Pagee Cheung
Founder & Executive Director, College Persistence Coalition
National
Project: Gateway Math Lab
Bio
Pagee Cheung is Founder and Executive Director of the College Persistence Coalition (CPC), where she leads cross-sector partnerships that improve college persistence and graduation outcomes for historically underserved students. She is also the co-founder of MESA Charter High Schools, where she helped build innovative college and career pathways that have supported student success for more than a decade. A former math educator and recognized thought leader in postsecondary success, Pagee is committed to creating stronger connections between K–12 education, higher education, and the workforce to expand opportunity for all students.
Innovation for Learning Fund Project: Gateway Math Lab
Gateway Math Lab is an innovative initiative designed to improve college persistence by helping students complete college-level gateway math courses before graduating from high school. Through partnerships between K–12 school systems and higher education institutions, the program strengthens math instruction, builds teacher capacity, and aligns curriculum across the high school-to-college transition. By removing one of the most significant barriers to postsecondary success, Gateway Math Lab equips students with the confidence, skills, and college credit they need to persist and thrive in higher education.
About the College Persistence Coalition
The College Persistence Coalition (CPC) works to close the structural gaps between high school, college, and the workforce so more students can successfully complete a postsecondary credential and access meaningful careers. Through cross-sector Innovation Design Labs, CPC brings together K–12 and higher education leaders to develop, test, and scale solutions that improve college persistence, graduation rates, and long-term economic mobility for historically underserved students.
