APRIL 15, 2025

One year ago Strada introduced the State Opportunity Index, a quantifiable set of indicators developed to help states assess how well they are connecting education to opportunity.

The State Opportunity Index includes baseline data in five focus areas: Clear Outcomes, Quality Coaching, Affordability, Work-Based Learning, and Employer Alignment. These five key areas provide states with a research-driven framework for measuring and improving policies and practices to support education and economic development.

Strada is now preparing its next iteration of the State Opportunity Index, to be released later this year. CEO and President Stephen Moret reflected on what has been learned so far and how the tool will continue to support state leaders in the years ahead.

“At Strada, we believe every learner who pursues a college degree should be able to achieve a positive return on investment,” Moret said. “States that embrace the five keys to success described in the State Opportunity Index will substantially increase the share of their graduates who realize a positive return on their postsecondary investment.

In a recent LinkedIn article, Strada Senior Vice President and Chief Data Ecosystems Officer Jon Furr, who leads the Clear Outcomes focus area, offered a guide for state data system leaders and policymakers working to make sense of earnings outcomes.

“As stakeholders increasingly focus on returns from postsecondary education, states are turning to their education-to-employment data systems to help assess value. Typically, state data leaders and policymakers start with earnings — how much can learners expect to earn after completing postsecondary education and training programs?” Furr writes. “While this question may seem straightforward, challenges in delivering earnings outcomes are often compounded by a lack of clarity around the intended audiences and the intended purposes for education-to-employment data.”

COMPLETION MOVEMENT: Strada joined the Institute for Higher Education Policy and other colleagues in Celebrating and Accelerating Attainment: 2025 & Beyond, a celebration of the postsecondary completion movement.

HBCU LEADERSHIP SUMMIT: HBCU leaders, employers, and Strada staff gathered for a weekend of learning, networking, and community building with hundreds of Strada Scholars from HBCUs around the country.

NEW STRADA WEBSITE: Our new website features Strada's five focus areas and the diverse of range of tools we use to foster collaboration between the institutions that serve learners, and the employers who need them.