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American Youth Policy Forum: Bridging Youth Policy, Practice and Research
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What's New

Upcoming Events

09/26/08
September 26, 2008 -- Jumpstart on College and Careers: Dual Enrollment Research, Policies, and Effective Practice   Dual enrollment, in which high school students take college courses, has become a popular strategy to help students transition to, and be successful in, college. The forum will provide a status report on dual enrollment – what the newest data show, how policy is stimulating participation and shaping practice, and the ways in which dual enrollment is being incorporated into career and technical programs so as to prepare students for both college and careers. Dr. Thomas Bailey of the National Center for Postsecondary Research will lead the presentation; other speakers TBA. (Forum)
09/19/08
Keeping Up with the Demand for a Technically-Skilled Workforce: The Role of ATE Networks and Community Colleges This is the first forum in a series hosted in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges on Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, an initiative of the National Science Foundation. Highlighting the education-industry partnership of these programs, speakers include Gordon Snyder, National Center for Telecommunications Technologies, Ellen Bemben, Regional Technology Corporation, Bill Raley, College of the Mainland, Lee Rector, Texas Workforce Investment. (Forum)

Briefs

06/27/08

Improving Long-Term Labor Market Prospects for Youth: Evidence from Career Academies Career Academies are one of the most popular and lasting school-to-work transition and high school reform strategies. This forum will feature the release of a new report from MDRC which includes findings from eight years of post-high school data and should prompt a useful discussion of the findings’ potential policy significance and implications for school reform and youth programming. Speakers will include James Kemple, Director of K-12 Education Policy at MDRC, J.D. Hoye, President, National Academy Foundation, and Charles Dayton, Director of the Career Academy Support Network. (Forum Brief )

06/13/08
Building a Better Bridge: Helping Young Adults Enter and Succeed in College  A partnership between the Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation (CHLDC) and The New York City College of Technology (NYCCT) of CUNY was created to develop and implement a college access and success program for young people who are overage, under-credited, or have dropped out of high school. This forum will describe the successes and challenges of the partnership and lessons learned on how to help formerly disconnected youth access postsecondary education. Speakers will include Peter Kleinbard and Vivian Vazquez of the Youth Development Institute, New York City, Bonne August, Provost of New York City College of Technology, Emily Van Ingen, Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation. (Forum Brief )
05/20/08
 

This forum was the final presentation in the series on “Improving the Transition from the Middle Grades to High Schools.”  Presenters showcased how Lowndes County Schools in Georgia are implementing the state’s Middle and High School Graduation Coach Initiative to help students transition successfully from the middle grades to high school.  The forum also highlighted the use of a new course for incoming freshman, called Keystone - The Freshman Experience, in Duval County, Florida, which helps high school students to become career-focused while learning how to make effective decisions about their futures. Presenters included Dr. Steve Smith, Superintendent, Lowndes County Schools, Wes Taylor, Principal, Lowndes High School, and Beverly Strickland, Director, High School Programs, Duval County Public Schools.(Forum Brief )

05/14/08 
Building Afterschool Capacity at the National Level: The Community Schools Model. This forum did examine the “community schools” model as a part of the growing movement to expand the lens through which "out-of-school time programming " is viewed. The community schools model is proving to be an effective comprehensive learning model and has fully embraced out-of-school time enrichment as a necessary and valued piece of its framework. MOTT OST Forum Series (Forum brief )
04/24/08  
Building Afterschool Capacity at the Local Level: Spotlight on the NYC City-Wide Out-of-School Time Initiative. Under the current mayor’s leadership, NYC is investing in numerous capacity-building techniques in their OST system, such as evaluation, data systems, and professional development—and the city’s youth are already experiencing positive results because of it. Speakers: Jeanne B. Mullgrav, Commissioner, NYC Department of Youth & Community Development; Susan Matloff-Nieves, Assistant Executive Director, Queens Community House; and Elizabeth Reisner, Principal, Policy Studies Associates, Inc. MOTT OST Forum Series (Forum Brief)
04/11/08
Improving the Transition from Middle Grades to High Schools: Promising State Initiatives in Literacy and Mathematics with Sherrill Parris, Assistant State Superintendent for Reading, Alabama Department of Education Linda M. Wallinger, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, Virginia Department of Education (Forum Brief)
03/31/08
Building Afterschool Capacity at the State Level. This forum took a look at how three state-level entities are effectively building the capacity of the field at that level. Speakers: Jill Riemer, Executive Director, Georgia Afterschool Investment Council; Karyl Resnick, 21stCCLC Coordinator, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; Debra McLaughlin, Consultant, The Kunnusta Group; and Lauren Sterling, Staff, Maine Governor’s Children’s Cabinet. MOTT OST Forum Series (Forum Brief)
03/14/08
Improving Transition to Higher Education for Out-of-School Youth. This forum was co-sponsored by the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) and the National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC), highlighting factors influencing the success of youth programs that provide support for formerly out-of-school youth as they transition to postsecondary education and employment. This session featured NYEC’s policy recommendations intended to inform federal higher education and workforce development policy and representatives from local and national youth-serving organizations. (Forum Brief)
 

Trip Reports

 

06/05/08-
06/06/08

State Policy Trip to Northern Virginia: Exploring State-District Roles & Responsibilities in Building and Using Longitudinal Data Systems. DQC is a national, collaborative effort to encourage and support state policymakers to improve the collection, availability, and use of high-quality education data and to implement state longitudinal data systems to improve student achievement.  This field trip provided participants the opportunity to experience the many facets of creating and using a longitudinal data system by visiting schools and meeting with leaders of promising efforts in Virginia. Speakers included: Patricia Wright, Chief Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, Virginia Department of Education; Peter Blake, Vice Chancellor, Virginia Community College System; Lan Neugent, Assistant Superintendent for Technology and Career Education, Virginia Department of Education; Bethann Canada, Director, Office of Education Information Management, Virginia Department of Education; Jason Ellis, Test Results Utilization Specialist, Virginia Department of Education; and Mary Wills, Instructional and Assessment Coordinator, Fauquier County Public Schools; Deborah Jonas, Executive Director Research and Strategic Planning Virginia Department of Education and a visit to J.E.B. Stuart High School for a meeting with information management officials in Fairfax County, Virginia. (Field Trip)

05/28/08-
05/30/08
Local Leader Trip to Baltimore, MD: Sustaining Investment in Disconnected Youth. Conducted in partnership with the National League of Cities, Institute for Youth, Education, and Families' Municipal Network for Disconnected Youth. Highlights from this trip include remarks by Dr. Andres Alonso, CEO, Baltimore City Schools and Karen Sitnick, Director, Mayor's Office of Employment Development.  Site visits were made to:  YO! Center, 1510 W. Lafayette Ave, Baltimore and Career Academy at Harbor City High School, 101 W. 24th Street, Baltimore. (Field Trip)
05/14/2008-
05/15/2008
Helping Policymakers Understand High School Redesign Dropout Prevention And Persistence to Graduation, Louisville, Kentucky.  AYPF planned a field trip that showcased promising programs and practices, as well as other innovative methods that Kentucky is employing to ensure a comprehensive approach to high school improvement, with a specific emphasis on dropout prevention.  (Field Trip)
03/12/2008-
03/13/2008
High School Redesign in Rhode Island: Performance-Based Graduation System. Highlights from this trip included meetings with Robert Flanders, Chair of the Board of Regents; Peter McWalters, Commissioner of Education; Jack Warner, Commissioner of Higher Education; and Janet Durfee-Hidalgo, Education Policy Advisor of Governor Donald Carcieri, as well as other state and district education leaders. In addition, the group visited high schools around the state to see how the diploma system has been implemented at the school level. (Trip Report)

Publications

Supporting High Quality Career and Technical Education Through Federal and State Policy - CTE Meeting Summary

 

Youth with Disabilities in the Foster Care System: Barriers to Success and Proposed Policy Solutions, a policy report by the National Council on Disability (NCD). AYPF conducted the research for this report that examines this uniquely situated population in terms of the issues that affect them and the policy solutions that can be implemented to improve their outcomes. (February 26, 2008)

 

The No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act: A Progress Report by The National Council on Disability (study conducted by AYPF and the Educational Policy Institute).  The National Council on Disability (NCD) released a report documenting trends in academic achievement of students with disabilities and also the successes and barriers achieved by states, school districts, and other stakeholders as a result of the implementation of No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The report is based on the collection and analysis of NAEP and IDEA data regarding student academic achievement; interviews of state administrators and representatives about trends and issues related to NCLB and IDEA; and conversations with advocates, federal officials, and other stakeholders. Recommendations are included.  For more information please CLICK HERE

 

Serving Older Youth Through a Comprehensive Out-of-School Time System: Lessons from the AYPF Philadelphia Field Trip, May 2006
This short publication highlights lessons learned by participants at the May 2006 AYPF field trip to Philadelphia about the best practices the city uses to sustain its comprehensive out-of-school time system.

 
 
The College Ladder: Linking Secondary and Postsecondary Education for Success for All Students
This compendium identifies and describes schools, programs, and policies that link secondary and postsecondary education to help students earn college credit or take college-level courses while in high school. It raises issues for practitioners and policymakers to consider as these program grow and target a wider range of students.
 
Preparing Youth for Careers, Lifelong Learning, and Civic Participation
Designed for practitioners in both the public and nongovernmental sectors who implement youth development and employment programs, the policymakers who support them, and youth leaders who wish to learn more about the principles and characteristics of leading youth development programs.
 
Federal, State, and Local Roles Supporting Alternative Education
This white paper examines the roles that various levels of government play through legislation, policy, and other initiatives that support quality alternative education programs to reconnect youth to education and the workplace. It raises issues for policymakers at all levels to consider in facilitating the development of expanded alternative education pathways, which reduce the number of students dropping out of school and provide well-lit reentry points for those who leave school before obtaining a diploma.
 
Whatever It Takes: How Twelve Communities Are Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth
This report documents what committed educators, policymakers, and community leaders across the country are doing to reconnect out-of-school youth to the social and economic mainstream. It provides background on the serious high school dropout problem and describes in-depth what twelve communities are doing to reconnect dropouts to education and employment training. It also includes descriptions of major national program models serving out-of-school youth.
 
Helping Youth Succeed Through Out-of-School Time Programs
This report reviews the current research and literature on out-of-school time (OST) programs especially with regard to their effectiveness; explores the range of OST programs and activities as employed by the various youth-serving sectors; considers the untapped possibilities of OST programs to meet the needs of young people, including academic enhancement, career and college preparation, leadership development, and civic engagement; and provides policy guidance on how to support and sustain high quality OST programs as part of a system of supports for older youth.
 

Bulletins

 
 
 
 
 

Resources