Today's students need more than a high school diploma. They need clear pathways to good jobs, living wages and long-term success.

Why it's important: The country's long-term prosperity and success depends on an education system that meets the needs of both students and employers.

Okay, but: Right now, too many students fall through the cracks — academically, financially or through a lack of opportunity.

🔎 Zoom in: Ohio Excels is setting a national example by helping ensure Ohio's education and workforce systems work together to prepare every learner for the demands of the future.

• The goals: to improve lives, strengthen communities and make Ohio more competitive in a fast-changing global economy.

The background: The Columbus-based organization was founded in 2018 by the state's leading business organizations to bring a credible, coordinated, and nonpartisan business voice to education and workforce policy.

• Ohio Excels delivers results by combining data, partnerships and policy expertise.
• JPMorganChase has worked closely with Ohio Excels and other organizations to help break down barriers to opportunity and advance an economy that works for all. For example, the firm employs more than 18,000 Central Ohioans, making it one of the largest private employers in the state.

The challenges: Ohio Excels launched an initiative called "Reality Check" to provide a clear picture of where Ohio students are — and where they need support. It highlights urgent gaps in student outcomes, including:

• 36% of third graders — more than 43,000 students annually — aren't proficient in reading.
• 44% of algebra I students — nearly 59,000 kids each year — aren't meeting grade-level expectations.
• Only 18% of seventh through 12th grade students are enrolled in career-technical education despite the surging demand for skilled labor.
• 25.6% of students miss more than 20 days of school annually.
• Only 52% of seniors completed the FAFSA, leaving behind $120 million in federal aid.

The metrics are helping Ohio Excels tackle these challenges head-on through targeted reforms, coalition-building, research and regional systems change.

Some examples: Working with policymakers, educators and business leaders, some of Ohio Excels' recent wins include…

• Creating a career-connected learning roadmap, developed with 15+ statewide partners and packed with bipartisan recommendations to expand pathways and work-based learning.
• Co-hosting the Annual Aim Hire Workforce and Education Conference with the Governor's Office of Workforce Transformation to strengthen Ohio's talent pipeline and align education with workforce needs.
• Launching the state's first business-led coalition focused on preparing students for an AI-driven future.
• Supporting state budget reforms to reverse declining reading proficiency and help ensure Ohio's students are set up for success

Here's what else: Ohio Excels is advancing this work regionally through its coordination of the Columbus New Skills Ready Network (NSRN), funded by a $7 million grant from JPMorganChase.

• This coalition of business, education, workforce and policy leaders aims to give young people real-world work experiences and help them access high-wage, in-demand jobs in IT, health care and beyond.

The impact: Since its launch in 2020, Columbus NSRN reports that it has helped…

• Increase applications for Columbus City Schools' Technical Education programs by 29.8%.
• Engage 75+ businesses to offer students more work-based learning opportunities that align with education and workforce needs.
• Leverage community partnerships to grow access to IT and health care career pathways — with a 117% rise in participation among economically disadvantaged students in the past three years.
• Expand IT curriculum into middle schools, helping students prepare earlier for in-demand careers.

Take note: Ohio Excels says its secret to success is building unlikely coalitions across the ideological spectrum between business leaders, educators, policy advocates and organizations — including JPMorganChase.

• "Ohio Excels has united groups that don't often share the same table — such as charter school advocates, urban school districts, conservative think tanks, labor organizations and major employers," the organization said.

The takeaway: Taking a collaborative, nonpartisan approach has helped turn shared goals into lasting systems changes that benefit all Ohio students.

Gain more insights from Ohio Excels.

📍 Zoom In on the future of U.S. communities.