About us
Supporting students from cradle to career
Our Mission and Vision
Our mission: To strengthen both individual lives and our regional economy by ensuring every person has access to quality education that unlocks opportunity and drives lasting prosperity.
Our vision: We envision a future where every Summit County student graduates equipped with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to thrive and further their education.
Our Role in The Community
We envision a future in which all Summit County, Ohio students are prepared for success on a chosen path. As a backbone organization, we help coordinate cradle-to-career collective impact efforts in Summit County by bringing together schools, early learning centers, out-of-school-time providers, higher education institutions, businesses, government agencies, families and community organizations to close equity gaps and improve educational outcomes. We do this by:
- Inspiring action through data.
- Building a commitment to increase equity and achievement.
- Engaging and empowering partners to increase student success from cradle to career.
- Ensuring the strength and sustainability of collective impact efforts in the community.
Our work aims to improve systems and create better opportunities for everyone. The collective impact model focuses on increasing equity by removing barriers that cause unequal outcomes, especially for marginalized students and students facing economic disadvantage.
How we do the work
We serve as a strategic connector and learning partner, aligning efforts, providing actionable data and supporting measurable change that fuels success from birth through career.
Our Peer Learning Networks (PLNs) bring together high-impact partners: organizations with the reach, readiness and resources to drive meaningful change. These networks unite leaders across sectors around key transition points in the cradle-to-career journey.
Our Partnership with StriveTogether
StriveTogether works with organizations like ours to create change in our communities.
Our History
Community leaders formed Summit Education Initiative in 1996 to significantly improve educational opportunities and outcomes for all Summit County children. Their plan was to engage and mobilize a broad base of partners and stakeholders in the work, and to seek innovative solutions to persistent educational challenges that face students, families, schools, and our community.
Get involved
Access our interactive dashboards to uncover trends, identify opportunity gaps and drive smart decision-making in your organization or school
Collaborate deeply with SEI and other cross-sector leaders to drive measurable change. Apply to become one of our High-Impact Partners.
Tell us your success story or innovative practice that’s making a difference for students and families so we can amplify what’s working across Summit County.
Districts can launch Students for Equity and Excellence (SEE) clubs. A leaders from each club serves on the countywide Youth Coalition.
Out-of-school time (OST) agencies can collaborate with OST providers on data-driven strategies for safe and engaging after-school programs.
Support our programs, data tools and publications or sponsor events such as our annual fundraiser, workshops, forums or SCYC programs.