Connecting Policy and Practice
Strong systems require policy and practice to continuously inform one another. The Attainment Network connects state leaders shaping policy with the regional and local partners putting it into practice, creating feedback loops that help turn ambitious ideas into effective implementation and real-world experience into practice-informed policy.
Through trusted relationships across Colorado, we help bridge perspectives, surface opportunities and barriers, and connect what is happening on the ground to the decisions shaping Colorado’s education-to-career systems.
PRACTICE-INFORMED POLICY
Strong policy must adapt and flex with the realities of implementation. The Attainment Network brings regional experience, practitioner perspectives, and emerging evidence into statewide conversations, helping policymakers understand where implementation is working, where barriers exist, and where adjustments may be needed. These feedback loops help policies evolve based on what is happening on the ground and better support the learners, earners, communities, and employers they are intended to serve.
CROSS-SECTOR ALIGNMENT
Complex challenges require coordinated solutions. We convene partners across education, workforce, government, philanthropy, and industry to build shared strategies, align implementation efforts, and strengthen the systems that connect learners and earners with opportunity.
FROM INNOVATION TO
SYSTEMS CHANGE
Promising ideas have the greatest impact when they move beyond individual programs. We help regions identify effective practices, build local capacity, and share lessons that can inform policy, improve implementation, and strengthen systems across Colorado.
EXPLORE OUR POLICY & SYSTEMS WORK
CAREER ADVISING CAR
Strengthening Colorado’s education-to-career system will require a cohesive, statewide approach to career advising. Our 2025 Policy Brief outlines current gaps and highlights strategies to unify advising across K-12, postsecondary, and workforce systems. By modernizing tools and training and improving alignment across systems, Colorado can better support every learner in identifying their purpose and passions and navigating clear pathways to economic mobility.
CREDIT TRANSFERABILITY
A statewide audit found that 34% of Colorado students still experience transfer problems, despite years of progress and nationally recognized policies. Our 2025 Transfer Policy Brief examines persistent challenges in credit transfer and outlines strategies to reduce credit loss, improve transparency, and ensure credits move with learners.
DATA INFRASTRUCTURE
With the launch of the Statewide Longitudinal Data System and new PWR data requirements, Colorado is making significant progress toward a connected, user-centered data system that helps learners, educators, and employers understand what works. Our 2025 Policy Brief highlights the challenges, emerging best practices, and policy recommendations needed to build a responsive, community-informed data infrastructure that strengthens career-connected pathways statewide.
STACKABLE CREDENTIALS
Learners and earners need flexible, affordable ways to build skills over time, and employers seek workers who can demonstrate real competencies—not just degrees. Stackable credentials offer a powerful solution, giving learners immediate labor-market value while progressing toward higher-wage careers and helping employers fill critical talent gaps. The Attainment Network’s 2025 Policy Brief outlines the challenges, highlights what works, and offers recommendations to strengthen Colorado’s stackable credential systems.
TEACHER PIPELINE
A strong and sustained teacher pipeline is paramount to the success of any state vision for an education-to-workforce ecosystem that serves all learners. Explore the pervasive issues as well as best practices in both community-based and regional-state strategies supporting a sustained teacher development and retention pipeline.
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