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UPCOMING AYPF EVENTS
Capitol Hill Forum – Scaling Effective Practices for Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care (Monday, May 23, 2016 12pm-1:30pm ET)
Annually 26,000 young people age out of the foster care system, often with limited resources and relationships to ensure they successfully transition into adulthood. Providing the necessary supports and guidance to ensure these young people can navigate their own pathway to long-term success is critical. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of Youth Villages’ YVLifeSet program by providing intensive, individualized, and clinically focused case management, support, and counseling. The program has also demonstrated excellent results with young people transitioning out of foster care or with a history of involvement in the juvenile justice system. Join us for a discussion of these research findings and their implications for scaling effective practices and the role of policy. Panelists include Mark Courtney, Professor, School of Social Services Administration, University of Chicago; Rafael Lopez, Commissioner, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Jeff Rainey, Strategic Advancement, YMCA of Greater Seattle; Mike Leach, Director of Independent Living, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services; a participant from Youth Villages’ YVLifeSet program and moderated by David Sanders, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Systems Improvement, Casey Family Programs.
Webinar – Ensuring Professional Capacity to Support English Learners (Tuesday, May 24, 2016 12pm-1:30pm ET)
The recently signed Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides states with greater flexibility to design accountability systems that use multiple measures of assessment beyond test scores. Educators and policymakers alike are recognizing the urgent need for more sophisticated curricula and assessments to truly prepare students for success in a global economy. English Learners (ELs), a continuously growing share of the student population, will particularly benefit from meaningful learning and re-imagined accountability systems. In order to do this successfully, however, it will be necessary to boost professional capacity among schools and educators. This webinar will provide information and tools about building professional capacity to better support students, particularly ELs. Additionally, this webinar will highlight the latest research on ensuring positive outcomes for ELs; share concrete professional development strategies for teachers and administrators; examine policy supports at the federal, state, and local levels; and explore the inherent challenges in ensuring sufficient qualified teachers for ELs.
AYPF PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES
Publication – Ask the CCRS Center: State Policies to Support Competency-Based Education for Overage, Under-Credited Students
This brief, produced for the College and Career Readiness and Success Center at AIR (CCRS Center), provides an overview of one strategy aimed at addressing the challenges faced by overage, under-credited students (OA/UC): competency-based education (CBE). CBE may improve college and career readiness outcomes for these students by allowing them to develop at their own pace the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed in the workforce. This brief highlights state policies and emerging CBE strategies for helping OA/UC students graduate from high school better prepared for postsecondary education and work, and also includes policy actions that states can take.
Discussion Group Brief – Building Successful Research-Practice-Policy Partnerships In Child Welfare
This discussion group convened research, policymaking, and practitioner communities who may not normally interact in order to facilitate relationship building. These groups explained the different models of partnership and the role of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in each, and identified challenges and opportunities inherent with these types of partnerships. Participants also discussed common elements of successful partnerships, and explored how the use of research in policy and practice varies based on the origins, underlying goals, and life course of the partnership. Participants were encouraged to share the challenges they anticipate in helping this strategy take hold and identify concrete strategies for addressing these obstacles.
Forum For Thought Blog The Forum for Thought blog is operated by the American Youth Policy Forum, and highlights diverse points of view and information from the intersection of policy, practice and research.
- AYPF’s study tour to Miami focused on innovative and rigorous career pathway programs. See our photo slideshow and learn about Policy Research Assistant Zachary Malter’s and Policy Associate Carinne Deeds’ five biggest takeaways from the trip.
- Policy Associate Jenna Tomasello explains how work-based projects and deeper learning can create a “win-win” for both schools and employers.
- More and more people are starting to notice a “soft skills” gap in the workplace. Policy Associate Carinne Deeds explains how increased investment in employees can help address the issue.
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:
America’s Promise/GradNation 2016 Building a GradNation Report
The 2016 Building a Grad Nation report is the first to analyze 2014 graduation data using new criteria established by ESSA and the first to show the impact of additional time on graduation rates. If all states were required to report five-year graduation rates, the national high school grad rate would go up about 3 percentage points. If all states were required to report six-year grad rates, the rate would go up an additional point. The report provides a new national and state-by-state analysis of low-graduation-rate high schools; the number of additional students it will take for the country and each state to reach 90 per-cent; a look at the validity of graduation rates; and policy recommendations for change.
Advance CTE Putting Learner Success First
This report calls for a systemic transformation of the education system, and identifies CTE strengths and role in this transformation. It challenges education state leaders to continue on the path of fierce dedication to quality and equity, while providing the leadership necessary to continue to re-examine, grow and transform CTE into a system that truly prepares all students for a lifetime of success. This vision for CTE is supported by Advance CTE and six organizations representing the cross section of education, business and industry, and policy.
National Geographic Education National Geographic Learning Framework
The National Geographic Learning Framework lays out what they believe children and youth should learn from their experiences with the society. It communicates National Geographic’s core beliefs and values, and has been created to provide guidance for every product, resource, service, and experience we design.
The Learning Framework supports educators – everyone who teaches and cares for children and youth – with resources and tools to meet their mission.
Every Hour Counts Messages Made Simple: Communications Toolkit for Expanded Learning
This messaging toolkit is for organizations that use expanded learning to improve opportunities and outcomes for youth. It builds on a collaborative process conducted by Every Hour Counts partners and is available to organizations working in expanded learning, organizations that are building expanded-learning systems, and anyone else who wants to communicate clearly about this work.
National Center for Learning Disabilities Personalized Learning: Meeting the Needs of Students with Disabilities
This report represents the culmination of a year-long project engaging experts, educators, and advocates to determine the challenges and opportunities posed by a personalized learning experience for students with special needs. Over the course of a year, NCLD gathered top special education and personalized learning experts from across the country – including educators, advocates, researchers, state and district leaders, school leaders, and parents of children with disabilities – and engaged them in discussions to learn and explore ways to ensure that personalized learning systems integrate and benefit students with disabilities. NCLD also conducted one-on-one expert interviews and participated in site visits to schools using personalized learning.
Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education/Learning Policy Institute Redesigning School Accountability and Support: Progress in Pioneering States
This report documents the progress made by a select group of 10 states in the 51st State Working Group to transform their systems of accountability to support more meaningful learning opportunities for all students. This publication examines the variety of ways these 10 states have tackled the challenge of redesigning their accountability systems to create educational environments that are more likely to produce excellent and equitable learning opportunities for all children.
AYPF FALL 2016 INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY
Internships at AYPF are substantive, and interns are integral members of our team. Interns engage in a variety of activities, including researching and analyzing data, writing fact sheets and summaries, and planning and helping to run forums and briefings on Capitol Hill. AYPF offers a variety of professional development opportunities, including participation in policy discussions and opportunities to learn about best practices in education and youth policy. In addition to working directly with our staff, interns benefit from ample opportunities to interact with our national network of leading researchers, practitioners, and policymakers by participating in meetings and events in Washington, DC. Interns at AYPF may be eligible for a stipend based on hours worked.
Primary responsibilities include:
- Work with program staff to collect data for briefing papers, fact sheets, and publications.
- Research promising practices to help identify potential programs to highlight in publications, forums, and study tours.
- Track and analyze effective youth policies and practices in states and districts.
- Assist with communications to key contacts on Capitol Hill.
Requirements:
- Position requires an extremely organized, highly self-motivated, detail-oriented, and self-confident individual who can work effectively and independently. Candidates should have strong writing, research, and communication skills.
- Experience using MS Office and Access database is a plus.
- AYPF seeks undergraduate and graduate student interns with an interest in and commitment to improving the lives of youth.
- An understanding of the nonprofit sector and a commitment to the mission and goals of AYPF
- Ability to work at least 15-20 hours per week.
This application process is rolling. Please include a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and two professional references. Please feel free to also include a professional portfolio with your application. When applying, please contact gknowles@aypf.org. Please specify the title of the internship you are applying for in the subject line, and include your last name in the title of your resume document.
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