Systems Change
Our systems change work is in direct alignment with our commitment to racial and gender equity in higher education, which creates increased opportunity for economic mobility for historically marginalized communities. We engage in policy and advocacy work at the state level in Minnesota with the Office of Higher Education. We are in the planning stages of policy work in the state of California.
Minnesota Student-Parent Alliance
In 2022, RTB co-founded the Minnesota Student-Parent Alliance (MNSPA) in collaboration with Minnesota’s Office of Higher Education (OHE). In 2024, we proudly transitioned leadership of the initiative to OHE in 2024.
Together with OHE, we reached two key goals:
We established a full-time, permanent Student Parent and Whole Family Coordinator within OHE.
We created a statewide working group of government and nonprofit partners dedicated to expanding higher education access for student parents.
This joint work laid the groundwork for the movement to continue to grow and better support student parents across Minnesota.
Collaborative Partnerships:
As part of our systems change strategy, we equip campus and community leaders with tools, data, and collaborative frameworks to elevate the needs of single-parent students and their children. By prioritizing partnerships with colleges, universities, and mission-aligned organizations, we help shift institutional practices, align cross-sector resources, and develop scalable, holistic solutions. Together, these efforts strengthen academic support, housing stability, and career development pathways, embedding two-generation support into the fabric of educational and social service systems.
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