Austin Aspires is now one of more than 60 community partnerships from 32 states and Washington, D.C., working throughout the country to connect cross-sector leaders around a common vision.

“We’re really thrilled to be an official member of this organization,” Austin Aspires Executive Director Jennifer Lawhead said. “They have a tried and true track record of improving the community.”

Austin Aspires’ goal is to improve educational outcomes for students. Now as part of this nationwide movement that connects more than 9,600 organizations, Austin Aspires will help impact more than 8.2 million students as a member of this StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network.

“It’s a nice confirmation that Austin Aspires is on the right track,” Lawhead said.

Austin Aspires formed through Vision 2020’s Education Leaders committee to achieve their goal of regional excellence in education.

The vision of the organization is that Austin will be recognized as a leader in education with a culture of educational excellence, cradle to career, embraced in every aspect of our community. Their mission is that Austin Aspires will bring together community resources and families to challenge all learners to seek excellence and equip them to achieve results through shared community vision, evidence-based decision making, collaborative action, and investment and sustainability.

“We’re looking at education as a whole unit,” Lawhead said. “It’s more than just what happens in the classroom.”

Austin Aspires’ Leadership Table, a group of 21 community leaders, reviewed data from the community and set five aspirational goals for education in Austin: all learners will be ready for kindergarten, all learners will be challenged to achieve their academic potential, the community will support and enhance parents and mentors in their role as primary influencers of our learners, the community will provide equal access to opportunities which encourage our learners to explore areas of personal interest and prepare for post-secondary education or career, and the community will address social, emotional, mental and physical barriers to success for all learners.

“We have a road map of how to get where we want to go with education in the community,” Lawhead said.

Action Teams consisting of volunteers from all sectors of the community are formed around each of their goal areas. After establishing measures and indicators for each aspirational goal, these teams are now focusing on strategy to measure and achieve their desired goals. Through the use of collective impact, they will identify model programs that should be grown across the entire community.

Austin Aspires welcomes any and all community members who are passionate about education to join in their work. For more information, visit austinaspires.org or https://www.facebook.com/Austin-Aspires-835510463191072/?fref=ts.