• Acquiring a wide array of funding sponsors from state and national sources for maintaining momentum in implementing plan elements: Lumina Foundation; Indiana Education Roundtable; Indiana Department of Education; Center for Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL)
  • Generating financial support inside the region from foundations (Legacy, Unity, White, Crown Point Community, Porter County Community), Northwest Indiana Workforce Board, Center of Workforce Innovations (CWI), College Acceleration Network (CAN), and Fifth Third Bank
  • Engaging local employers in creating multiple methods for promoting local jobs: 20 videos, discussion guides, employer presentations to students, bus tours, and sessions for school counselors and teachers
  • Providing new career readiness assessments for over 15,000 regional 8th and 9th grade students to support college and career plans via active K-12 partners covering 70% of the region’s students
  • Providing intensive assistance for math and science teachers in 7 school districts, and leadership development in 13 school districts with grants from the Indiana Department of Education
  • Increasing the number of students gaining dual college credits while in high school, and developing tracking procedures to measure dual credit increases at high schools and at colleges
  • Cited as a model by Governor Pence for creation of a statewide network of Regional Works Councils
  • Hosting high-visibility community events to increase public awareness, acknowledge partner contributions, and showcase best practices: U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan featured in 2012 at event with over 400 participants; event with over 200 participants with Assistant Secretary of Education Martha Kanter; Summer Institutes for school leaders in 2012, 2013, and 2014 with plans for continuation
  • Selected by the Lumina Foundation in 2014 to participate in its national network of Community Partnership for Attainment areas that were identified as leaders in broad-based coalition building
  • Selected by America’s Promise Alliance to partner with other workforce organizations in the area to host Graduate to Success in Northwest Indiana GradNation Summit
  • Implemented a regional approach to Governer’s Work Ethic Certificate-led state in 2017 with number of certificates awarded as a region
  • Currently integrating READY NWI’s college and career goals with new graduation requirements for Indiana K-12 students