A question for all of you

Hello, 21st Century Community Learning Center peeps,

I have met many of you but for those I haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting in real life, let me virtually introduce myself. I am a consultant and I work mostly with government agencies, nonprofits and philanthropic organizations, or "mission-driven" organizations, as I like to call them.

Many of my clients are now talking about how they can help (through their programs, grants or technical assistance) create multiple pathways to higher learning. These programs, grants and TA are generally their response to a rather upsetting question:

How the heck are we going to cope with the reality that a) so many kids don't graduate from high school and b) of those that do, a very small percentage enter college, and c) even among those who enter college, the completion rates are just too low?

What do these things mean in a society which has an economic dependence on a trained, highly skilled, i.e. well-educated workforce?

My question to you (finally, you might rightfully be thinking!) is this: while community colleges, K-12 systems, adult basic education systems are wrestling with these stats, these projections and these problems, what is the role of OST in helping to design new pathways and help to create new educational offerings that might help some of those who are currently left behind?

I'm grateful for your insights, observations and thoughts, by email (Liz@strategymatters.org) or through the comments here.

Best to all,
Liz