1Advancement for Low Wage Workers I: Public Views on Low Wage Workers in the Current Economy On November 1, Jobs for the Future released the results of a national
survey on public support for programs that help low-wage workers
and their families who might be hurt by an economic slowdown.
With the backdrop of the September 11th attack and America's War
on Terrorism, the survey also looks at attitudes about helping
low-wage workers cope with any negative effects on the economy.
In a statement at the release of the survey, JFF President Marlene
Seltzer declared, "The U.S. economy will recover, yet Americans
agree that the federal government must assume two urgent responsibilities,"
said Marlene Seltzer, president of Jobs for the Future. "First,
those who have lost their jobs as a result of the September 11
attack and the economic downturn need immediate assistance. Second,
we need longer-term investments in areas like job training and
child care in order for hard-working Americans to be self-sufficient
and to keep their families out of poverty."
Specifically, the survey finds that majorities of the public
want to:
Help vulnerable workers NOW by
making it easier for laid-off workers to keep their health
coverage, by creating government work programs, and by
enhancing unemployment benefits;
Help low-wage workers succeed
over the LONG TERM through training, career-related
education, assistance with child care, and tax breaks
to keep low-wage workers out of poverty;
Target tax breaks to low-income
families and businesses affected most by the economic
downturn; and
Keep welfare recipients moving
toward employment by creating job programs and making
it easier to gain skills while still receiving welfare
benefits
2Advancement for Low Wage Workers II: The Casey Jobs Initiative Also in October, the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Jobs Initiative
held a showcase highlighting progress in this multi-year, six-site
effort to help 18- to 35-year-old residents of targeted inner-city
neighborhoods enter the labor market and advance to jobs that
pay family-supporting wages. Jobs for the Future is providing
technical assistance to the Jobs Initiative, which the foundation
launched in 1995 with a total investment of $30 million over eight
years.
"Pathways & Partnerships: Voices from the Jobs Initiative":
This online video features stories from the Jobs Initiative.
"Extending Ladders: Findings from the Annie E. Casey
Foundation's Jobs Initiative": This report provides
an insightful look at employment outcomes and lessons.
Product Catalogue: The Jobs Initiative and its six
sites have collaborated with partners to create materials
for helping disadvantaged residents get and keep family
supporting jobs.
3Advancement for Low Wage Workers III: Welfare and the Working Poor in a Declining Economy In October, the Urban Institute held a forum on "Welfare and the
Working Poor in a Declining Economy." Demetra Smith Nightingale
and Sheila Zedlewski of Urban Institute began the forum with a
discussion of the current policy context. The panel session that
followed featured JFF's Richard Kazis, along with Harry Holzer
of Georgetown University/Urban Institute, Connie Tolbert of the
Maryland Department of Human Resources, and Don Winstead of Florida
Department of Children and Families. Kazis is co-editor (with
Marc S. Miller of JFF) of Low Wage Workers in the New Economy,
published this month by Urban Institute Press, and Holzer is one
of two dozen contributors to the book.
4Carnegie Corporation and Gates Foundation Select Boston for the Schools for a New Society In October, Boston became one of seven cities selected
for the Schools for a New Society Initiative of the Carnegie Corporation
of New York and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Boston will
receive $8 million over the next five years to implement its plan
to fundamentally transform the structure, instructional strategies,
and cultures of Boston's 12 comprehensive high schools. The Boston
Public Schools and the Boston Plan for Excellence, with assistance
from JFF and the Boston Private Industry Council, helped to develop
the plan. JFF will also provide assistance on implementation.
For a look at three years of recent experience as Boston has
encouraged schools to restructure entirely into smaller learning
communities, see Wall to Wall, written by Lili Allen, with Cheryl
Almeida and Adria Steinberg. Drawing on JFF's work with the Boston
Public Schools, Wall to Wall discusses key findings and their
implications for reform in other school districts choosing small
learning communities as a whole school reform strategy.
5Writing Workshop Strengthens Youth Voices Jobs
for the Future teamed with partner organization WHAT KIDS CAN DO to
pilot a series of writing workshops to help remedy the absence of youth
voices in educational debates. Seven students participating in five
programs in JFF's FROM THE MARGINS TO THE MAINSTREAM initiative spent
two days with workshop leader and WKCD story director Kathleen Cushman
to draft essays suitable for use as newspaper columns, radio
commentaries, or college admissions essays.
These poignant stories compel us to view with respect and dignity
the young people around us in classrooms, workplaces, and neighborhoods.
And they have lessons to tell:
Kellon Innocent shows how school can make the difference
to students in difficulty.
Maharai Lowe gives a glimpse of what motivates a young
woman to turn her life around.
Misty Wilson's story reminds us that a school's intervention
can help not just a student but an entire family.
And Bosung Kim reveals his pride in how an inspiring
program connected him with a greater purpose.
The first installment of these essays and commentaries from four
young people speaking eloquently of their struggles and triumphs,
their hopes, and inspiration are posted on the WHAT KIDS CAN DO
Web site.
6 Resource on Policies and Programs to Aid Vulnerable Youth The Youth Transitions Funders Group has just published "Powerful
Pathways: Framing Options and Opportunities for Vulnerable Youth."
As the introduction to this discussion paper notes, "Regardless
of what paths young people take, they all need to arrive at the
same place: ready to take advantage of college-level education
and trainingÑwith the skills they need to participate fully in
mainstream institutions, including the workplace, higher education
and the political process."
This discussion paper was prepared by the Forum for Youth Investment,
a strategic partner in JFF's FROM THE MARGINS TO THE MAINSTREAM
initiative.
Advancement for Low Wage Workers I: Public Views on Low Wage Workers in the Current Economy 
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