Edmentum and America Succeeds Announce Durable Skills Partnership

First-of-its-Kind Partnership Brings Durable Skills to Edmentum Middle and High School CTE Courses

Bloomington, MN (March 18, 2024) – Edmentum, the premier provider of K-12 learning acceleration solutions, and America Succeeds, a leading educational policy and advocacy group, are announcing a first-of-its-kind partnership to integrate the Durable Skills framework into Edmentum’s robust catalog of middle and high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses.

As the needs of the modern workforce evolves at an unprecedented rate, America Succeeds has identified an important set of Durable Skills – such as critical thinking, collaboration, metacognition, and creativity – that are in high demand for a range of jobs and across employers.

These Durable ‘soft’ Skills are in high demand jobs across industry sectors, geography, and educational level, often eclipsing demand for sought-after technical skills. Through research, collaboration, and feedback from over 800 educators, workforce professionals, industry leaders, and policymakers, America Succeeds developed a structured framework providing a common lexicon for the most in-demand Durable Skills. With 85% of career success being dependent on Durable Skills, this framework bridges the gap between the skills students are taught in school and evolving workforce needs.

This licensing partnership enables Edmentum to incorporate Durable Skills, as defined by the Durable Skills framework, into new courses as part of its library of middle and high school CTE and Career Exploration Courses. The result is the next-generation of career-connected learning curriculum that meets both state and school district demands, delivered in the engaging learning experience today’s students and educators expect.

“Secondary education is undergoing a significant transformation, and a major part of that involves new ways of thinking on how to better prepare students for their future careers,” said Jamie Candee, CEO of Edmentum. “We are excited that this partnership enables us to integrate the Durable Skills framework into Edmentum’s CTE courses, and help students develop the critical skills they will need throughout their lives and across any career path they may choose.”

Edmentum recently unveiled a new approach to CTE courses that emphasizes pathways from exploration to employability starting in middle school. The new CTE library features high-demand career cluster coverage delivered through dynamic instructional design and scaffolded content. Durable Skills are a natural addition to this approach, infusing Edmentum’s industry-recognized and evidence-based courses and content with the skills students need in order to succeed in careers across the economy.

“We are thrilled to partner with Edmentum to integrate the Durable Skills framework into their CTE courses.” said Tim Taylor, Co-Founder and President of America Succeeds. “This partnership embeds valuable skill building into middle school content that paves the way for future success. Together we can ensure students are able to develop and demonstrate the Durable Skills that are critical for economic mobility and success in today's dynamic workforce.”

Media Contact – Edmentum
Kevin Briody
kevin.briody@edmentum.com

Media Contact – America Succeeds
Violet Chazkel
Vchazkel@americasucceeds.org

About Edmentum
Edmentum believes that every student deserves the opportunity to thrive everywhere learning occurs - whether they seek to catch up, stay on track, or chart their own path. When you pair Edmentum’s comprehensive, research-backed learning acceleration solutions with empowered and supported educators, you can change the direction of students’ lives. We partner with K-12 educators in all 50 states and 100+ countries worldwide to design, implement, and sustain the programs that deliver on this shared promise of learning acceleration for every student. www.edmentum.com.

About America Succeeds
America Succeeds is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to modernizing education systems to drive equity and opportunity. America Succeeds was founded in 2014 with a vision of building public education systems to prepare every student to succeed in the competitive global economy and contribute to their local community. For the organization, that means ensuring business leaders are engaged as education champions - businesses have the obligation, opportunity, and capacity to foster greater student achievement, build an educated workforce pipeline, and protect our future economic vitality. https://americasucceeds.org/