1Four Building Blocks for a System of Educational Opportunity: Developing Pathways To and Through College for Urban Youth
The promise to "leave no child behind" can only be
realized by moving beyond the limitations of current policies
and institutions. Hence, the demand grows for learning environments
that are effective and efficient in getting young people onto
pathways to economic self-sufficiency and active citizenship.
Drawing on several years of study through JFF’s From the
Margins to the Mainstream initiative, Four Building Blocks
for a System of Educational Opportunity speaks to that need.
It identifies and describes four building blocks for a system
of educational opportunity—and it proposes strategies for
improving and expanding effective learning environments.
2Community Colleges That Change Lives: First-Person Accounts
A Future That Works: First-Person Accounts of Community Colleges
That Change Lives brings to life the profound impact of community
colleges on students who must juggle school, work, and family.
With personal stories from the winners of the 2002 MetLife Foundation
Community College Excellence Awards, A Future That Work puts a human face on the struggles and accomplishments of students
confronting barriers of poverty, language, or limited expectations
of their potential.
In April, applications will be available to apply for the 2004
MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence Awards. The awards
will recognize community colleges that are breaking new ground
in helping underserved youth and adults succeed in postsecondary
education. Two colleges will each receive a $30,000 award and
national recognition.
3Improving the Workforce Development System: Intermediaries Can Help Avert a Crisis
The United States is facing a workforce crisis of labor shortages,
increasing wage gaps, skills shortages, and disjointed public
programs, according to Keeping America in Business: Advancing
Workers, Businesses and Economic Growth, a report from the
102nd American Assembly.
The report shows how "workforce intermediaries," a
burgeoning approach that considers the needs of both employees
and employers, seeks to avert this crisis by helping workers advance,
helping businesses fill critical job shortages, and, ultimately,
changing systems to bolster regional and national economic development.
The report results from a February conference at which the American
Assembly, which is affiliated with Columbia University, brought
together 75 national experts from business, labor, government,
education, philanthropy, non-profit organizations, and workforce
development.
Jobs for the Future participated in the conference and has contributed
to another project component, Workforce Intermediaries for
the 21st Century. Edited by Robert Giloth, director of the
Annie E. Casey Foundation, this book will appear later this year,
with JFF-authored chapters on what workforce intermediaries do
and how they can be financed.
4The Workforce Advantage: Audio Conference on Successful Practices
Join the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City and Jobs for
the Future on March 27 at 1:00 p.m. EST for a call with 200 participants
to discuss workforce strategies for low-income workers. Hear from
experts and practitioners and participate in a live Web demonstration
of http://www.workforceadvantage.org.
WorkforceAdvantage.org provides employer strategies for advancing
low-income workers and simultaneously creating competitive advantage
for companies. Created by ICIC and JFF, the user-friendly Web
site bursts with 80 case examples featuring 17 workforce development
practices pioneered by fast-growing inner-city companies, the
ICIC-Inc Magazine Inner City 100.
5Involving Employers in Workforce Development I: Governance and Human Resources Strategies
JFF announces two new reports in the Workforce Innovation Networks—WINs—series
of resources for engaging employers in workforce development for
the dual purposes of improving advancement opportunities for workers
and meeting the workforce needs of employers:
High-Leverage Governance Strategies for Workforce Development
Systems: For employer organizations seeking to influence local
workforce development systems, this report describes exemplary
governance strategies in the areas of: planning and development,
policy, promotion, performance measurement and continuous improvement,
operational leadership, and administering innovative services.
Hiring, Retaining, and Advancing Front-Line Workers: A Guide
To Successful Human Resources Practices: Looking at innovative
companies that hire large numbers of entry-level workers, JFF
has identified human resources practices that have improved the
employment and advancement of workers with few skills and little
or no work experience.
Also available are:
Employer-Led Organizations and Career Ladders
From Stakeholders To Partners: Organizing Community Pertnerships
for Workforce Development
Mentoring
Working Together on Worker Training
Launched in 1997, WINs is a collaboration of JFF with the Center
for Workforce Preparation of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and
the Center for Workforce Success of the National Association of
Manufacturers.
6Involving Employers in Workforce Development II: Comments on WIA Reauthorization
JFF is bringing the "employer engagement" message to
discussions of reauthorization of the 1998 Workforce Investment
Act.
JFF’s comments to the House of Representatives, Education
and Workforce Committee are informed by research with employers,
employer organizations, and others on the strengths and weaknesses
of the workforce development system from the perspective of employers
and their low-wage, low-skill employees. We address five sets
of issues: mix of services; employer engagement and services;
performance measures; goal and purpose; and relationship to TANF
more effectively at the state and local levels.
7Building ONE System: Youth Development and Opportunity
To celebrate ten years of service educating the youth policy
community and bridging gaps between policy, practice, and research,
the American Youth Policy Forum commissioned four papers focusing
on the next decade of youth policy. At a forum this past January,
JFF CEO Hilary Pennington presented her contribution to this series: Towards One System for Youth Development and Opportunity.
Pennington argues that to thrive in the 21st century economy,
all young people will need education beyond high school. Improving
outcomes for youth will require transforming the fragmented system
of secondary, second chance, and postsecondary education into
a coherent system of pathways toward recognized postsecondary
credentials.
8Carnegie Results Debuts: Highlights JFF Report on High School Reform
Carnegie Corporation of New York has introduced Carnegie Results, a quarterly newsletter on Corporation-supported organizations
and projects that have produced reports, results, or information
of special note. The inaugural issue features From Large to
Small: Reinventing the Urban High School. This JFF report
offers strategies for personalizing large urban high schools by
helping them become small, learning communities where students
and teachers are both engaged in meaningful, challenging work.
9Continuous Improvement in Education: A New Tool from NYEC
The National Youth Employment Coalition's Education Development
Network is a tool for continuous improvement for innovative education
programs and schools. NYEC EDNet consists of detailed criteria
identified as common to effective education programs and schools
by a national working group made up of educators, practitioners,
policymakers, and researchers, including Adria Steinberg of Jobs
for the Future.
NYEC EDNet includes a comprehensive self-assessment that education
programs and schools can use to help improve their services and
also to inform policymakers, funders, and the public about what
works for youth.
10Gates Foundation Announces Support for Alternatives: Expanding Options for High School Students
In February, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation came to
Boston to announce a $31 million effort to reach 36,000 young
people failed by traditional high schools. The funds will support
the creation of a nationwide network of 168 alternative schools.
The schools will serve students failed by large, traditional,
comprehensive high schools.
This grant builds on the foundation's nationwide effort to strengthen
America's high schools and ultimately improve graduation rates,
particularly for African-American and Hispanic students. One such
effort is the Early College High School Initiative, coordinated
by Jobs for the Future.
"Nearly one-third of American students aren't graduating
from high school. This represents nothing short of a massive failure
of America's high schools," said Tom Vander Ark, executive
director of education for the Gates Foundation. "The good
news is that we can reverse this trend. More students will succeed
if communities provide a rich variety of education options, and
effective alternative schools are one such option."
Four Building Blocks for a System of Educational Opportunity: Developing Pathways To and Through College for Urban Youth
Go back to top
