Bright and Early: Building Pathways from Classroom to Career

Join us for a morning session at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit, hosted by MetaMetrics; coffee and muffins served.

Career-connected learning is central to how states, districts, and employers think about the future. Across the country, leaders are aligning education and workforce systems to ensure students don’t just graduate, they launch into meaningful postsecondary pathways and good jobs.

Join MetaMetrics and cross-sector leaders for an interactive session exploring how career pathways are actually being built and what it takes to make them coherent, scalable, and measurable. The session will kick off with state-level insights from MetaMetrics’ Career Data Explorer, illustrating how shared, universal measures of literacy and numeracy can answer powerful questions about regional in-demand careers and whether students are graduating prepared for these roles. As part of this conversation, attendees will receive a sneak preview of new research from Bellwether, examining how reading and math abilities map to life skills.

Featured voices will include:

• Amanda Peterson, Interim Assistant State Superintendent, North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, where the launch of the RUReady.ND.gov platform aligns education and workforce systems.
• Seth Gerson, Program Director, National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices, where teams develop innovative solutions to today’s most pressing public policy challenges
• Andy Rotherham, Co-Founder and Senior Partner, Bellwether, a non-profit that works to ensure young people — especially those furthest from opportunity—achieve outcomes that lead to fulfilling lives and flourishing communities.

Session Facilitated By: Melody Schopp, Ph.D., VP, Government Relations, MetaMetrics, and former State Secretary of Education of South Dakota

Format: Rapid Insights + Live Engagement

This is not a traditional panel. Each contributor will deliver a concise 3–5 minute implementation spotlight. Throughout the session, participants will engage through live polling, real-time prompts, and facilitated audience dialogue, allowing attendees to surface their own challenges, test assumptions, and respond directly to speakers.

Designed for education leaders, CTE directors, state policymakers, workforce organizations, and corporate partners, this workshop moves beyond aspiration and into implementation.

RSVP Required. Limited seating.