple high-quality pathways to empower people to succeed in education, service, and work. The publication outlines 10 concrete recommendations for state and local policymakers, K-12 and postsecondary education leaders, and employers to help learners pursue their goals and thrive. The online resource, also released today, features a map with more than 100 local and regional initiatives that align resources and coordinate opportunities in school, service, and work. These promising practices show there are existing solutions that meet challenges and can be tailored and replicated across the country.
To arrive at these recommendations and resources, the Academy engaged 30 leaders spanning K-12 education, higher education, business, philanthropy, healthcare, military service, and the arts. The Commission held listening sessions and expert roundtables across the country with high school and college students, college administrators, K-12 leaders, regional employers, philanthropists, and workforce development organizations to identify challenges and explore potential solutions. Student voices guided the work and the Commission’s commitment to delivering responsive recommendations and replicable practices.
The 10 recommendations aim to help learners be self-directed in their chosen educational and workforce goals in a rapidly changing world. Recommendations include:
- Break down silos and build shared responsibility across education and workforce systems
- Foster effective and efficient journeys to postsecondary thriving, including reengagement and nonlinear pathways
- Advise and mentor learners, alumni, and workers
“Thriving After High School arrives at a moment of intense national discussion about the journeys people make after they receive their high school diploma. The recommendations and resources are a hard-won consensus of theorists and practitioners across sectors, political ideologies, and socioeconomic contexts who united to help students in America pursue meaningful education and work,” said Academy President Laurie Patton. “Improving the accessibility, quality, and impact of multiple pathways to thriving in adulthood will strengthen participation in our global economy and democratic society.”
The Commission’s three Cochairs each brought unique experiences and perspectives to the effort.
Nancy Cantor, President of Hunter College, said, “A college degree remains a vital engine of opportunity, but it cannot be the only doorway we offer to catalyze talent. When we validate stackable credentials, service-year opportunities, and earn-and-learn models alongside degrees, we give learners the agency and flexibility they need to thrive in school, work, and life.”
Bridget Terry Long, Saris Professor of Education and Economics and former Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, remarked, “Thriving communities depend on critical thinking, adaptability, and collaboration to build strong local economies and a healthy democracy. Our recommendations give leaders across education, policy, business, and philanthropy ways to embed these skills across every postsecondary pathway throughout our country. We highlight incredible work and promising practices to prepare learners not just for their first job, but for lifelong resilience.”
Harrison Keller, President of the University of North Texas, said, “We don’t need to reinvent the wheel––communities and institutions across America have developed innovative local partnerships and solutions to meet learners’ needs. By making these kinds of promising practices more visible to every policymaker, university president, and employer, we can move from isolated pockets of success towards a connected system that reliably delivers on the promise of economic opportunity.”
Concrete Solutions Ready for Replication
The new interactive map of promising practices provides a blueprint for action, offering leaders across the country concrete strategies that demonstrate what is possible when education, business, and community sectors align to clear paths to prosperity for every learner. The more than 100 featured practices include:
- The BlueSky Tennessee Institute offers a 2.5-yearBachelor of Science in Computing, at no cost in which successful graduates are guaranteed employment with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.
Washington’s Education Research and Data Center maintains a state longitudinal data system of preschool-through-workforce data, called P20W data, to inform policy- and decision-making.
- The Youth Mental Health Corps engages young adults in more than 15 states as near-peer mental health navigators in schools and community organizations, developing the talent pipeline into the behavioral health workforce.
Explore the interactive map, learn about various learner pathways, and download the full report and recommendations, online.
Thank you to the individuals and foundations who made this Commission possible: Andrew Carnegie Foundation, formerly Carnegie Corporation of New York, Robert Pozen and Elizabeth Pozen, Spencer Foundation, William T. Grant Foundation, and an anonymous supporter.
About the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Founded in 1780, the Academy honors excellence and leadership. It convenes its members and other experts to work across disciplines and divides. Together, they seek to address major challenges and advance the common good. Learn more here.