Forum for Thought Blog

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

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

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Planning for Deeper Learning – There’s a Tool for That! (Part 1)
March 30, 2015
Loretta Goodwin, Senior DirectorWhat can we do to create a culture of respect and collaboration in today’s schools? How do you actively make that happen? We h…
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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…
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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…
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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 …
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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 …
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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…
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4 Ideas that Inform and Drive Our Work
October 13, 2014
George Knowles, Communications AssociateFor over 20 years, AYPF’s mission has been to ensure that all young people are well equipped to be successful. We’ve p…
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Pipeline Programs: How They Contribute to College and Career-Readiness and Success
October 6, 2014
Jennifer Brown Lerner, Deputy DirectorAiming to demystifying what it means to go to and be in college, pipeline programs are a critical part of a college’s ou…
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Why I Do This Work: Reflections from a Native Educator
August 25, 2014
Samantha Wauls, Policy InternHome of the Kul Wicasa Oyate (Low Man), the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe in South Dakota has apporoximately 1,300 members. The reserva…