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I quil:ulrIE t_rc wt17 1'id1ik c]f t1'7c 1R s airch I'iiiang� Ie II e&n and associated costs. Similarly, making transportation investments that increase mobility and access to jobs for low - income, transit - dependent residents addresses a critical barrier to employment for workers and expands employers' access to workers. Addressing lingering racially discriminatory housing and lending practices and enforcing fair housing laws are also critical to expanding opportunity for all. Ensure education and career pathways for all youth Ensuring that all youth in the region, including African Americans, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, and youth with mixed racial backgrounds can access a good education that leads to a career is critical to developing the human capital to power the Research Triangle's economy in the future. Policies and investments to strengthen public preK -12 education are particularly important given the region's quickly growing racial generation gap and the need for a productive, healthy workforce to support the growing senior population. In addition, the Triangle's rising number of disconnected youth and high share of immigrant youth without high school degrees signal the need for intentional strategies to ensure all youth can successfully complete high school and enter college or another job- training program. Key strategies include the following: • Strengthen the preK -12 public school system by ensuring sufficient and equitable funding for schools attended by lower- income students. • Implement universal preschool for all three- and four -year- olds. Studies show that high - quality preschool increases lifetime earnings, boosts high school graduation rates, and decreases incarceration.I • Invest in "cradle -to- career" efforts (such as Promise Neighborhoods) that provide children and families living in low- income neighborhoods with education, health, and 11c]hcyl iid<urid III 1:1 social supports from birth to college to career. 9 • Replace overly harsh "zero tolerance" school discipline policies with strategies focused on positive behavior support and restorative justice to lower suspension and expulsion rates and reduce the number of disconnected youth. • Create high - quality after school and youth development activities that provide learning opportunities outside of the school day. • Increase the availability of apprenticeships, career academies, college scholarships, and other education and training supports that provide work experience and connections to keep more youth on the track to graduation, college, and careers. Bridge the racial generation gap Bridging the racial generation gap between youth of color and a predominantly White senior population will be critical to the region's future success. In addition to ensuring a strong public education system, the region will need to prepare for a growing aging population (both from aging and migration) in ways that advance the shared interests and needs of both generations. Opportunities include the following: • Strengthen the elder care sector and ensure seniors can age with dignity by securing living wages, benefits, and adequate training and standards for care workers. • Plan for multigenerational communities that allow the elderly to age in place while providing safe and healthy environments for families to raise children. • Invest in multigenerational community facilities and public spaces (for example, schools that include facilities for seniors) to encourage social interactions across generations.