Policy & Program Advancement Initiative

Through its Policy and Program Advancement (PPA) Initiative, One Dream works with schools, colleges, training programs, skilled trades, military partners, and policymakers to improve the systems students move through after high school.

Too often, students are expected to navigate disconnected systems on their own. The PPA Initiative focuses on making those systems easier to enter, easier to stay in, and more clearly connected to careers that can sustain a life.

•  Work with state legislators to remove barriers that keep low-income and first-generation students from entering and completing postsecondary pathways.
• Use research and student experience to recommend better policies on financial aid, student debt, apprenticeships, and pathway completion.
• Advocate for stronger connections between K-12 schools, postsecondary training, and careers that can support a real life.

•  Help colleges, training programs, skilled trades, and military partners reach students earlier and more effectively.
• Train admissions teams, recruiters, and advisors on how to better support first-generation and low-income students.
• Build stronger partnerships between schools, postsecondary programs, employers, unions, and community organizations.

•  Help institutions identify where students are getting stuck, leaving, or missing the support they need.
• Develop advising and mentoring models that keep students connected before small problems become major barriers.
• Strengthen student supports such as financial literacy, career planning, mental health referrals, and emergency-resource connections.

•  Work with institutions and workforce partners to build clear pathways from training into meaningful careers.
• Support apprenticeship-to-degree and training-to-career programs that give students multiple ways to advance.
• Help partners connect education, hands-on experience, and career opportunities in ways students can actually navigate.