Written by Data & Research Fellow, Kaley Duong
At the Horizon South King County Convening, regional and TA partners came together to highlight their work, goals, and strategies. Various topics came to light, all centering on how we can support students on their postsecondary pathways.
The toolkits and initiatives that TA partners across the state are working on helped me understand how powerful it is to explore ways they can work with regional partners to support their efforts to create change in their schools. I got the chance to hear about ecosystem teams, data dashboards, and opening conversations around dual credit awareness. After the presentations, the room lit up with wonderings and curiosities!
Regional partners were also able to highlight what they have been working on, their goals, and the supports or needs of their community. It was really grounding and inspiring to hear the strategies and to see conversations form. The regional partners had a range of initiatives. This involved shifting the school culture around advising and post-secondary paths to engage with community-based organizations, school district staff, and Horizon partners to explore students’ needs and leverage tools to create school-wide changes that go beyond advisory.
I left the convening feeling hopeful. As someone passionate about creating systems change in education, I left with the hope for continuous action upon supporting students. I also left with the overall thought that student voices should be central to this process. What this opened up to me is that student success is beyond graduation; it is to guide students so that they feel motivated and empowered to achieve their goals for their future. Through the convening, it showed that there are efforts to this and that the South King County region and WA state are not alone in this.