Across Pennsylvania, there are countless educators, nonprofits, and workforce leaders tackling STEM + CS workforce development in powerful and creative ways. But without a unifying framework, it was difficult to coordinate efforts, measure collective impact, or tell a cohesive statewide story.

The PA Department of Education asked us to help create a strategy specifically for their PAsmart initiatives that could:

• Align PAsmart-funded projects under a common vision
• Identify shared priorities and areas of growth
• Offer a structure for improvement, storytelling, and collaboration

We brought everyone to the table – virtually and in person.

• Two virtual engagements helped us map the landscape, identify key themes, and gather input from project leaders across the state.
• A two-day in-person retreat brought PAsmart grantees together for deep-dive strategy work – identifying what’s working, surfacing what’s missing, and defining goals for the future.
• Ongoing working sessions with leadership ensured the strategy was responsive, practical, and rooted in real needs – while staying aligned with statewide priorities.

What came out of this process included a shared framework that’s already helping leaders make better decisions, collaborate more effectively, and tell a stronger story about STEM + CS in Pennsylvania. In addition, we build an Impact Tracker which serves as a living tool to help grantees reflect, report, and see how they fit into the bigger picture, while highlighting opportunities for increased collaboration.

This strategic planning process provided both a structure for collaboration, but also increased the trust and relational capital amongst the key partners. This allows the leadership team to make the case for continued investment in STEM and CS across Pennsylvania while demonstrating the tangible impact happening across their collective work.

The best part? It was co-created with the people doing the work. That means buy-in is high, momentum is strong, and the strategy is already in use.