Big Enough to Matter: Reimagining Career Pathways in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District

Abstract

In November 2021, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) launched Planning and Career Exploration, also known as PACE. The District developed PACE in collaboration with the Cleveland Foundation and other core partners. The initiative aimed to redefine career pathways for students in Cleveland. The District and key partners recognized that the system contained bifurcated paths where 2,000 students graduated annually into dynamically different pathways. One pathway resulted in college admission and continued, while the other often ended at high school with a vague connection to careers. PACE sought to imagine a system where all 2,000 students graduated with a career plan. During my residency, I worked to launch PACE in Cleveland, build public trust, increase operational capacity, and get buy-in from teachers, employers, and other stakeholders. Drawing on public value, street-level bureaucrats, and change management theories, I add to the existing literature about what it takes to build an ecosystem of support that democratizes work-based learning and career pathways. By building and socializing a public value proposition, managing the transition to a new system of career pathways, and understanding the role of individuals, especially teachers, in complex ecosystems, PACE launched and continues to grow the possibilities of CMSD scholars.