Credentialed by 26 Series: Insulating the Education Pipeline to Increase Postsecondary Success

The Forum for Youth Investment has challenged leaders across the country to ensure all young people are Ready by 21 – ready for college, work and life. Embedded in the challenge are several key ideas: 1) readiness requires investments in youth from birth into the early twenties, 2) readiness should be measured broadly, with indicators that go beyond high school graduation, and 3) readiness is influenced by a broad range of systems and settings.

Being ready is important, but “ready” is not the same as “successful.” Ensuring young people are ready for next steps after high school is critical, but we also need to make sure they don’t stumble before getting to the finish line.
Through the Ready by 21, Credentialed by 26 series and ongoing support to teams of community leaders across the country,  the Forum is working to mobilize and coordinate multiple sectors – education, business, government, nonprofits, communities and families – to increase postsecondary completion and ensure successful transitions for all youth.