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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The Forgotten Half – Who Are they Now?
April 27, 2015
Betsy Brand, Executive DirectorThe importance of getting some education or training after high school has become widely accepted. Now, almost all high school …
Blog, Video
AYPF and IEL Team Up to Honor Efrem Ayalew for 2015 Halperin Youth Award
April 21, 2015
On April 20, 2015, AYPF and IEL honored Efrem Ayalew, whose dedication to these ideas embodies Halperin’s work and life.
Blog, Video
Pay it Forward: The Value of Public Service
April 13, 2015
George 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…
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How One School is Supporting Teaching for Deeper Learning
April 6, 2015
Loretta Goodwin, Senior DirectorIn order for students to become college and career ready and learn deeply, they need teachers who are prepared to support lear…
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Planning for Deeper Learning: There’s a Tool for That! (Part 2)
March 31, 2015
Tyler Gibbs, InternFor educators seeking to grow and develop a school culture of respect and collaboration a new tool has recently been published. Monica Mart…
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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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Graduation Rates Are Up, But There’s Still Work To Do
March 23, 2015
Jennifer Brown Lerner, Deputy DirectorAs you may have heard or read recently, more high school students are earning diplomas. The graduation rate hit 81 perce…
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Never Too Late: Investing in Youth Transitioning from Juvenile Justice
March 16, 2015
Erin Russ, Program AssociateYoung people, especially those in the justice system, should experience opportunities that enhance their strengths rather than con…
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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…
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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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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…
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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…
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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.…
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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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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 …
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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…
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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…