What are Pathways?

Pathways help students move from P-12 to higher education and their careers more seamlessly. They allow students to pursue degrees and certificates that align with their interests and career aspirations and see the steps needed to reach those aspirations. Yet, because of the quickly changing pathways landscape, existing barriers to accessing high-quality opportunities, and the many demands on school counselors, pathways programs are complex systems to navigate for students and their families.

Well-resourced school districts can offer support for students, including high-quality advising and college and career exploration opportunities. However, many student populations, such as students attending underfunded school districts, students from low-income backgrounds, and students of color, do not have access to the same level of support. A cornerstone of great pathways systems is offering navigational support and transition tools. In our vision, every high school nationwide would have a pathways counselor to provide standardized tools and personalized support for students navigating complex pathways systems.

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5 Key Elements of an Ideal Pathways System

1. Clear Choices: Students have a clear understanding of their options.
2. Start Smart: Students and families understand available paths before entering high school.
3. Access for All: Information is accessible and provided in multiple formats and languages.
4. Guided Beginnings: Students explore options through regular, early high school touchpoints.
5. Final Prep: Staff provide dedicated and targeted support for 11th and 12th graders.

This report identifies several barriers to equitable pathways opportunities, including systemic barriers to information, overworked and too few school counselors, the need for data showing clear return on investment (ROI), inequitable access to high-quality opportunities, and career and technical education’s (CTE) looming legacy of racialized tracking. It also highlights additional challenges specific student groups face, such as rural students, students with disabilities, and multilingual learners.

Addressing the Challenge of Creating More Pathways Programs

This report proposes several federal actions:

1. Enhanced federal support and oversight through a new grant program
2. Legislation for universal accessibility to Pathways counselors
3. Federal funding for resource development
4. Incentivizing innovation and best practices
5. Creating a cross-agency task force for oversight
6. Establishing national training and certification for Pathways counselors
7. Fostering partnerships between K-12, higher education, and industry
8. Setting up monitoring and accountability measures
9. Conducting long-term research and data analysis
10. Implementing data collection and sharing systems

Our vision emphasizes the urgent need for a comprehensive, coordinated federal response to create an equitable pathways system. It argues that without such action, access to essential supports will continue to be determined by zip code rather than student need, perpetuating and potentially widening inequality. The report calls for transforming pathways counseling from a privilege for some to a right for all, ensuring every student can pursue their dreams and contribute their talents to society.

By embracing this comprehensive, multi-pronged approach, we can create a future in which young people are empowered with the resources, opportunities, and guidance to forge their postsecondary path successfully. This is not just an educational or economic imperative but a moral one. As a nation, we must ensure that every child has the chance to pursue their dreams and contribute their talents to society. Federal leadership is essential to fulfilling this promise.

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