Across Chicago, EdSystems is working alongside Chicago Public Schools (CPS), City Colleges of Chicago (CCC), and state and community partners to create a more aligned, equitable approach to career-connected learning. By connecting early exploration, real-world experience, and meaningful credentials, these efforts are helping ensure that students are not only prepared for what comes next but confident in the path they’re taking.
Starting Earlier: Career Exploration in Middle School
Through the Middle School Career Exploration Network, led by Education Strategy Group with support from Britebound, CPS is helping shape a new vision for how students begin engaging with careers. As part of a multi-state initiative, CPS is contributing to a broader effort to rethink how career exploration is introduced and experienced in the middle grades.
In Illinois, EdSystems serves as the lead intermediary, coordinating a statewide coalition that includes the Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Student Assistance Commission, Illinois School Counselor Association, school systems, and community partners. CPS plays an active role on the state team, with school counselors and central office leaders helping to inform and guide the work. Together, this group is mapping clear implementation steps, identifying key levers for success, and centering student voice in decision-making. By grounding strategy in student feedback and pairing it with system-level planning, EdSystems is helping Illinois build a model that is both responsive to student needs and scalable across contexts.
The goal is simple but powerful: ensure every middle school student experiences career exploration that is meaningful, accessible, and actionable, supporting learners in making informed choices as they move into high school and beyond. This work extends existing pathway efforts at the secondary and postsecondary levels, strengthening alignment across systems so middle and high schools can more effectively connect students to opportunities and design cohesive career exploration experiences.
Designing a Continuum of Work-Based Learning in CTE Pathways
To support the design of high-quality career and technical education (CTE) pathways, EdSystems partnered with CPS to deliver professional learning focused on integrating a continuum of work-based learning experiences. Rather than approaching work-based learning as a one-time activity, educators designed programs where career awareness, hands-on learning, and workplace experiences are intentionally sequenced and clearly connected to classroom instruction.
Through this targeted professional development, teachers reflected on their current programs, identified gaps, and refined their approach to better align instruction with industry expectations. EdSystems provided practical strategies to strengthen impact, such as embedding structured reflection before and after experiences, connecting projects to authentic industry challenges, and building stronger partnerships with employers.
For students, this results in learning that feels relevant, engaging, and purpose-driven. For educators, it offers a clear and sustainable framework for delivering high-quality, career-connected instruction that prepares students for their next steps.
Turning Pathways into Recognized Credentials
Through Illinois’ College and Career Pathway Endorsements (CCPE), students graduate having completed rigorous pathways that combine career-focused coursework, early college credit, and at least 60 hours of authentic work-based learning. These endorsements serve as a clear signal that students are both college-ready and prepared to successfully navigate career pathways.
To support the expansion of CCPE across the district, EdSystems partnered closely with CPS, providing strategic guidance and hands-on technical assistance throughout the process. Drawing on deep expertise in CCPE policy and implementation, as well as experience supporting pathway models across Illinois communities, EdSystems helped CPS navigate the Illinois State Board of Education application and approval process.
This support included aligning CPS pathway models to endorsement requirements, strengthening the integration of CTE, dual credit, and work-based learning, and ensuring that applications reflected not only compliance but high-quality, student-centered design. As a result, CPS is now approved to offer pathways across all seven endorsement areas, significantly expanding access to students citywide.
The impact is already visible. The Class of 2025 included 47 endorsement earners across key high-demand fields, including health sciences and technology; human and public services; information technology; and manufacturing, engineering, technology, and trades. Each endorsement represents more than completion; it reflects a student who has gained critical skills, explored career opportunities, and built a stronger foundation for what comes next.
For EdSystems, this work reflects a broader commitment: supporting systems not only in setting ambitious goals but in implementing them effectively to deliver meaningful, lasting value for students.
Scaling Impact: A Regional System That Works
Sustainable impact requires more than strong individual programs; it depends on alignment across systems. That’s the focus of the Regional Acceleration of Model Pathways (RAMP) initiative, which brings together K-12 education, community colleges, and workforce partners to build a unified, data-driven pathway system.
In Chicago, CPS and CCC are working together to design a regional action plan that creates a seamless student experience, from high school coursework and advising to early college opportunities and work-based learning. A key component of this work is a shared commitment to continuous improvement. EdSystems is working closely with CPS and CCC to strengthen data collection and use, ensuring partners can track progress, identify gaps, and refine strategies over time. This includes monitoring key indicators such as pathway access and completion, early college credit attainment, participation in work-based learning, and successful transitions after high school.
By aligning systems, strengthening data use, and centering outcomes, this regional approach ensures progress is not only measurable but sustainable, expanding access to high-quality pathways for more students across Chicago.
Dual Credit, CTE Prioritization, Budget Cuts
Recently, the CPS announced significant cuts to school budgets that will impact classroom instruction and the student experience. Recognizing the magnitude of the district’s budget deficit and the painful decisions that district and school leaders must make in order to address the current fiscal challenges, we hope that the district continues to build on its momentum in creating access to early college experiences for students by preserving access to dual credit opportunities and career-connected learning through its vast Career and Technical Education offerings. These investments are not just investments in the district’s current students but are foundational to the long-term economic prosperity of the City of Chicago.
Pathways to Success
We recently developed a tool for CPS students to explore careers in six pathways, building from our ongoing collaboration to support Roadmap 2.0. We mapped pathways for criminology, law, & justice; integrated health studies; kinesiology; mechanical engineering; public health; and rehabilitation science, several of which are included in UIC’s established transfer Pathways to Graduation.
This tool will support CPS and CCC students to understand pathways into a broad range of careers from early college credit courses through CCC programs of study and UIC majors. Grounded in labor market information, this tool identifies jobs that are growing in Chicagoland and provides clear guidance on what they entail, what education is required to access them, and whether they pay a living wage. As a result, we hope to see CPS and CCC students taking advantage of the robust, aligned programs of study that can get them into a variety of quality jobs growing in the region.
Looking Ahead
The momentum in Chicago is clear. From expanding middle school career exploration to scaling college and career pathway endorsements and advancing regional alignment through RAMP, each step is building toward a more coherent and impactful system for students.
With continued partnership and investment, Chicago has the opportunity to reach more students, strengthen connections to high-growth industries, and ensure that pathways lead to real economic mobility. EdSystems remains committed to supporting this work through technical expertise, cross-sector coordination, and a focus on results that matter.
When systems are aligned and students are supported, pathways don’t just exist; they lead somewhere meaningful.
