Accelerating Opportunity

Launched in 2011, the Accelerating Opportunity initiative was intended to increase the ability of students with low basic skills to earn valued occupational credentials, obtain a well-paying job, and sustain a rewarding career. The Economic Opportunities Program’s Workforce Strategies Initiative collaborated with the Urban Institute and the George Washington University to carry out an independent evaluation of the initiative. WSI co-led the implementation component of the evaluation with the Urban Institute.

Jobs for the Future managed the AO initiative in partnership with the National College Transition Network, the National Council for Workforce Education, and the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. A consortium of foundations, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, the Arthur Blank Foundation, the Woodruff Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the University of Phoenix Foundation, provided funding for the AO initiative.