| Notes |
‘Roadmap to Success’
It was a report showing that college attainment
in Ohio and Kentucky lagged far behind other
states that provided the impetus that led to the formation of Strive. The principal organizers were the Cincinnati-based KnowledgeWorks Foundation and the University of Cincinnati, led by then-President Nancy Zimpher. Other colleges, leading businesses, local foundations, clinics, social service agencies, nonprofits and the three local school districts all came on board in support of the overarching aim to strengthen the skills of the local workforce so that the region can compete in the global economy.14
But that vision, like vowing to relieve poverty, was, while laudable and important, too general to guide action. Robert Reifsnyder, the president of the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, recalled that, during a discussion of college readiness at one of the early Strive meetings, “Someone said, ‘We’re focusing on the ninth grade, but these problems really start in middle school. Someone else said, ‘Truth be told, it starts in grade school.’ Someone else said, ‘Listen folks, if we don’t get started by kindergarten, the battle is half over.’ And finally we said, ‘This is a pre- school issue—it’s about kindergarten readiness.’” |