Pathways to Results (PTR) is an outcomes-focused, equity-guided process to improve student transition to postsecondary education and employment. The process of PTR capitalizes on collaboration among partners, including educational institutions at all levels of the P-20 system, business and industry, community-based organizations, students and parents, and other stakeholders. It engages people in a systematic problem-solving process that identifies sustainable solutions and facilitates equitable student outcomes. By improving outcomes for all learners, everyone wins.
Kathy Nicholson-Tosh, PTR Consultant for OCCRL, talks about the development of partnerships.
Engagement and Commitment
(
MODULE)
Team members and partners collaborate to focus on critical problems that need to be addressed to improve student outcomes and enhance program quality. Analysis of existing data on student outcomes and Programs of Study quality feed into initial decisions about the PTR project’s focus.
Outcomes and Equity Assessment
(MODULE)
Brian Durham, ICCB, describes the importance of equity in PTR.
Teams use student-level data to examine outcomes and identify gaps in results between racial, ethnic, low income, and other groups and special populations. Using these data, teams identify areas where outcomes are especially successful and areas where short- and long-term improvements are needed.
Process and Practice Assessment
(MODULE)
Teams analyze core processes (e.g., recruiting, advising, teaching, learning) and practices (e.g. first-year experiences, work-based learning) that relate to the problem the team has decided to address. Teams probe existing processes and practices to understand why desired results are not being produced.
Teams reach consensus on solutions and develop implementation and evaluation plans to improve equitable student outcomes and Programs of Study quality over time.
Review and Reflection
(MODULE)
Team members, individually and collectively, review and reflect on lessons learned from engaging in the PTR process. The team develops a plan to ensure that solutions are sustained and determines the feasibility of scaling up the PTR process to other Programs of Study.
