Idaho’s Future Initiative Report FINAL 8.2.17

The Idaho State Board of Education is one of a handful of such boards to govern both a state’s K-12 system and its postsecondary institutions. This consolidated structure offers an important platform for education sectors to join forces toward making improvements from kindergarten through graduate school. In June, 2017, 31 high school career and college counselors and postsecondary academic advisors and career counselors used this consolidated platform to consider the persistently low rate of Idahoans earning postsecondary credentials and to offer recommendations for improvement. These educators gathered for a three-day Idaho’s Future Initiative (IFI) meeting in Boise, examined the student pipeline from eighth grade through the first postsecondary year, and drafted nine recommendations to present to the State Board. Educators at this invitation-only event represented every region of the state, every size of high school, and every one of the state’s eight public colleges and universities. One hundred percent of the Idaho’s Future Initiative (IFI) participants have expressed interest in building a statewide structure to allow high school and postsecondary counselors and advisors to work together to implement these or other improvements.