Post by Project Evident

Last week, Farhana H., a Senior Advisor at Project Evident, joined the Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI)’s congressional briefing for the release of their new brief, Leveraging Education R&D to Support High-Quality Career-Connected Learning. ALI makes a clear case that career-connected learning should be a national priority, and that federal R&D and data infrastructure should help the field learn which strategies work, for whom, and under what conditions. The brief and the panels put a spotlight on the areas that matter most for young people, including career exploration, career navigation, work-based learning, and employer partnerships. These are the same areas our 2025 Building Career Pathways for Young People pointed to as priorities for more R&D. We know opportunities for exploration, navigation, work-based learning, and meaningful employer relationships are valuable for young people. But what we don’t have yet is sufficient and actionable evidence on how to deliver these experiences in ways that drive outcomes for young people who need them the most. That is the opportunity ALI is pointing to. Closing these gaps calls for a more holistic approach to building evidence: pairing outcome evaluations with implementation and cost studies, building practitioner and youth capacity to take part in the research, and aligning the field around shared outcomes and language. We are glad to see this momentum and look forward to building on it, including in our upcoming work on career exploration. Read our assessment: https://lnkd.in/en3tbDUJ