Check out the latest from our staff in our Forum For Thought
Looking Back & Looking Ahead
January 6, 2023AYPF’s Executive Director Stephanie McGencey looks back and looks ahead to the coming months for AYPF.
Access to Higher Education: Supports for Homeless and Foster Youth
August 10, 2022Rachelle discusses the need for supporting access to higher education for homeless and foster youth, and offers possible solutions.
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- Accountability
- COVID-19 Response
- 21st Century Community Learning Centers
- English Language Learners
- Assessment
- Research-practice partnerships
- Alternative Education
- College and Career Readiness in OST
- Carl D. Perkins Act
- Equity
- Deeper Learning
- First-Generation College Students
- Data Management
- Afterschool and Out-of-School Time Learning
- Intermediaries
- Career Pathways
- Justice-Involved Youth
- Educator Preparation and Professional Development
- OST System Building
- College and Career Readiness and Success
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- Reengagement
- Deeper Learning
- Research Evidence in Policymaking
- Opportunity Youth
- Wraparound Supports
- Postsecondary Education
- Higher Education Act (HEA)
- Personalized Learning
- School and Community Partnerships
- Service Learning
- Skill Development
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
- Learning and Teaching Strategies
- Rural Populations
- Skill Development
- Social and Emotional Learning
- State-Level Policies
- Social and Emotional Learning
- Youth Experiencing Homelessness
- System Strategies and Approaches
- Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
- Youth Populations
- Youth in Foster Care
- STEM
- Work-Based Learning
- Policies & Legislation
- Youth with (Dis)abilities
- Youth Leadership and Voice
Revisiting Youth Apprenticeships
November 30, 2015George Knowles, Digital Communications AssociateFor youth who are struggling to find employment, the job market can seem like a bleak place. As of July 2015, …
George Knowles: Families Help Build Lifelong Learners
November 16, 2015George Knowles, Digital Communications AssociateOne of the most important lessons my father ever taught me was that learning wasn’t just a means to an end, it…
Creating Opportunities for Opportunity Youth
October 26, 2015Carinne Deeds, Program AssociateLast week in Milwaukee, I had the opportunity to hear Mayor Tom Barrett discuss the importance of an afterschool system as par…
When Right Decisions Are Tough Decisions: A Case for More School Choice
September 21, 2015Jenna Tomasello, Program AssociateI’m not a parent, but I plan to be one day, and when that day comes, I will want nothing more than for my child to receive t…
What Time Should School Start?
September 8, 2015George Knowles, Digital Communications AssociateIt’s that time of year again. For our young people, summer vacation is fast becoming a fond memory, and studen…
Food for Thought: How Schools Can Play a Role in Children’s Health
August 31, 2015This is the second post in a two-part blog series. Read part one. Carinne Deeds, Policy AssociateFood insecurity and childhood hunger can play a critical role …
Food for Thought: How Food Insecurity Affects a Child’s Education
August 24, 2015This is the first post in a two-part blog series. Read part two. Carinne Deeds, Policy AssociateFor most school-aged youth, having food on the table after a da…
Partnering for Better Policy – Include Teacher Voice!
August 17, 2015Loretta Goodwin, Senior DirectorHow can teachers partner with policymakers to create better policy? This was the challenge posed by Sean McComb, 2014 National…
Closing Opportunity Gaps: Ask the Right Questions!
July 20, 2015Loretta Goodwin, Senior DirectorIn order to close opportunity gaps and transform our nation’s schools, it is imperative to ask the right questions.In advocati…
Summer Is a Season of Learning
July 13, 2015In her June 19 Summer Learning Day message, First Lady Michelle Obama said to youth: “If you want to go to college, get a good job, and fulfill your dreams, yo…
What’s In a Name: Re-Examining the GED
July 6, 2015Mikaela Zetley/Research Policy InternThe momentous occasion of high school graduation —being one of hundreds dressed in long robes to walk across the stage an…
Housing and Education Policy: Breaking Down the Silos
June 29, 2015Jenna Tomasello, Program AssociateGrowing up in an inner-ring suburb of Buffalo, New York and attending the same school district from kindergarten through twe…
Preparing (and Retaining) Effective Teachers for All
June 22, 2015George Knowles, Web Communications AssociateThere’s nothing more important to a student’s education than an effective, engaged teacher. Dedicated educators wh…
College with No Degree Doesn’t Pay
June 8, 2015By James Rosenbaum, Caitlin Ahearn, and Janet RosenbaumOver 25 years ago, the landmark report The Forgotten Half: Pathways to Success for America’s Youth and Y…
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey – Gathering Student and Teacher Input to Improve Schools
May 11, 2015Tyler Gibbs, Spring 2015 InternSurveys administered to teachers and students allow them to share what they think about their school environment. When fe…
Putting Theory Into Practice: My Time at AYPF
May 4, 2015Tyler Gibbs, 2015 Spring InternI’m Tyler Gibbs, and I’ve just finished a 4-month internship at AYPF. I go to American University, have studied government and …
The Forgotten Half – Who Are they Now?
April 27, 2015Betsy Brand, Executive DirectorThe importance of getting some education or training after high school has become widely accepted. Now, almost all high school …
AYPF and IEL Team Up to Honor Efrem Ayalew for 2015 Halperin Youth Award
April 21, 2015On April 20, 2015, AYPF and IEL honored Efrem Ayalew, whose dedication to these ideas embodies Halperin’s work and life.
Pay it Forward: The Value of Public Service
April 13, 2015George Knowles, Web Communications AssociateWhat does public service mean? For some, it’s volunteering at a shelter or school once a month, or donating to a c…
Planning for Deeper Learning: There’s a Tool for That! (Part 2)
March 31, 2015Tyler Gibbs, InternFor educators seeking to grow and develop a school culture of respect and collaboration a new tool has recently been published. Monica Mart…
