Press Release

MORE Things That DO Make A Difference for Youth

A New Compendium of Evaluations of Youth Programs and Practices

A new American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) report provides easy-to-read, up-to-date summaries of program evaluations in the youth field. "MORE Things That DO Make a Difference for Youth: A Compendium of Evaluations of Youth Programs and Practices" includes positive findings from forty-six youth interventions based on 64 evaluations. Among the best known approaches described are: Career Academies, School-to-Work, Tech-Prep, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, 4-H, Teen Outreach Program (TOP), Youth As Resources, and programs recognized by PEPNet (the Promising and Effective Practices Network). The Compendium also summarizes evaluations of: community schools and after-school, juvenile justice and English language development programs.

Informing policymakers and practitioners about "what works" in youth programming and related interventions has already been measurably advanced by the American Youth Policy Forum’s unique 1997 publication, "Some Things DO Make a Difference for Youth: A Compendium of Evaluations of Youth Programs and Practices." That widely-praised 194-page report summarizes in an easy-to-use format research-findings of 69 evaluations of 49 interventions in the fields of youth development, mentoring, employment and training, education reform and increasing college access.

The new Compendium was prepared following the enthusiastic response from policymakers and practitioners to the first Compendium and includes many studies not included in the first volume—including updates, new releases, and a broader array of program types.

Both volumes of the Compendium provide a handy resource of empirical findings—beyond anecdotal evidence—for policymakers and program practitioners as they craft and implement strategies to improve services and supports for our nation’s youth, particularly disadvantaged and "at-risk" young people. Elected officials, executive and legislative staff, association officers and program operators now have at their fingertips more "state of the art" data to back up assertions of the utility—and of the limitations—of many youth initiatives. The Compendia also help meet the growing public demand that scarce resources for youth be invested only according to reliable knowledge about what "works."

Evaluations Summarized in MORE Things That DO Make A Difference:

Education and Career Development

Alliance for Achievement
Career Academies: California
Career Academies: Junior ROTC
Community Schools: New York City
Hoke County High School: North Carolina
I Have a Dream: Chicago, IL
Kids And the Power Of Work (KAPOW)
National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program
New American Schools
ProTech: Boston, MA
School-to-Work: Employers
School-to-Work: National
School-to-Work: New York
Tech-Prep: National
Tech-Prep: Texas
Turner Technical Arts High School:
Miami/Dade County, FL
Union City School District: New Jersey
Youth River Watch: Austin, TX

PEPNet Recognized Program Studies
CS2: Massachusetts
WAY Scholarship Program: NY

English Language Development Program Studies
ABACUS & ASHS: New York City
¡Español Aumentativo!: Houston, TX
Project PRISM: New York City
Santa Ana U. School District: California
Success for All/ Exito para Todos

Building Strong Communities

Service-Learning Studies
AmeriCorps: State/National
AmeriCorps: Hartford, CT
Learn & Serve America
Youth as Resources: Indiana

Voluntary Youth Serving Organizations
4-H: Kansas City, MO
Beacons: New York City
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Safe Havens: Boys & Girls Clubs of America,
Girls, Inc. and YMCAs

Juvenile Justice Studies
Multisystemic Therapy
Project CRAFT

Pregnancy Prevention Studies
Girls, Inc.
Teen Outreach Program
Teen Pregnancy Programs
Teenage Parent Demonstration

Of Interest

Adolescent Health
Counseling for High Skills
The GED
Head Start
High/Scope Perry Preschool: Ypsilanti, MI
Predicting Employment

The Lilly Endowment, The Commonwealth Fund and General Electric Fund supported the development, production and dissemination of MORE Things That DO Make a Difference for Youth.

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To order the 194-page report, please see our Order Form. The cost of the report is $10, including postage. The two-volume set is $17.50. All orders must be prepaid. Call (202) 775-9731 for rates on bulk discounts for youth-serving organizations, postsecondary institutions and other non-profit organizations. Federal ID #31-1576455. ISBN # 1-887031-64-2. For information on additional AYPF publications, please go back to our Publications List.