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Beginning this spring, and continuing through the end of 2027, America Forward is excited to partner with a pilot cohort of up to eight (8) leading high-impact sectoral training providers to shift public investment toward evidence-based programs and build providers’ capacity to navigate and participate in public funding systems. America Forward is grateful to Ascendium Education Group for their investment

By Jessica Paulsen, President, Innovation & Impact, LEAP Innovations As schools nationwide work to accelerate student learning and close persistent achievement gaps, policymakers are taking a closer look at how we measure student growth — and whether current approaches give educators and families the actionable information they need. When Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Photo: Francisco Martinez, President & CEO of Project QUEST, and Lelani Mercado, Chief Program Officer of Project QUEST with a December 2025 graduate. Across the United States, communities are searching for workforce solutions that deliver real, lasting economic mobility, not just short-term job placements. In San Antonio, Texas, one model has been proving what works for more than three decades:

America Forward applauds the U.S. Department of Labor’s announcement of a new $145 million pay-for-performance apprenticeship incentives initiative. This initiative constitutes a significant investment aimed at expanding Registered Apprenticeship nationwide and paves the way for a more outcomes-oriented, formula-based approach to financing apprenticeships. Key provisions in the recently-released application materials closely align with America Forward and Apprenticeships for America’s recommendations

Washington, D.C. - America Forward is honored to announce an exciting new grant from Ascendium Education Group to support a new initiative, Blazing a Trail for Evidence-Based Economic Mobility Strategies. Over the next two years, America Forward will partner with a cohort of leading high-impact sectoral training providers to shift public investment toward evidence-based programs while building providers' capacity to

Today, America Forward and Results for America co-published two policy briefs emphasizing the importance of elevating evidence-based strategies and ongoing, intentional evidence-building under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Our public workforce system currently invests only a small proportion of funding in workforce development strategies proven to drive stronger economic outcomes for workers, employers, and our economy, and provides

Last week, America Forward sent recommendations to House and Senate appropriations leaders to inform bicameral, bipartisan negotiations as Congress continues the fiscal year 2026 (FY2026) appropriations progress. Our recommendations emphasize the programs and policies to which the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have proposed distinct approaches to date. America Forward urged congressional leaders to adopt these priorities as they reconcile

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration recently published a significant guidance letter, Maximizing Innovation in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Programs. The letter invites state waiver requests under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and highlights numerous existing flexibilities as a means “to maximize innovation in the public workforce system and better serve job seekers and