"Some Things DO Make a Difference for Youth"
Says a New Compendium of Evaluations of Youth Programs and Practices
In an era of pragmatism and limited resources--an era in which many aver that "nothing works" for youth--a new report illustrates the varied choices we now have available for making those investments more soundly than ever before. Some Things DO Make a Difference for Youth: A Compendium of Evaluations of Youth Programs and Practices is a reader-friendly collection of summaries of 69 evaluations, studies and reports of 49 youth interventions. These interventions in the youth development, mentoring, employment and training and education areas were supported by government or foundations. The Compendium provides a handy resource of empirical findings--beyond anecdotal evidence--for policymakers and program practitioners as they craft strategies to improve services and supports for our nation's youth, particularly disadvantaged young people.
The introduction to the publication, written by Thomas J. Smith, reflects on the collective weight and wisdom of these evaluations and describes basic principles of effective youth initiatives which involve: adult support, structure and expectations; creative forms of learning; a combination of guidance and rich connections to the workplace; support and follow up; youth as resources; and implementation quality. Despite the appearance of a large and uncoordinated "non-system" of youth programming throughout the country, there is now a substantial body of knowledge that can be useful in building a more cohesive and effective system of services for young people.
Among the approaches for which the evaluation findings are the strongest are Big Brothers Big Sisters, Career Beginnings, Center for Employment and Training, Gateway to Higher Education, Home Visitation by Nurses, Job Corps, Manufacturing Technology Partnership, Quantum Opportunities, Sponsor-A-Scholar, STRIVE and Youth Service and Conservation Corps. Other Compendium briefs also report encouraging results from a large number of programs developed over the past 15 years.
The Compendium depicts a field continuing to search for--and find--effective ways to move youth into responsible citizenship, labor market success and self-sufficiency. Its findings underscore the rich potential of investing in the future of our young people.
The Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based national foundation, supported the development, production and dissemination of the Compendium.
To order the 196-page report, please see our Order Form. The cost of the report is $10 ($6 in quantities of 100 or more). For information on additional AYPF publications, please go back to our Publications List.
Evaluations Summarized in Some Things DO Make a Difference for Youth
Section I: Extending Learning
A. Enrolled In School
Academy of Finance
Academy of Travel and Tourism
Alternative Schools
Career Academies
Dropout [Recovery] Demonstration
Dropout Prevention & Vocational Education
Gateway to Higher Education
High Schools That Work
Manufacturing Technology (MTP)
ProTech
Rural Entrepreneurship (REAL)
STW/Youth Apprenticeship
School-to-Work
Summer Training and Education (STEP)
Summer Youth Employment, 1993 (Westat)
Summer Youth Employment, 1994 (SPR/Brandeis)
Talent Development
Transitional Environment (STEP)
Wisconsin Youth ApprenticeshipB. Out-of-School
California Conservation Corps
Job Corps
JOBSTART
Learning, Earning, Parenting (LEAP)
Minority Female Single Parent
New Chance
Project Redirection
STRIVE
YouthBuild
Youth Service and Conservation Corps
Section II: Building on the Community
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Communities In Schools
Home Visitation by Nurses
Jobs for America's Graduates
Learn and Serve, Higher Education
Learn and Serve, School/Community
New Futures
Quantum Opportunities
Serve-America
YOU and Youth Fair Chance
Section III: Increasing Retention and Postsecondary Education Options
Career Beginnings
College Bound
FUTURES 2000
Higher Ground
I Have a Dream
Maryland's Tomorrow
Sponsor-a-Scholar
Student Support Services
Upward Bound
WAVE in Schools