Our Story

The idea for the Readiness Institute began when Dr. Stan Thompson posed a question to his colleagues at The Heinz Endowments: “What would it take to prepare each and every Pittsburgher for personal, professional, and civic success?”

The ensuing conversation moved beyond the concept of college and career readiness to a deeper and more satisfying discussion about community and future readiness. Thompson proposed a new educational, career-focused, and civic-minded track for high school juniors and seniors to explore learner identity, aspiration, pathway, growth, and service.

He then shared his vision with a larger audience of education, community, and business leaders in several design sessions. Leveraging their expertise and understanding of trends, emerging opportunities, and networks, these stakeholders contributed to a prototype that embedded real-world knowledge, trusting relationships, team building, problem-solving, and modern literacies at the core of what would become The Readiness Institute.