AYPF educates, informs, and engages national, state, and local policymakers, practitioners, and researchers on education, youth, and workforce issues and provides information on best practices, innovations, and research-based strategies that help youth marginalized by systemic inequities to be successful. Using neutral, nonpartisan framing and a youth development lens, AYPF carries out its work through various convenings, social media, and products that bridge policy, practice, and research. We make sense of the often-confusing education, youth, and workforce landscape by providing timely, clear, and concise information and resources.

Our policy expertise runs deep and spans numerous domains, which include:

  • K-12 Education
  • Career and Technical Education
  • Afterschool and Expanded Learning
  • Youth Development
  • Health
  • Mental Health
  • Postsecondary Education
  • Youth Employment
  • Workforce Development

This knowledge allows us to make sense of the often-confusing array of programs, systems, and silos and promote a comprehensive approach to youth success. We anticipate emerging education, youth, and workforce issues and help frame those issues in language relevant to current debates and contexts. We organize various convenings, which include:

  • Capitol Hill Forums
  • Discussion Group Meetings
  • Webinars
  • Study Tours

These convenings are designed to bring together individuals with diverse perspectives to learn from each other and from the best practices and knowledge in the field.

 

We are also effective in “translating” dense research and evaluations for policymakers and practitioners. We use the following tools and social media to reach a broad cross-section of policy influentials:

  • Infographics
  • Twitter
  • Blog Posts
  • Videos

We keep a focus on the youth marginalized by systemic inequities, such as youth in the foster care or juvenile justice systems, youth with disabilities, first-generation college students, immigrants, and those from low-income families and communities. Our goal is to ensure equity of opportunity and outcomes for them all.

Increasingly, we are also working with organizations, states, and communities to address policy challenges, identify best practices and innovations, and advance community-wide approaches to better serving youth.