StriveTogether Membership
Generation Next was established as a formal partnership in 2012. Communities can join the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network and receive resources and support from StriveTogether staff and network peers. To join the network, communities complete an assessment of their civic infrastructure development. The process measures progress against a continuum of quality benchmarks, known as the Theory of Action. After completing the baseline assessment, communities that have met the initial set of benchmarks can join the Cradle to Career Network. They are regularly assessed to determine their progress in achieving specific quality benchmarks within the Gateways of the StriveTogether National Network.

Systems Change
With its collective impact approach, Generation Next’s work often involves pinpointing and addressing systems-level changes, such as policy levers, system-wide data access and funding shifts. We ensure regular communication across the partnership, engage partners and practitioners to improve community-level outcomes and mobilize resources to remove financial, operational and political barriers that inhibit our impact.

StriveTogether Theory of Action
Generation Next effectively navigated the exploring and emerging phases of the StriveTogether Theory of Action including: establishing a leadership table, identifying community level outcome goals and key indicators, and publishing a baseline and annual report cards. We are currently considered a partnership in the Sustaining Gateway of StriveTogether; partnerships in the Sustaining Gateway focus on using data in a continuous improvement process to identify improvements and interventions to impact an outcome.

Annual Report Cards
Generation Next published annual report cards and held annual events to share data on its goal areas and community indicators from 2014-2016, creating the only region-wide reports on student achievement.

Student Achievement Data
Generation Next has made student achievement data available to the public via its website and has aggregated data across Minneapolis and Saint Paul Public Schools as well as charter schools, where available. We are launching an entirely new website refresh in the summer of 2018 with increased accessibility and improved functionality. We have also advocated on behalf of reasonable student assessment to ensure the availability of data for continuous improvement and accountability.

Pathways to Quality (P2Q)
Pathways to Quality (P2Q) resulted in several systems-level changes in the early childhood realm. After P2Q created its Parent Aware retention incentives, the Minnesota Department of Human Services increased its quality support incentives from $1,000 to $2,500 for providers statewide who earn new 1-to 3-star ratings. In addition, P2Q’s successes with learning communities influenced the State of Minnesota to invest in launching learning communities across the state beginning in 2018.

Early Childhood Screening
There is a need to identify and break down barriers in statute, rule, policy and practice to support children getting screened in a range of settings and sharing information across partners to insure families get support in following through to opportunities. Generation Next and partners asked the Office of the Legislative Auditor to conduct a program evaluation to identify areas for improvement in the Early Childhood Screening program. The audit scope was expanded to include a wide range of early childhood programs. We expect the report to be released in May 2018.

Kindergarten Readiness
Generation Next influenced the adoption of a common Kindergarten readiness assessment in Minneapolis and Saint Paul Public Schools; in 2017, both school districts adopted FastBridge’s Formative Assessment System for Teachers (FAST) as their Kindergarten readiness assessment and K-8 math and reading assessment suite.

On-Track
As of the 2016-2017 school year, both Minneapolis and Saint Paul Public Schools established On-Track indicators for 9th grade students. School staff use the On-Track data to intervene with specific students based on challenges students are facing. Additionally, the districts are able to spot positive or negative trends, e.g., overall 9th grade course failure, which led to systems changes.

Using Data
Together with other funding partners, Generation Next invested in the data departments for Minneapolis and Saint Paul public school districts to increase their capacity to use data. These multi-year investments inform decision-making aligned with Generation Next goal and lever areas and improve data-sharing with community partners.

Staff
Generation Next had remarkably low staff turnover between 2014 and 2017, however in late 2017, two critical staff roles became vacant, primarily due to the success and exposure of those roles within our community and partnerships. Our staffing structure has been re-evaluated and as of March 2018, we have posted and filled two newly defined roles, one of which is our first dedicated communications/marketing person who will help us improve our community engagement reach, procure more press coverage, organize events and produce higher quality electronic and printed materials.