Forum for Thought Blog

Check out the latest from our staff in our Forum For Thought

Blog
Equitable Pathways to Opportunities for Young People
February 3, 2023
AYPF Youth Policy Consultants share insights on creating equitable pathways to opportunities for youth.
Blog
Looking Back & Looking Ahead
January 6, 2023
AYPF’s Executive Director Stephanie McGencey looks back and looks ahead to the coming months for AYPF.

Blog
Never Too Late: Transitioning from Juvenile Justice
March 9, 2015
Erin Russ, Program AssociateWhen the William T. Grant Foundation and AYPF founder Samuel Halperin published “The Forgotten Half Revisited” in 1998, they appro…
Blog
Enlisting Afterschool and Summer Learning for College and Career Readiness
March 2, 2015
Betsy Brand, Executive DirectorIn January, I was able to attend the annual meeting of the Statewide Afterschool Networks in Dallas. For those of you who are u…
Blog
Rethinking Career and Technical Education
February 23, 2015
George Knowles, Communications AssociateThe perception of Career and Technical Education (CTE) is undergoing a renaissance. While the overall average amount o…
Blog
From Isolation to Opportunity: Proving Who You Are
February 19, 2015
Garet Fryar, Policy Research AssistantChances are, you have a driver’s license or state ID in your wallet. Doesn’t everyone? Actually, there are over 21 milli…
Blog
From Isolation to Opportunity: Transportation and Postsecondary Pathways
February 18, 2015
Erin Russ, Program AssociateMany conversations about youth in general, especially disconnected youth, are focused on the need for postsecondary opportunities.…
Blog
Relationships Matter: Putting It All Together
February 9, 2015
Connecting the sometimes-disconnnected worlds of education research. practice, and policy can been a challenge, and the role of brokers, relationships and soci…
Blog
Got Jobs? Some Positive News on Helping Young Adults Get Good Jobs – Part III @LIKE Young Adult Voices
February 2, 2015
As described in the second blog post in this series, @LIKE is designed to test several key innovations to improve postsecondary and workforce access and succes…
Blog
Got Jobs? Some Positive News on Helping Young Adults Get Good Jobs – Part II
January 26, 2015
Building on the previous blog post that highlighted the challenges young adults face in finding good jobs, Lori Strumpf, @LIKE Project Director, describes the …
Blog
Got Jobs? Some Positive News on Helping Young Adults Get Good Jobs – Part I
January 20, 2015
Betsy Brand, Executive DirectorFinding a full-time job that pays a family wage has been tough for many young adults. The stories of college graduates returnin…
Blog
The Conundrums of Competency-Based Education: Takeaways from Our Study Tour to New Hampshire
January 12, 2015
Jennifer Brown Lerner, Deputy DirectorAs debate continues about what is competency-based education (CBE), one way that AYPF contributes to the conversation is…
Blog
Three Education Policy Predictions for 2015
January 6, 2015
George Knowles, Web Communications AssociateWith the holiday season behind us and a new year ahead, it’s time to think about what 2015 has in store for educat…
Blog
AYPF’s Wishes for 2015
December 15, 2014
Betsy Brand, Executive DirectorFor our year-end message, AYPF staff wants to share their wishes and hopes for 2015 for improving the lives of young people in …
Blog
5 Foster Care Resources That You Should Read
December 8, 2014
Erin Russ, Program AssociateThis reading list provides a sampling of resources available about the population of youth in transition from foster care. AYPF ha…
Blog
Using Student Voices to Improve Teacher Practice
December 1, 2014
Loretta Goodwin, Senior DirectorHow can we best use the voices and input of students, via student surveys, to improve teaching and learning? That was th…
Blog
Research Spotlight: Improving Success for First-Generation College Students
November 24, 2014
Jennifer Brown Lerner, Deputy DirectorAs the number of first-generation college goers is growing, we have made progress in creating more pathways into postsec…
Blog
Creating Access to Postsecondary Opportunities for Youth in Transition from Foster Care
November 17, 2014
Erin Russ, Program Associate“Everyone expects you to fail.” These words from one foster care alum in Michigan characterize the circumstances many youth face w…
Blog
Homeless Youth: Post-Secondary Support and Success
November 10, 2014
Garet Fryar, Policy Research AssistantFor many young people, their roadmap for success includes graduating from high school, advancing to college, and getting…
Blog
Homeless Youth: Understanding the Population and Their Challenges
November 3, 2014
Garet Fryar, Policy Research AssistantThe average temperature for the contiguous United States during this past winter was 31.3 F. Many of us will remember ho…
Blog
Afterschool – An Underutilized Resource on the Path to College and Career Readiness
October 27, 2014
Betsy Brand, Executive DirectorWhen it comes to college and career readiness, afterschool and expanded learning are not always the first approaches that come …
Blog
Reading List: Student-Centered Learning
October 20, 2014
George Knowles, Web Communications AssociateLast week, I discussed AYPF’s focus on our four guiding principles, one of which is student-centered learning. Thi…