UPCOMING AYPF EVENTS

2016 Samuel Halperin Lecture and Youth Public Service Award

On Friday, April 15, 2016, the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) and Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) will host the Samuel Halperin Lecture and Youth Public Service Award. The lecture and youth award, now in their second year, serve as an ongoing tribute to our founder, Samuel Halperin, who dedicated his life and career to improving youth education, workforce, and policy outcomes. This year, the event will be presented by Michele Cahill, Distinguished Fellow in Education and Youth Development at the National Center for Civic Innovation.

The award aims to encourage young people (ages 18-24) to make a commitment to public service in their life and to showcase programs that have helped disadvantaged youth succeed. The award recognizes a youth who demonstrates Halperin’s commitment to public service.

Webinar – Moving the Needle for First Generation College Students: Comprehensive Advising from College Access to Success. This event is co-sponsored with the National College Access Network (NCAN)

In today’s economy, a college credential is in greater demand than ever before. Not only do college graduates tend to earn more money, but they are also more likely to vote, volunteer, and enjoy better health outcomes. However, navigating the college process can be challenging for some students, particularly first generation college students from low income homes (FGLI) who often face unique barriers to college access and success. Advising comes in many forms, but when done comprehensively can assist students with academic, financial, and social-cultural barriers. Given the multiple barriers FGLI students may face, supports must be comprehensive in order to effectively address the needs of this population. This webinar will highlight comprehensive advising strategies for supporting FGLI students’ college access, transition, and success and discuss the role of policy in scaling these efforts.

Presenters include:

-Elizabeth Morgan, Director of External Relations, NCAN

-Cassie Magesis, Director of College Readiness, Urban Assembly, Bridge to College Program

-Pam Blumenthal, Director, Links Programs, Portland Community College and Josh Lauire, Manager, Future Connect Scholarship

-Rana Tarkenton, Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Denver Scholarship Foundation 

Webinar – Moving the Needle For First Generation College Students: Technology To Complement Advising For College Access And Success This event is co-sponsored with the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC)

 College credentials are in greater demand in today’s economy than ever before. College access and success advising has proven to be an effective strategy for ensuring that more students obtain these credentials. For first-generation, low-income (FGLI) students who traditionally earn these credentials at lower rates than their peers, advising can be an especially critical tool for ensuring that the transition to and through postsecondary education is as smooth as possible. Considering the ever-present role that technology plays in our lives, online and technology-facilitated advising may be a promising strategy to get information faster and more reliably into the hands of students who need it most. From social media to text messages, this webinar will explore the ways in which technology can be leveraged to complement in-person college advising for FGLI students.

Presenters include:

-Dr. Lindsay C. Page, Assistant Professor of Education, University of Pittsburgh School of Education

-Chelsea M. Jones, Associate Director, Student Programs, I’m First

-More TBA 

*Stay tuned for announcements of other webinars in our series, Moving the Needle for First Generation College Students.

AYPF PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES

Discussion Group Brief – Providing A Continuum Of Supports For First-Generation, Low-Income Students’ Success

In this discussion group, AYPF explored the ways in which policy and practice can better support first-generation, low-income (FGLI) students. FGLI students often face unique and significant barriers to educational attainment, and on average have lower rates of postsecondary enrollment and persistence than their more affluent peers with parents who went to college.

Webinar Recording – Building A Robust Afterschool System: Lessons And Opportunities

This webinar provided an overview of the cornerstone elements of an afterschool system and showcased how these elements are reflected in the system building work in three communities: Palm Beach County, Florida; Seattle/King County, Washington; and Providence, Rhode Island.

Webinar Recording – How Research Evidence Informs Foster Youth Medication Policies

This webinar focused on how mid-level policymakers in state child welfare agencies acquire, interpret, and use research evidence to develop policies regarding the use of medications for youth in foster care with the goal of improving their life and health outcomes.

This month, AYPF focused on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in a four-part blog series:

• Senior Director Loretta Goodwin explores how ESSA’s flexibility around assessment offers new opportunities for deeper learning and real-world problem solving.
• How will competency-based learning expand under ESSA? Digital Communications Associate George Knowles explains.
• Policy Research Assistant Zachary Malter on how ESSA strengthens dual-enrollment, but what are the implications for low-income students?
• Could ESSA be one step forward, but two steps back for school diversity? Policy Associate Jenna Tomasello explores.

Click here to view all AYPF publications

Click here to find all briefs and reports

RECOMMENDED READING AND RESOURCES

Check these out – recommended reading from the AYPF staff:

Achieve The College and Career Readiness of U.S. High School Graduates

This report represents the first time that these data, from publicly available sources, have been compiled to paint a picture of college and career readiness in every state. It shows that too few high school graduates are prepared to succeed in postsecondary education, the military, and careers. The report also shows significant limitations in the availability of data and inconsistencies in how they are reported, making it challenging for policymakers, educators, families, and advocates to have a clear answer to the simple question: Are high school graduates prepared for postsecondary success?

Center For American Progress Utilizing National Service as a 21st Century Workforce Strategy for Opportunity Youth

This report includes strategies to build capacity and incentivize states to leverage funding streams in order to expand service programs for opportunity youth and marginalized adults, and to create youth opportunity service-learing awards. It also includes six recommendations to strengthen the existing national service system as a workforce development strategy.

Brookings Institution Income Inequality, Social Mobility, and the Decision to Drop Out Of High School

This analysis offers an explanation for how income inequality might lead to a perpetuation of economic disadvantage and has implications for the types of interventions and programs that would effectively promote upward mobility among low-socioeconomic youth.

MDRC MDRC Research on Career Pathways

This issue brief describes the career pathways approach, highlighting core design elements, and profiles MDRC projects that shed light on the effectiveness of this approach and its potential to improve education and career outcomes.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Changing the Debate in Quality Assurance in Higher Education

This report explores strategies and solutions for addressing the skills gap facing America’s business community, while promoting “completion with a purpose” for our nation’s graduates. It also presents two approaches for expanding the employer role in higher education accreditation and a roadmap for developing an independent, employer-driven system.

FALL 2016 INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY

AYPF is currently hiring for our Fall 2016 internship position. Duties include:

• Working with program staff to collect data for briefing papers, fact sheets, and publications.
• Researching promising practices to help identify potential programs to highlight in publications, forums, and study tours.
• Tracking and analyzing effective youth policies and practices in states and districts.
• Assisting with communications to key contacts on Capitol Hill.

Internships at AYPF are substantive, structured, and interns are integral members of the AYPF team. For more details about the position and how to apply, please visit our employment page.