About Us

The Pivotal Network began with two observations. 

• Colleges and universities serve as gatekeepers to social mobility: who has the opportunity to attend has the power to redefine (or reinforce) socioeconomic norms in this country. 

• Yet undermatching – the phenomenon that occurs when students, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, do not attend schools that will maximize their academic potential – remains pervasive in this country. Too often students can’t identify the right schools and those of us in higher education can’t see the full range of excellent students.

As we thought about the students that have been able to match with the right schools, we recognized that this match was made possible not only through the students’ talents and efforts but also through the investment in them from their families, their communities, their schools, and especially their teachers.

This is a universal truth: we’ve all had educators in our lives who had a profound impact on us and on our educational trajectories. Yet too often these ‘Pivotal Educators’ – especially those serving in public education where the need is greatest – aren’t being full supported themselves. Identifying and supporting these Pivotal Educators must become an important goal for those seeking to support students who face the greatest barriers gaining access to college.

Importantly, in higher education, we often know who these Pivotal Educators are because they send us their students. Indeed they tell us all about these students in powerful letters of recommendation that help us see not only the students but also their own practices as exemplary educators. By investing in these educators, institutions of higher education can invest in the educational capital of classrooms and communities from across the country. 

And when we brought all of these pieces together… The Pivotal Network was born.