What's New
Upcoming Events
- 03/12/10
-
Increasing Capacity and Quality in Afterschool Programs: Lessons learned from New York City’s Beacons Beacons are one of the nation's first citywide after school initiatives and now operate in five cities, serving more than 150,000 children, youth, and community members. The Beacons Young Adolescent Initiative (BYA) is a four-year initiative of the Youth Development Institute (YDI), funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies. The initiative is designed to address two key issues in the afterschool field: the need for high quality programs and the reduced participation of young people as they enter adolescence. This forum will discuss the results of the BYA's recently released 3rd year evaluation report, examine YDI's capacity building strategies and their impact, and provide policy recommendations. Speakers at this event will include Rob Abbot, Program Director, Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation (NY); Anita M. Baker, Program Director, OMG Center for Collaborative Learning (PA); Sandra Escamilla, Director of Programs, The Youth Development Institute (NY); Peter Kleinbard, Executive Director, Youth Development Institute (NY, and Sarah Zeller-Berkman, Director Beacons National Strategy, the Youth Development Institute (NY). (Forum)
- 02/05/2010
-
Success at Every Step of College and Career Preparation The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) has recently released a new publication, Success at Every Step: How 23 Programs Support Youth on the Path to College and Beyond, which profiles programs that have been proven to help young people complete high school and be prepared for success in postsecondary education and careers, based on the results of recent, high-quality evaluations. This half-day event will provide an overview of the findings of the report, showcase a variety of programs that support college- and career-readiness, explore implications for federal and state policy, and include a networking lunch. Speakers will include Greg Darnieder, Special Assistant to the Secretary on College Access, U.S. Department of Education (DC); Ryan Reyna, Policy, Analyst, Education Division, Center for Best Practices, National Governors’ Association (DC); Katharine Oliver, Assistant State Superintendent for Career and Technical Education and Adult Learning, Maryland State Department of Education (MD); Michael Wotorson, Executive Director, Campaign for High School Equity (DC); James Connell, President, Institute for Research and Reform in Education (NJ); Rachel Singer, Director of Academic Affairs, Kingsborough Community College (NY); Joel Vargas, Senior Project Manager, Jobs for the Future (MA); and David Sinski, Executive Director, After School Matters (IL). (Forum brief)
- 01/28/10
-
Using Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELOs) to Manage Key Transition Periods for At-Risk Youth This discussion group, hosted by AYPF, explored the use of Expanding Learning Opportunities (ELOs) in managing key transition periods for at-risk youth. Speakers included: Hanif Fazal of Open Meadow Step Up; Lisa Zarin, Laura Skayama, and Laurie Bainter of College Bound St. Louis; Lucy Friedman of The After-School Corporation; and Erik Peterson of the Afterschool Alliance.(Discussion group)
- 12/14/09
- Leveraging Resources to Create Alternative Pathways to Education and Employment Training for Disconnected Youth: Comprehensive reform strategies to serve disconnected youth ensure that young people have access to a range of services, including education, employment training, health, and mental health, to move them on a path to self-sufficiency. This event profiled successful efforts at the city-level to leverage a range of funding streams at federal, state, and local levels, private dollars, and resources within the community to create a comprehensive portfolio of options. Panelists also offered recommendations to the federal government on policies and strategies to leverage resources more effectively to serve disconnected youth. Panelists included: Jenny Bogoni, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Philadelphia Youth Network (PA), Ernest Dorsey, Youth Opportunity Project Director, Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, City of Baltimore (MD), and Andrew Moore, Senior Fellow, National League of Cities, Institute for Youth, Education & Families (DC). (Forum brief)
- 11/04/09
- National Career Academies Coalition Briefing on Career Academies: This briefing, sponsored by the National Career Academies Coalition and 30 national partners including the American Youth Policy Forum, presented findings from a new paper, High School Career Academies: A 40-Year Proven Model for Improving College and Career Readiness. This paper includes an overview of academies, as well as their impact, contributions and successes. In addition, the paper details strategies that can be undertaken to further this proven 40-year model that addresses both college and career readiness. Speakers included Betsy Brand, Executive Director, American Youth Policy Forum (DC); Andy Chaves, Director, Youth Programs, Workforce Effectiveness and Diversity, Marriott, International, (DC); Kelly Hastings, Minority Staff, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (DC); and Connie Scotchel-Gross, Manager, Career Education, School District of Palm Beach County (FL). (ForuM BRIEF)
- 10/23/09
- Tribal Youth Program: Empowering Youth in Indian Country: AYPF and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) at the U.S. Department of Justice hosted a forum that showcases a report on the Tribal Youth Program. Supported by OJJDP, the Tribal Youth Program (TYP) provides funds to Native American tribes to support and enhance tribal efforts to prevent and control delinquency and improve the juvenile justice system for American Indian and Alaska Native youth ages 10-19. Since 1999, OJJDP has awarded 378 grants to 207 federally-recognized tribes to help them develop and implement culturally sensitive programs in the five following categories: prevention services to impact risk factors for delinquency, interventions for court-involved tribal youth, improvements to the tribal juvenile justice system, alcohol and drug abuse prevention programs, and mental health program services. The grants are used by the tribes to provide a wide range of services to youth, usually in the afterschool hours, that allow young people to be in safe environments, learn more about the history and culture of their tribe, and support their academic success. The forum provided an overview of the TYP program and its accomplishments, along with recommendations for federal policymakers. Speakers included: Jeff Slowikowski, Acting Administrator, OJJDP, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice (DC); Laura Ansera, Tribal Programs Coordinator, Office of Policy Development, OJJDP (DC); David Fullerton, Tribal Social Services Department Manager, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde (OR); Patrick Dunckhorst, Program Manager, OJJDP (DC); and Sarah Pearson, Author, Strengthening Indian Country Through Tribal Youth Programs. (Forum Brief)
Trip Reports
- 10/12/09-
10/14/09
-
The Role of Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELOs) in Preparing Youth for College and Career Success: AYPF hosted a field trip to Boston from October 12-14 for a group of federal policymakers to examine "The Role of Expanded Learning Opportunities in Preparing Youth for College and Career Success." Participants included congressional staffers, members of the U.S. Department of Education, and leaders of national education organizations. The visit, co-funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the W.T. Grant Foundation, enabled participants to learn about Boston’s efforts to expand the school day. Included on the trip were site visits to three different middle schools, each of which incorporate expanded learning opportunities in unique and different ways. (Field Trip)
- 06/23/09-
06/24/09 -
Building and Using Longitudinal Data Systems for Effective Reporting and to Improve Student Achievement: This learning exchange was hosted by AYPF and the Data Quality Campaign (DQC) and provided state teams an opportunity to learn about and share best practices to build a high-quality longitudinal data system such as data governance, data quality, and considerations of end user needs. The learning exchange was designed to provide participants an opportunity to hear perspectives from two showcase states, Massachusetts and Kansas, who have excelled at one of the critical elements involved in the building and use of longitudinal data systems. new videos of both presentations available courtesy of dqc!! (Field Trip)
Bulletins
- February's e-bulletin
-
January's e-bulletin
-
December's e-bulletin