Get Involved: GRAD Partnership Intermediaries

Get Involved

Intermediaries

Catalysts for Student Success

The GRAD Partnership Intermediaries are local implementation partners who serve as catalysts for the implementation of sustainable student success systems in local schools and districts. Different kinds of organizations can serve as Intermediaries, including nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, higher education centers, and school districts.

Intermediaries help advance the GRAD Partnership’s mission by:

Enhancing the GRAD Partnership’s ability to reach the greatest number of schools possible
Leveraging local organizations in a region or community
Building regional or local expertise to support ongoing student success work

Benefits of becoming an Intermediary:

Building capacity: Technical assistance providers partner with Intermediaries on a phased approach to implementation of all elements of the student success system within a school or district. This includes assistance in developing support infrastructure for sustainability.
Networking and learning opportunities: Intermediaries have the opportunity to network with each other and learn together, including through participation in the GRAD Partnership Intermediary Network.
Recognition and communications support: The GRAD Partnership highly values Intermediaries and their potential for impact at the local level. Our team is committed to supporting local, regional, and national recognition of an Intermediary’s work.
Certification: Intermediaries are certified by the GRAD Partnership certification to develop the capacity and skills to support schools in designing, implementing, and sustaining high-quality evidence-based student success systems. Through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning alongside structured development, practical application, and ongoing reflection, certification establishes credibility and a lasting foundation of expertise within the Intermediary organization.

Characteristics our Intermediaries share:

A commitment to the value of student success systems and an alignment with our mission
Relationships (or potential relationships) with school districts in a region or community that would benefit from implementing student success systems
Tangible connections with the communities they serve
Ability to recruit participating schools and/or districts
Internal capacity to support schools/districts as they launch and develop student success systems
Capabilities that allow for the compilation of and sharing of data and impact

Read about the commitments our Intermediaries make.

The Community Foundation and the GRAD Partnership have a common goal of graduating all students ready for the future. The GRAD Partnership’s evidence-based, data-informed framework perfectly complements our strong commitment to improving existing student support systems in our region’s schools. We could not be more excited to join this powerful partnership that will enhance the knowledge and tools available to our school communities."

"I am thrilled that United Way of Northeast Florida has been selected to join the GRAD Partnership. Through the GRAD Partnership, our Achievers for Life program will be positioned as a local thought leader on student success systems, connected to a powerful network of peer Intermediaries and educational experts. Combined with the GRAD Partnership’s technical assistance, our participation will help usher in a transformative era across the educational landscape in Northeast Florida and beyond, strengthening school communities and fostering unparalleled student achievement.”

"Joining the GRAD Partnership network is an important step in advancing our efforts to prevent the erosion of hard-won graduation gains over the past decades. Urban Assembly is uniquely positioned to lead this work because of our deep expertise in systems-level school improvement and our track record of scaling evidence-based practices. This partnership will enhance our work to develop systematic responsiveness and implement personalized supports needed to ensure every student is on a path to postsecondary success.”

Updates from the Field

Fulfilling Institutional Aspirations at a Service-focused University

September 11, 2025

East Carolina University (ECU) aspires to be a national model for student success, public service, and regional transformation. In the

Where Personal Experience Meets Professional Purpose: Our Journey with GRAD Partnership

June 3, 2025

When we signed on as an Intermediary partner with the GRAD Partnership – an initiative housed in Johns Hopkins University’s

Student Success Systems Highlighted at National Summit on Improvement in Education

April 28, 2025

This year’s Summit featured a presentation highlighting the work of two GRAD Partnership intermediary organizations implementing student success systems in

Making History at Globe High School

April 21, 2025

At Globe High School in Arizona, a new GRAD Partnership school, history is still alive and being created every day.

Partner With Us

The GRAD Partnership is currently working with over 250 schools and districts across the nation.

Partner with us to plan, implement, and sustain high-quality student success systems so that middle and high schools are empowered to graduate all students ready for the future.