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Briefs

07/09/10
Offering High School Credit Through Expanded Learning Opportunities This forum highlighted the New Hampshire Extended Learning Opportunities (NH ELO) Initiative that seeks to offer credit to high school students for opportunities pursued outside of the traditional classroom setting. Developed by Plus Time New Hampshire and the state department of education, NH ELO allows students to pursue learning of personal passion and interest outside of the traditional classroom setting for academic credit, based on a pre‐determined set of academic competencies. Participating high schools are working on systemic changes to provide students with greater access to credit bearing learning opportunities, with a focus on engaging underserved youth. Presenters included Paul Leather, Deputy Commissioner of Education, New Hampshire Department of Education (NH); Janice Hastings, VP of Program & Resource Development, Plus Time New Hampshire (NH); and Michael O’Malley, Principal, Newfound High School (NH). (Forum Brief)
06/26/09

Rethinking Professional Development: Comprehensive Approaches to Ensuring Effective Teaching: As teacher quality is the number one factor affecting student achievement, improvement in teacher effectiveness is a top federal priority. This forum will showcase two comprehensive models that have been implemented in school districts that use continuous professional development that have proven effects on student achievement and the quality of instruction in the classroom. The Long Beach Unified School District is exemplary in its use of internal resources to improve teacher effectiveness through year-round professional development linked to school improvement strategies. The Urban Teacher Residency program of the Academy for Urban School Leadership in Chicago ensures continuous improvement of teaching through intensive pre-service training, classroom residency, induction coaching, use of student-level data to inform instruction, and mentoring for teachers in urban schools that have been targeted for school turnaround. Speakers at this forum will include Stephanie Hirsch, Executive Director of the National Staff Development Council, Dallas (TX); Chris Steinhauser, Superintendent of the Long Beach Unified School District, (CA); and Michael Whitmore, Director of the Teacher Residency Program, Academy for Urban School Leadership, Chicago (IL).  (Forum Brief)

12/12/08
School Improvement and School Turnaround: State-Level Strategies in Louisiana and Maryland This forum highlighted state-level approaches to school turnaround from Louisiana and Maryland. Louisiana’s Recovery School District represents a unique model of state control of the majority of New Orleans’ public schools, in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Maryland’s approach is characterized by state technical assistance and oversight of restructuring conducted at the local level. Presenters included: Ramsey Green, Budget and Policy Director, Louisiana Recovery School District; and Ronald Peiffer, Deputy State Superintendent, Office of Academic Policy, Maryland State Department of Education. (Forum)
12/08/08
Out-of-School Time Advisory Group  With the support of the C.S. Mott Foundation, AYPF is developing a compendium that highlights a variety of models supporting out-of-school time and afterschool programs and activities, particularly for youth from disadvantaged communities and those who are traditionally underserved by the education system. The advisory group provided input on the draft of the compendium. (Discussion Group)
12/05/08

School Improvement and School Turnaround: District-Level Initiatives in Chicago, IL, and Prince Georges County, MD This forum highlighted two district approaches to school turnaround: Chicago, and Prince Georges County, MD.  Chicago is utilizing a wide-scale, comprehensive strategy, combining an “outside the system” approach by bringing in external providers and starting new schools with an “inside the system” approach of developing their own urban school leaders.  In Prince Georges County, the effort is focused on utilizing opportunity zones to implement school turnaround. Presenters included Josh Edelman, Executive Director, Office of New Schools, Chicago Public Schools; Alan Anderson, Executive Director, Department of School Turnarounds, Chicago Public Schools; and Derek Mitchell, Executive Director, New and Charter Schools, Prince Georges County School District, MD. (Forum)

11/21/08

Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Centers and Community Colleges: Increasing Underrepresented Minorities Participating in STEM Fields ATE Centers and Projects have made it a priority to reach out of underrepresented populations by providing opportunities for exposure to new fields and academic support to succeed in postsecondary education. The programs highlighted at this forum described their programs and efforts to serve these student populations.  Presenters included Diego Navarro, Digital Bridge Academy, Cabrillo College, CA; Toby Horn, DC Bio Tech, Partnership between Carnegie Institution of Washington, DC; DC Public Schools; and Montgomery College, MD; closing remarks by Gerhard Salinger, National Science Foundation, DC. (Forum)

11/17/08

The Role of an Advanced Technology Center (CITE) in Promoting Case-Based Learning and High School Redesign This forum focused on how the work at CITE has influenced Metro Nashville Public Schools and other partners in Nashville, TN, to create a system to bring community organizations and resources into alignment to support youth and high school performance. The forum also described one of the Innovation in Technological Academies directly supported by CITE and business partners.  Presenters included: Sydney Rogers, Executive Director, Alignment Nashville, TN; Nicholas Holland, President and CEO of Centresource, Business partner of the IT Career Academy at Stratford High School, TN; David McNeel, Former Principal Investigator, Center for Innovation in Technological Education (CITE), TN; and Starr Herrman, Director of Smaller Learning Communities/Career Academies, Metro Nashville Public Schools, TN. (Forum)

10/24/08

School Improvement and School Turnaround: Local Accomplishments Of MetLife Foundation/NASSP Breakthrough Schools The first forum in a series on school improvement and turnaround focused on a project by the MetLife Foundation and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.  This project identifies, showcases, and recognizes middle level and high schools that are high achieving or are dramatically improving student achievement and serve large numbers of students living in poverty. This forum showcased three schools that utilized these school improvement strategies, and that were grant award winners in 2008: Forest Grove High School in Oregon; Cashman Middle School in Nevada; and Wheaton High School in Maryland.  Mel Riddile of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, VA, led the presentation.  Speakers were:  Kevin E. Lowndes, Principal, Wheaton High School, MD; John O’Neill, Principal Forest Grove High School, OR; and Misti Taton, Principal, Cashman Middle School, NV. (Forum)

9/26/08

Dual Enrollment Research, Policies, and Effective Practice: Dual enrollment, in which high school students take college courses, has become a popular strategy to help students transition to, and be successful in, college. The forum provided a status report on dual enrollment – what the newest data show, how policy is stimulating participation and shaping practice, and the ways in which dual enrollment is being incorporated into career and technical programs so as to prepare students for both college and careers. Dr. Thomas Bailey of the National Center for Postsecondary Research, NY, led the presentation.  Speakers included: Joel Vargas, Program Director, Jobs for the Future, MA; Heather Sherry, Director K-20 Articulation, Florida Department of Education, FL; and Daniel Voloch, Coordinator, College Now, Hostos Community College, NY.  (Forum)

9/11/08

Advisory Group for AYPF Compendium on Supporting College- and Career-Readiness for All Youth: The Advisory Group is comprised of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers with expertise in secondary school reform, college access efforts, and strategies for closing the achievement gap. This group helped inform the scope of analysis for the compendium and criteria used to select programs, identify research to be included, and provide a context for the framing of policy recommendations. (Advisory Group)

9/19/08

Keeping Up with the Demand for a Technically-Skilled Workforce: The Role of ATE Networks and Community Colleges:   This was the first forum in a series hosted in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges on the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, an initiative of the National Science Foundation. Highlighting the education-industry partnership of these programs, speakers included Gordon Snyder, National Center for Telecommunications Technologies, Springfield Technical Community College, MA; Ellen Bemben, Regional Technology Corporation, MA; Bill Raley, College of the Mainland, Texas City, TX; and Lee Rector, Texas Workforce Investment, TX. (Forum)

6/27/08

Improving Long-Term Labor Market Prospects for Youth: Evidence from Career Academies   Career Academies are one of the most popular and lasting high school reform strategies. This forum featured the release of a new report from MDRC which includes findings from eight years of post-high school data discusses the findings’ potential policy significance and implications for school reform and youth programming. Speakers included James Kemple, Director of K-12 Education Policy at MDRC, NY; J.D. Hoye, President, National Academy Foundation, NY; and Charles Dayton, Director of the Career Academy Support Network, CA. (Forum Brief )

06/13/08

Building a Better Bridge: Helping Young Adults Enter and Succeed in College  A partnership between the Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation (CHLDC) and The New York City College of Technology (NYCCT) of City University of New York (CUNY) was created to develop and implement a college access and success program for young people who are overage, under-credited, or have dropped out of high school. This forum described the successes and challenges of the partnership and lessons learned on how to help formerly disconnected youth access postsecondary education. Speakers  included Peter Kleinbard and Vivian Vazquez of the Youth Development Institute, New York City; Bonne August, Provost of New York City College of Technology, NY; and Emily Van Ingen of the Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, NY. (Forum Brief)

05/20/08

Improving the Transition from Middle Grades to High Schools:  Promising District Initiatives in Coaching and Planning  This forum was the final presentation in the series on “Improving the Transition from the Middle Grades to High Schools.” Presenters showcased how Lowndes County Schools in Georgia are implementing the state’s Middle and High School Graduation Coach Initiative to help students transition successfully from the middle grades to high school.  The forum also highlighted the use of a new course for incoming freshman, called Keystone - The Freshman Experience, in Duval County, Florida, which helps high school students to become career-focused while learning how to make effective decisions about their futures. Presenters included Dr. Steve Smith, Superintendent, Lowndes County Schools, GA; Wes Taylor, Principal, Lowndes High School, GA; and Beverly Strickland, Director, High School Programs, Duval County Public Schools, GA. (Forum Brief)

05/14/08

Building Afterschool Capacity at the National Level: The Community Schools Model  This forum examined the “community schools” model as a part of the growing movement to expand the lens through which out-of-school time programming is viewed. The community schools model is proving to be an effective comprehensive learning model and has fully embraced out-of-school time enrichment as a necessary and valued piece of its framework. Speakers included: Martin Blank, Director, Coalition for Community Schools, Institute for Educational Leadership, DC; Daniel Cardinali, President, Communities In Schools, VA; Jane Quinn, Assistant Executive Director, Children’s Aid Society, NY; and Joann Weeks, Associate Director, University of Pennsylvania Center for Community Partnerships. (Forum Brief )

04/24/08

Building Afterschool Capacity at the Local Level: Spotlight on the NYC City-Wide Out-of-School Time Initiative  Under the mayor’s leadership, NYC is investing in numerous capacity-building techniques in their OST system, such as evaluation, data systems, and professional development, and the city’s youth are already experiencing positive results because of it. Speakers included: Jeanne B. Mullgrav, Commissioner, NYC Department of Youth & Community Development; Elizabeth Reisner, Principal, Policy Studies Associates, Inc.; and Richard Berlin, Executive Director, Harlem RBI. (Forum Brief)

04/11/08

Improving the Transition from Middle Grades to High Schools: Promising State Initiatives in Literacy and Mathematics  By addressing mathematics and literacy deficiencies, educators improve the chances of at-risk students remaining in school, and graduating on time. This forum, the second in the series  on “Improving the Transition from the Middle Grades to High Schools,” featured  Sherrill W. Parris, Assistant State Superintendent of Education for the Alabama Department of Education and Linda M. Wallinger, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction at the Virginia Department of Education. (Forum Brief)

03/31/08

Building Afterschool Capacity at the State Level  This forum focused on how three state-level entities are effectively building the capacity of the afterschool field. Speakers included: Jill Riemer, Executive Director, Georgia Afterschool Investment Council; Karyl Resnick, 21stCCLC Coordinator, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; Debra McLaughlin, Consultant, The Kunnusta Group, MA; Lauren Sterling, Staff, Maine Governor’s Children’s Cabinet; and Robert Stonehill, Chief Program Office, Learning Point Associates, DC. (Forum Brief)

03/14/08

Improving Transition to Higher Education for Out-of-School Youth  This forum was co-sponsored by the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) and the National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC) to highlight factors influencing the success of youth programs that provide support for formerly out-of-school youth as they transition to postsecondary education and employment. This session featured NYEC’s policy recommendations intended to inform federal higher education and workforce development policy and representatives from local and national youth-serving organizations.  Speakers included: Betsy Brand, Director, American Youth Policy Forum; Mala Thakur, Executive Director, National Youth Employment Coalition, DC; Bob Rath, President and CEO, Our Piece of the Pie, CT; and Sangeeta Tyagi, Vice President for Education and Career Development, YouthBuild USA, MA. (Forum Brief)

01/29/08

American Youth Policy Forum Meeting on Federal and State Policies to Support Career and Technical Education   Featuring Anne Stanton, Program Director, Irvine Foundation; Gary Hoachlander, President MPR Associates, Inc.; Domenic Giandomenico, Director of Government Relations, National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium, VA; and Scott Hess, Chief, College and Career Transitions, U.S. Department of Education, DC. (Discussion Group)

01/25/08

Improving the Transition from Middle Grades to High Schools:  The Role of Early Warning Indicators  This forum, the first in the series on “Improving the Transition from the Middle Grades to High Schools,” focused on early warning indicators, particularly the use of on-track indicators, that can identify potential high school dropouts as early as sixth grade.  Presenters included Robert Balfanz, Research Scientist, Center for Social Organization of Schools, Johns Hopkins University; Elaine Allensworth, Co-Director for Statistical Analysis, Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago; and Craig D. Jerald, independent consultant, Break the Curve Consulting, DC.   (Forum Brief)

09/21/2007
Exemplary CTE Districts and Programs with Gary Hoachlander, Executive Director, ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career, Michael Hanlon, Founder, Health Careers Academy at Palmdale High School, California, Michael Owens, Associate Secretary, Adult Education and Workforce Development, Delaware Department of Education, Patrick Savini, Superintendent, Sussex Technical School District, Delaware (Forum Brief)
06/22/2007
The Role of Career and Technical Education in High School Reform: State Efforts to Integrate CTE with Rigorous Standards with Patrick Ainsworth, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary, Postsecondary & Adult Education, California Department of Education, Kathy Oliver, Assistant State Superintendent, Maryland Department of Education, and Alex Harris, Senior Policy Analyst, National Governors Association (Forum Brief and webcast)
06/15/2007
Afterschool for All: California's Launch of Proposition 49 with Joseph Ames, Principal, Ames & Associates; Steve Fowler, Partner, FowlerHoffman; and Jennifer Peck, Executive Director, Bay Area Partnership for Children and Youth (FORUM BRIEF)
05/10/2007
The Role of Career and Technical Education in High School Reform: Career and Technical Education Responding to Industry Needs with Phyllis Eisen, Vice President, The Manufacturing Institute and Executive Director, The Center for Workforce Success, Duane Crum, California State Director, Project Lead the Way (FORUM BRIEF and webcast)
04/13/2007
Opening the Door to the American Dream: Increasing Higher Education Access and Success for Immigrants with Wendy Erisman, Senior Research Analyst and Director of Evaluation, Institute for Higher Education Policy, and Deborah A. Santiago, Vice President for Policy and Research, Excelencia in Education, and Margie McHugh, Co Director, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, Migration Policy Institute. (forum Brief)
03/8/2007
Philadelphia’s Project U-Turn, Citywide Efforts to Address the Dropout Problem with Paul Vallas, Chief Executive Officer, School District of Philadelphia, Ruth Curran Neild, Research Scientist, Center for Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University,  Courtney Collins-Shapiro, Director, Multiple Pathways to Graduation, School District of Philadelphia, Laura Shubilla, President of the Philadelphia Youth Network. (forum Brief)
09/29/2006
Secondary-Postsecondary Learning Options: Best Practices in the Field with Ron Kindell, Director, Miami Valley Tech Prep Consortium, Chery Wagonlander, Principal, Mott Middle College High School, and Jennifer Brown Lerner, Program Associate, American Youth Policy Forum (FORUM Brief)
06/23/2006
Middle Grades Reform: Breaking Ranks in the Middle and Schools to Watch with John Nori, Director, School Leadership Services, National Association of Secondary Schools Principals, Irv Howard, Director, California Schools to Watch, Linda Hopping, Co-Chair, Georgia Lighthouse Schools to Watch (Forum brief)
03/10/2006
Rhode Island High School Diploma System: Lessons Learned from Implementation with Joe DiMartino, President, Center for Secondary School Redesign, Andrea Castaneda, Development Officer, Providence Public Schools, and Joe Maruszczak, Principal, Ponaganset High School (Forum brief)
04/29/2005
A CALL TO ACTION: Transforming High School for All Youth, with Joe DiMartino, Director, Student Centered Learning, LAB at Brown University; Naomi Housman, Director, National High School Alliance; Colleen Callahan, Rhode Island Board of Regents; Michael Bell, Assistant Superintendent, Miami Dade Public Schools; and Lucy Fernandez, Principal, South Texas High School for Health Professions. (Forum Brief)
10/1/2004
Statewide Afterschool Networks: Creating Public-Private Partnerships for High Quality, Sustainable Afterschool Programs. With Audrey Hutchinson, Program Director for Education and Afterschool, Youth, Education, Family Institute, National League of Cities; Janelle Cousino, Vice President, FowlerHoffman, LLC, consultant to the Afterschool Alliance; Jennifer Becker Mouhcine, Director, Illinois Afterschool Partnership; and Nancy Kellogg Harper, Director of Kansas Enrichment Network, The Institute for Education Research and Public Service, University of Kansas School of Education. (Forum Brief)
07/16/2004
States and Districts Can Make Progress and Close the Achievement Gap. Research Reveals Clear Results in School Improvement in Schools Using America’s Choice School Design, The No Child Left Behind Act encourages schools to seek out school improvement plans that have been scientifically proven to raise student achievement. This forum looks at one such plan: the America's Choice School Design. (Forum Brief)
01/8/2004
California's Public Schools: From First to Worst, A Documentary Premiere with Jounalist John Merrow, Today’s forum screened the national premiere of John Merrow’s and John Tulenko’s dramatic one-hour film documentary, FROM FIRST TO WORST, scheduled to begin airing around the U.S. in February on the Public Broadcasting System. (Forum Brief)
10/17/2003
Increasing College Access: State and Local Efforts, with Christina Milano, National College Access Network (NCAN), Wendy Ault, MELMAC Education Foundation and Patricia Lonergan, Early Awareness initiative at the Cleveland Scholarship. Panelists representing three different programs and initiatives spoke about their various approaches to increasing college access and presented recommendations for policymakers engaged in the reauthorization of the HEA. (Forum Brief)
09/20/2002
Innovative State Strategies To Promote Youth Development. Co-Sponsored by AYPF and the National Governors Association (NGA). Thomas MacLellan, Policy Analyst, Center for Best Practices, National Governors Association (NGA), will moderate a panel including three members of NGA’s Youth Policy Network: Glenn Daly, Director of the Office of Youth Development at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health & Human Services; Sally A. Herrick, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Youth Development, New York State Office of Children & Family Services; and Quentin Wilson, Cabinet Secretary for Governor Holden of Missouri. (Forum Brief)
06/22/2001
Federal, State and Local Leadership for Extra Learning Opportunities, with Sharon Deich, Program Manager, The Finance Project; Karen Johnson, Program Director, National Conference of State Legislatures; Theresa Clarke, Policy Analyst, National Governors Association; Mark Emery, Project Director, Council of Chief State School Officers; Audrey Hutchinson, Program Director, National League of Cities; and Adriana de Kanter, Partnership Liaison, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education. (Forum Brief)
12/1/2000
School-to-Work and Youth with Disabilities: State and Community Policies to Serve All Youth, with David Johnson, Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota, and representatives from the State of New Jersey and Linking Learning to Life, Burlington High School, VT. (Forum Brief)
07/28/2000
Service-Learning in State Legislation (Part II): South Carolina's Efforts to Integrate Service-Learning into Schools and Communities, with Kathy Gibson Carter (Executive Director, Commission on National & Community Service), Dr. Janet Mason (University of South Carolina), and Jamaal Young. (Forum Brief)
04/7/2000
Oregon's Proficiency-Based Admissions Standards System (PASS) with David Conley, Associate Professor, Educational Policy and Management, College of Education, University of Oregon. (Forum Brief)
07/30/1999
Standards-Based Reform and Accountability: Analysis of Two States — North Carolina and Texas, with John Barth, National Education Goals Panel and David Grissmer, RAND. (Forum Brief)

 

Trip Reports

 

03/24/10-
03/26/10
State Strategies to Ensure All Students Graduate This study mission, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will enable participants from Alabama, Delaware, Kansas, and South Carolina to learn from Massachusetts' comprehensive efforts to improve support systems for high school students at risk of dropping out.  Panel discussions, presentations, and site visits will showcase the state's use of early warning systems, alternative education, community partnerships, and longitudinal data systems in their prevention and recovery strategies.  In conjunction with this learning experience, participants will also attend a conference in April focused on policy implementation and technical assistance provided by America's Promise Alliance and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University. (Field Trip)
05/07/09-
05/08/09
Moving English Language Learners to College- and Career-Readiness: On May 7-8, 2009, AYPF is hosted a field trip highlighting the Rio Grande Valley region’s successful strategies for moving its English Language Learners (ELLs) along a pathway to college- and career-readiness. Elements of success include cross-systems collaboration, academic and social supports, innovative approaches to language instruction, and community engagement in building a college-going culture. The goal is for trip participants to be able to identify policy implications for better serving an ELL population.  The rapid growth in the population of ELLs nationwide, as well as the persistent achievement gap between ELLs and all public school students, has recently brought this group into the spotlight in debates over education policy, accountability and school improvement.  The Rio Grande Valley (RGV)region of south Texas, located along to the US-Mexico border, provides a particularly strong context to observe successful strategies employed—as well as the challenges faced by—educational systems with large populations of ELL students. The RGV comprises 43 districts, many of which are small, rural school systems. The region has 150,000 identified ELLs, comprising approximately 40% of the overall student enrollment. The region has a student population that is 97% Hispanic, and 85% low-SES.  Several school districts in the RGV have received “Recognized” or “Exemplary” ratings by the Texas Education Agency, and multiple high schools have been identified as top schools by US News & World Report and Newsweek. The region’s institutions of higher education have also recently been recognized as among the top 10 public colleges and universities in enrolling and graduating Latino students in the country.  This trip will help national policy leaders understand how the schools in the region are supporting the success of their largely disadvantaged population, with an emphasis on ELLs at the high school level and in the transition to postsecondary education. (Field Trip) Archived Under These Program Areas >>>|English Language Learning| State Education Policy |
11/12/08-
11/14/08

Infusing Career and Technical Education into High School Reform Sacramento, California  The focus of this trip to Sacramento was to learn about California’s efforts at improving career and technical education, to witness the interaction between state initiatives and district implementation, and to examine the impact of the reform at the school level by visiting schools and hearing from principals, teachers and students.  The group had the opportunity to meet with a variety of stakeholders, including state officials and business leaders, involved in California’s CTE reform efforts in order to gain an understanding of the state’s high school redesign initiatives; learn about the leadership and partnerships necessary to ensure effective implementation, including partnerships between secondary and post-secondary institutions, and schools and business leaders; and learn about the state’s process for implementing the new CTE, including the creation of CTE Standards and Framework, the provision of funding to implement new curricula and refurbish facilities, and efforts to address CTE teacher preparation. Site visits were made to Health Professions High School and Luther Burbank High School, Sacramento, CA. (Field Trip)

10/05/08-
10/07/08

Local Leader Trip to Portland, Oregon: Sustaining Systemic Approaches to Reengaging Disconnected Youth In collaboration with National League of Cities' Institute for Youth, Education and Families, The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF), planned a series of workshops and field trips to help local leaders learn more about reaching struggling students and out-of-school youth and expanding options and alternatives for high school-aged young people. This project, funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, supports the YEF Institute’s work engaging municipal leaders in building cross-system collaborations by providing hands-on professional development activities to mayors and superintendents, their staffs, and other local leaders engaged in efforts to reach young people who have dropped out of school, are out of work, or have been involved in the juvenile justice or foster care systems. This field trip offered local leaders an opportunity to participate in strategically designed and intensive workshops and site visits during which participants engaged in substantive policy discussions with their counterparts in other cities and visit exemplary programs.  The third trip in this series reconvened city teams who joined the AYPF field trips to Newark and New York City in December 2007. Participants learned about Portland’s varied efforts to serve disconnected youth through education and employment training as well as reflect upon their own growth since the first gathering. Following a presentation by Superintendent Carole Smith and others, the group visited Open Meadow; New Avenues for Youth, and Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, Portland, OR. (Field Trip)

09/29/08-
09/30/08

Federal Policy Makers Trip to Long Beach Unified School District, California: Investing in Human Capital and Professional Development The Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) is nationally known for its investment in its teachers and teaching pipeline.  The district maintains the perspective that improving student achievement rests on building the capacity of teachers to diagnose their students’ needs and help them make academic progress. This core belief in the capacity of its teachers guides the district’s efforts to recruit, develop, and retain highly effective educators. AYPF brought a group of federal education policy leaders to Long Beach to learn about the role of human capital and professional development in high school reform. The group had the opportunity to meet with several district leaders, including Christopher Steinhauser, LBUSD Superintendent of Schools, as well as with students, teachers, and school administrators. (Field Trip)

06/05/08-
06/06/08

State Policy Trip to Alexandria, Virginia:  Developing State Data Systems to Track High School Performance Conducted in partnership with the Data Quality Campaign, this field trip provided participants the opportunity to experience the many facets of creating and using a longitudinal data system by visiting schools and meeting with leaders of promising efforts in Virginia. Speakers included: Patricia Wright, Chief Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, Virginia Department of Education; Peter Blake, Vice Chancellor, Virginia Community College System; Lan Neugent, Assistant Superintendent for Technology and Career Education, Virginia Department of Education; Bethann Canada, Director, Office of Education Information Management, Virginia Department of Education; Jason Ellis, Test Results Utilization Specialist, Virginia Department of Education; Mary Wills, Instructional and Assessment Coordinator, Fauquier County Public Schools, VA; Deborah Jonas, Executive Director Research and Strategic Planning Virginia Department of Education, and a visit to J.E.B. Stuart High School for a meeting with information management officials in Fairfax County, Virginia. (Field Trip)

05/28/08-
05/30/08

Local Leader Trip to Baltimore, MD: Sustaining Investment in Disconnected Youth Conducted in partnership with the National League of Cities, Institute for Youth, Education, and Families' Municipal Network for Disconnected Youth. Highlights from this trip included remarks by Dr. Andres Alonso, CEO, Baltimore City Schools and Karen Sitnick, Director, Mayor's Office of Employment Development.  Site visits were made to:   the YO! Center, Baltimore, MD, and the Career Academy at Harbor City High School, Baltimore, MD. (Field Trip)

05/14/2008-
05/15/2008

State Policy Trip to Louisville, Kentucky: Helping Policymakers Understand High School Redesign Dropout Prevention and Persistence to Graduation This trip showcased promising programs and practices, as well as other innovative methods that Kentucky is employing to ensure a comprehensive approach to high school improvement, with a specific emphasis on dropout prevention. Participants heard from key speakers such as Michael Miller, Division Director of Curriculum, KY Department of Education; Nijel Clayton, Branch Manager of Dropout Prevention, KY Department of Education; Marty Bell, Deputy to the Superintendent, Jefferson County Public Schools, KY; Joe Burks, Assistant Superintendent of High Schools, JCPS, KY; and Maurice Risner, Executive Director, Student Relations and Safety, JCPS, KY.  Site visits included visits to Breckinridge High School; Liberty High School; Jefferson County High School; a Family Youth and Service Center; and South Central Neighborhood Place.  ( Trip Report )

03/12/2008-
03/13/2008

State Policy Trip to Providence, Rhode Island: Proficiency-based High School Diploma System  Highlights from this trip included meetings with Robert Flanders, Chair of the Board of Regents; Peter McWalters, Commissioner of Education; Jack Warner, Commissioner of Higher Education; and Janet Durfee-Hidalgo, Education Policy Advisor of Governor Donald Carcieri, as well as other state and district education leaders. In addition, the group visited Hope High School, Coventry High School, and Shea High School to see how the diploma system has been implemented at the school level. (Trip Report)

11/7/2007-
11/9/2007
State Policy Trip to Little Rock, AR, November 7-9, 2007: Expanding Advanced Placement Participation and Building Public Will. Highlights from this trip include meetings with T. Kenneth James, AR Commissioner of Education; Senator Jim Argue, Chair of the AR Senate Education Committee; Kathryn Hazelett, Governor Mike Beebe's Education Policy Advisor; Steve Floyd, Director of the AR Department of Higher Education; as well as other policy and education experts at the state level. In addition, we visited the historic Little Rock Central High School and the Wilbur Mills University Study School. (Trip Report)
10/18/2007-
10/19/2007
State Policy Trip to Miami, Florida, October 18-19, 2007: Career Pathways and K-12 Education. Highlights from this trip include meeting with Rudy Crew, Superintendent of Miami-Dade Country Public Schools, as well as other policy and education experts at the state and local levels. In addition, we visited Miami Edison Senior High School, MacArthur South Senior High School, and Robert Morgan Educational Center. (Trip Report)
1/24/2007-
1/26/2007
State Policy Trip to Georgia, January 24-26, 2007: College and Work-ready Standards. Highlights from this trip include meetings with Governor Sonny Perdue and State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox, representatives from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, Georgia Department of Education, the University System of Georgia, and the business community, as well as visits to the Central Educational Center, Gateway to College at Georgia Perimeter College, Morgan Country High School, and the Early College High School. (trip report)
11/15/2006-
11/16/2006
State Policy Trip to Indiana, November 15-16, 2006: Supporting Students At Risk of Dropping Out and Increasing Course Rigor.  Highlights from this trip include meetings with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed, state legislators, representatives from the Governor’s Office, Department of Public Instruction, higher education, and the business community, as well as visits to the Lawrence Early College High School for Science and Technologies and Shelbyville High School. (trip report)
10/5/2006-
10/6/2006
State Policy Trip to North Carolina, October 5-6, 2006: STEM and Early College. Highlights from this trip include visits to the School of Health and Life Sciences, Information Technology High School, and Robeson Early College High School, as well as meetings with state legislators and representatives from the Governor’s Office, Department of Public Instruction, Community College System, and the business community (trip report)
5/25/2006-
5/26/2006
State Policy Trip to New York City, May 25-26, 2006: Dual Enrollment and Multiple Pathways to Graduation. Highlights from this trip include visits to South Brooklyn Community High School, The Bronx Academy of Letters, and Middle College High School at LaGuardia Community College, as well as meetings with Joel Klein, NYC Chancellor of Education, and Sheila Evans-Tranumn, Associate Commissioner of Education. (TRIP REPORT)
3/12/2006-
3/14/2006
State Policy Trip to Boston, MA, March 12-14, 2006: Extended-day Policies and Turning Around Low-
Performing Schools. Highlights include visits to the Boston Day and Evening Academy, Boston Community Leadership Academy, Another Course to College, and three small schools at the South Boston Education Complex, and meetings with Superintendent Thomas Payzant, and Massachusetts Commissioner of Education David Driscoll (trip report)
2/15/2006-
2/17/2006
State Policy Trip to San Diego, CA, February 15-17, 2006: College-ready Curriculum and High Tech High. Highlights include visits to High Tech High, Madison Senior High School, School of International Business, the San Diego MET, and meetings with Superintendent Carl Cohn and Deputy Superintendent Geno Flores, and California State Deputy Superintendent Sue Stickel (trip report)
3/17/2003 -
3/19/2003

Education, Community and Workforce Development in Rural Mississippi. Field Trip to to learn about statewide education reform initiatives, community organizing for education reform, and successful after-school and out-of-school youth programs in the Delta region of Mississippi.  (Trip Report)

Publications

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Federal, State, and Local Roles Supporting Alternative Education
This white paper examines the roles that various levels of government play through legislation, policy, and other initiatives that support quality alternative education programs to reconnect youth to education and the workplace. It raises issues for policymakers at all levels to consider in facilitating the development of expanded alternative education pathways, which reduce the number of students dropping out of school and provide well-lit reentry points for those who leave school before obtaining a diploma.

View PDF 		Rigor and Relevance:
A New Vision for Career and Technical Education
With the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act due to be reauthorized in 2003, it is appropriate to ask the question, What should the role of the federal government in Career and Technical Education (CTE) be? To provide one angle on this debate, the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) organized a series of discussion groups with a diverse range of individuals to focus on this topic. The discussion groups helped inform this paper, and while not all participants endorse all aspects of this paper, they are hopeful of a serious review of many of its contents during the reauthorization process.

View PDF 		HIGH SCHOOLS OF THE MILLENNIUM: Report of the Workgroup
High schools are out of date and need to be redesigned to meet the needs of today's youth, claims a new report High Schools of the Millennium: Report of the Workgroup, published by the American Youth Policy Forum. The report argues for a new vision of high school, one that uses all the resources of the community to create smaller learning environments, to engage youth in their striving for high academic achievement, to support them with adult mentors and role models, and to provide them with opportunities to develop their civic, social, and career skills.