Publications

These publications of the American Youth Policy Forum are available for you to view, download, or order. This page lists our publications chronologically, showing the most recent publications first. The symbols in the columns to the right indicate which of our major program areas each document supports:

Education

Youth Development & Community Involvement

Preparation for Careers & Workforce Development

AYPF Compendia
View PDF	Federal and State Policy to Support Career and Technical Education A new paper by the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) presents ideas on how federal and state policy can expand the availability of high quality career and technical education (CTE) as a strategy to improve student performance and engagement. The paper argues that CTE should be a key element in secondary school reform and that CTE is a valuable pathway to postsecondary education and careers. The paper also addresses policy issues on defining student success beyond just academic skills, increasing the availability of applied teaching and learning, using multiple assessments to determine student performance, cross-training of teachers to blend abstract and applied content, and ensuring the quality of CTE programs. This paper’s recommendations are drawn from four AYPF forums and a meeting of policy experts on CTE held in Washington, DC during 2007-2008, funded with the generous support of the James Irvine Foundation. Supporting High Quality Career and Technical Education through Federal and State Policy, by Betsy Brand, American Youth Policy Forum
View PDF	A New Model of Student Assessment for the 21st Century by Camille Farrington and Margaret Small.Asserting that traditional systems of assessing student performance help to produce school failure and commonly-used, hundred-year-old structural mechanisms have, in fact, become powerful barriers to academic achievement. The founders of a public charter high school serving low-income and minority young women in inner-city Chicago describe their schools’ new model of teaching and assessment. (August 2008)
View PDF Word document	Youth with Disabilities in the Foster Care System: Barriers to Success and Proposed Policy Solutions, a policy report by the National Council on Disability (NCD). AYPF conducted the research for this report that examines this uniquely situated population in terms of the issues that affect them and the policy solutions that can be implemented to improve their outcomes. (February 26, 2008)
View PDF Word document	The No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act: A Progress Report by The National Council on Disability (study conducted by AYPF and the Educational Policy Institute). The National Council on Disability (NCD) released a report documenting trends in academic achievement of students with disabilities and also the successes and barriers achieved by states, school districts, and other stakeholders as a result of the implementation of No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The report is based on the collection and analysis of NAEP and IDEA data regarding student academic achievement; interviews of state administrators and representatives about trends and issues related to NCLB and IDEA; and conversations with advocates, federal officials, and other stakeholders. Recommendations are included. For more information please CLICK HERE
View PDF	Serving Older Youth Through a Comprehensive Out-of-School Time System: Lessons from the AYPF Philadelphia Field Trip, May 2006 This short publication highlights lessons learned by participants at the May 2006 AYPF field trip to Philadelphia about the best practices the city uses to sustain its comprehensive out-of-school time system.
View PDF	The College Ladder: Linking Secondary and Postsecondary Education for Success for All Students This compendium identifies and describes schools, programs, and policies that link secondary and postsecondary education to help students earn college credit or take college-level courses while in high school. It raises issues for practitioners and policymakers to consider as these program grow and target a wider range of students.
View PDF	Preparing Youth for Careers, Lifelong Learning, and Civic Participation Designed for practitioners in both the public and nongovernmental sectors who implement youth development and employment programs, the policymakers who support them, and youth leaders who wish to learn more about the principles and characteristics of leading youth development programs.
View PDF	Federal, State, and Local Roles Supporting Alternative Education This white paper examines the roles that various levels of government play through legislation, policy, and other initiatives that support quality alternative education programs to reconnect youth to education and the workplace. It raises issues for policymakers at all levels to consider in facilitating the development of expanded alternative education pathways, which reduce the number of students dropping out of school and provide well-lit reentry points for those who leave school before obtaining a diploma.
View PDF	Whatever It Takes: How Twelve Communities Are Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth This report documents what committed educators, policymakers, and community leaders across the country are doing to reconnect out-of-school youth to the social and economic mainstream. It provides background on the serious high school dropout problem and describes in-depth what twelve communities are doing to reconnect dropouts to education and employment training. It also includes descriptions of major national program models serving out-of-school youth.
View PDF	Helping Youth Succeed Through Out-of-School Time Programs This report reviews the current research and literature on out-of-school time (OST) programs especially with regard to their effectiveness; explores the range of OST programs and activities as employed by the various youth-serving sectors; considers the untapped possibilities of OST programs to meet the needs of young people, including academic enhancement, career and college preparation, leadership development, and civic engagement; and provides policy guidance on how to support and sustain high quality OST programs as part of a system of supports for older youth.
View PDF	Enhancing High School Reform: Lessons From Site Visits to Four Cities This report summarizes the best practices and policies that were successful in a number of innovative high schools visited by national policymakers on recent site visits. AYPF introduced these policymakers to the reform-minded leaders of these transformed high schools to help them become familiar with the challenges and possibilities of high school redesign.
View PDF	The Link Between High School Reform and College Success for Low-Income and Minority Youth The report provides an in-depth review of school reform research that presents evidence of college preparation for all students. It examines the predictors of college-going behavior and how they have been addressed within the high school reform movement. The report then draws out the promising practices from existing reform initiatives and makes recommendations.
View PDF	Youth Court: A Community Solution for Embracing At-Risk Youth--A National Update The report builds upon research previously conducted by the Urban Institute and an extensive survey of youth court programs conducted by the National Youth Court Center. It provides up-to-date data to give policymakers and the public an overview of youth court programs, their characteristics, and benefits. The report’s survey to programs garnered a 40% return rate, which has yielded a successful view of the current youth court landscape. The report’s findings cover topics such as: program completion, cost, returns on investment, impact on youth offenders and volunteers, educational and civic opportunities, program sustainability, and recommendations to policymakers.
View PDF	Restoring the Balance between Academics and Civic Engagement in Public Schools The report, released by the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF), in partnership with the Association for Supervision and Curriculum (ASCD), questions the current focus on core academic subjects at the expense of an equally important role: preparing students to be engaged and effective citizens. The report is the product of collaborative discussion among policymakers, education practitioners, community groups, parents, and youth across the nation. The report offers a seven-step action plan to help schools refocus on the goal of creating both academically proficient and civically engaged students. The report also highlights several programs, including school-community partnerships that promote both quality academics and civic engagement.
View PDF	Transforming the American High School: Lessons Learned and Struggles Ahead From October 2000 – April 2004, AYPF provided a variety of learning experiences for policymakers to help them learn about strategies to create more effective learning environments for youth, particularly disadvantaged youth that lead to increased academic achievement and better preparation for further learning and careers. AYPF conducted this work, with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, by organizing speaker forums, field trips, discussion groups, and roundtables and by producing a number of relevant publications for policymakers and practitioners. This report summarizes what we learned from these events.
View PDF	No Child Left Behind: Improving Educational Outcomes for Students with Disabilities Improving Educational Outcomes for Students with Disabilities explores how attitudes and expectations for students with disabilities are changing as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Overall, there is strong support for increasing expectations for students with disabilities and helping them to improve their academic outcomes. At the same time, there is concern about how states and schools will manage this process, largely as a function of lack of knowledge of effective interventions and strategies. The paper, written by American Youth Policy Forum and Educational Policy Institute, was commissioned by National Council on Disability to assist policy leaders and stakeholders in identifying, disseminating, and aligning evidence-based practices with the Federal Government's commitment to leaving no child behind in the attainment of a free appropriate and high quality public education.
View PDF	Does Religious Participation Help Keep Adolescents in School? As policymakers, parents, and community leaders continue to seek ways to promote the educational success of youth, AYPF presents “Does Religious Participation Help Keep Adolescents in School?” which explores the potential benefit to youth of associating with a religious organization. This report summarizes existing research on the importance of organizational involvement, both religious and “secular,” in promoting the educational success of youth, and then goes on to present the results of a new empirical study aimed at comparing the impact of religious and secular forms participation. Findings of this study indicate that most forms of religious participation do contribute to on-time graduation from high school and total years of educational attainment. These conclusions persist when the sample is limited to poor youth or minority youth. Recommendations identify numerous strategies that public officials can pursue to reduce obstacles to religious participation among youth, as well as encourage religious institutions to take a more active role in teen success, all while respecting principles of separation of church and state.
View PDF	Lessons Learned About Effective Policies and Practices for Out-of-School-Time Programming The report, compiled from visits by groups of policymakers, discusses the challenges to OST program implementation, including issues of going to scale, state and local roles and responsibilities, funding and sustainability, the role of intermediaries and advocates, and the relationship between OST programming and academic achievement. The reader will find tips on how communities provide OST activities that are both effective and responsive to local needs. Also illustrated are numerous uses and public policy solutions to which OST programming has been applied, including leverage for school reform initiatives; opportunities for teacher professional development; expanded resources for schools and communities; sites for school-based services; reinforcement of mutual school and community interests; and outlets for individual/group expressions, extended youth development, community culture and community education.
View PDF Word document	Finance and Resource Issues in High School Reform This report summarizes discussions between education and youth development leaders regarding the need to address financial and resource issues in high school reform. These topics were identified as being serious obstacles to meaningful reform in the 2000 American Youth Policy Forum report, High Schools of the Millennium. Inside, the reader will find participants’ thoughts on how education reformers might address challenges in four distinct areas: 1) allocation and alignment of resources to support standards-based reform and higher expectations for all students, 2) generating resources for the interventions and specialized programs necessary to support the learning of students with special needs, 3) allocating resources to support learning in alternative education settings, and 4) developing funding strategies for dual enrollment programs.
View PDF Word document	Essentials of High School Reform This report speaks to a concern that much attention is being paid to greater academic achievement in core subjects, resulting in little focus on improved academic outcomes that include other valued skills, such as communication, teamwork, analytical, and interpersonal skills, that youth need to be successful. The report contends that high school students also need to learn about potential careers, have a familiarity with the world of work beyond the classroom walls, and develop some occupational competencies. Inside, the reader will find two papers and summaries of roundtables that provide policy recommendations and practical advice on how to structure contextual teaching and learning and alternative assessments activities at the high school level. Included are a multi-faceted approach to educational leadership, professional development, and federal education policy, and descriptions of effective policies, practices, and programs for improving student learning.
View PDF	Preparing Youth for Employment Principles and Characteristics of Five Leading United States Youth Development Programs Preparing Youth for Employment, by Dr. Glenda L. Partee, provides an overview of five leading U.S. youth employment programs. The easy-to-ready report was designed for practitioners in both the public and non-governmental sectors who implement youth employment programs, the policymakers who support them, and youth leaders who wish to learn more about principles and characteristics of leading youth employment programs now operating in the United States; and identify components or entire programs which may be transferable or applicable to their work or in the settings of other nations.
View PDF WORD DOCument	Summary of the WIA Learning Exchange for Youth Systems WIA Learning Exchange for Youth Systems Supplemental In April of 2002, the General Accounting Office (GAO) submitted a report to Congress outlining the challenges faced by state and local Workforce Investment Act (WIA) youth program implementers. To address these challenges a series of Peer Learning Exchanges (LEX) were developed with three goals in mind. First, the Exchanges focused on three areas of youth programming that needed improvement according to the GAO report: 1) recruitment and retention of out-of-school youth; 2) strengthening the connection among WIA partners, particularly between the education and the workforce communities; and 3) documenting competencies and gains through appropriate assessments and credentials. Second, the Exchanges identified and promoted promising practices among local and state workforce investment areas with regard to successful implementation of youth-related WIA. Finally, the Exchanges aimed to become a model for the delivery of system-wide technical assistance by incorporating visits to exemplary WIA sites, communicating practical experiences, and fostering learning networks. These two reports provide a summary and key findings from the Learning Exchanges. Available online only.
View PDF	No More Islands: Family Involvement in 27 School and Youth Programs When families’ are active in their children’s learning at home, in school, and in youth programs, good things happen. Research has revealed that this connection yields higher grades and test scores, better attendance, attention to homework, fewer special education placements, better attitudes and behavior, higher graduation rates, and greater enrollment in postsecondary education. Family involvement in both school and youth programs is a requirement of No Child Left Behind and the Workforce Investment Act, increasing interest in the topic. For those who want to learn what has been accomplished in this area by leading school and youth programs, the American Youth Policy Forum has compiled a 152-page report, No More Islands: Family Involvement in 27 School and Youth Programs. The report asserts that young people should not be treated as “islands” by school and youth programs, separate from the context of learning that includes the involvement of their families. No More Islands shares evaluations of school and youth programs that describe family involvement in a variety of venues.
View PDF	Finding Fortune in Thirteen Out-of-School-Time Programs The out-of-school time (OST) programs profiled in Finding Fortune in Thirteen Out-of-School-Time Programs, a new compendium of evaluation summaries from the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF), make the case that participation in OST programs improves outcomes for youth in the key areas of academic achievement improvement and higher developmental outcomes. The new report contributes to the evidence needed to make reasoned decisions regarding the future of after-school and out-of-school-time OST programming. This is especially important at a time when increased funding and support to OST programs have been challenged, specifically, by one high profile study that showed little difference in academic outcomes between program participants and non-program students.
View PDF	Local Intermediary Organizations: Connecting the Dots for Children, Youth, and Families Over the past several decades, policy makers and program planners have come to understand that children, youth, and families need a range of supports and services to live healthy, productive lives. While conventional wisdom supports the belief that comprehensive services are an essential element in the support of children and families, programs and services, in reality, still mirror the old approach— disconnected services, separate funding streams, and multiple agencies providing services. In an era of tight resources and increased local responsibility for programs and services, communities are experimenting with new ways to connect the service dots for children and families. Local intermediary organizations are a promising approach to efficiently and effectively connecting and delivering a range of supportive services.
View PDF	Building an Effective Citizenry: Lessons Learned From Initiatives in Youth Engagement In 2002-2003, American Youth Policy Forum conducted a series of forums and field trips, each focused on issues related to the development of effective citizenry and youth engagement. Participants in these experiences had the opportunity to learn about the wide variety of work currently taking place to help young people take action in their schools and communities and to become engaged and effective citizens. Researchers presented recent findings about youth civic engagement, and leaders from youth organizations discussed their efforts to engage young people in education reform, service-learning, and community activism.
View PDF	Shaping the Future of American Youth: Youth Policy in the 21st Century In that spirit, the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) decided to celebrate its Tenth Anniversary in January 2003 by inviting 14 of America’s leading experts on youth affairs analysts, activists, advocates, institution-builders to write the essays and commentaries in this volume. These leaders accepted our challenge to step back from the press of their fully committed working days and reconsider the development of their particular field of youth affairs over the past decade, take a leap into the future, and sketch their personal hopes and visions for a positive and creative future for American youth in the decade ahead.
View PDF	Rigor and Relevance: A New Vision for Career and Technical Education With the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act due to be reauthorized in 2003, it is appropriate to ask the question, What should the role of the federal government in Career and Technical Education (CTE) be? To provide one angle on this debate, the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) organized a series of discussion groups with a diverse range of individuals to focus on this topic. The discussion groups helped inform this paper, and while not all participants endorse all aspects of this paper, they are hopeful of a serious review of many of its contents during the reauthorization process.
View PDF	In Service to Our Nation A Guide to the Members of the National & Community Service Coalition The National and Community Service Coalition (NCSC) is a growing number of organizations that provide an invaluable service to the nation in so many ways. This publication will introduce the reader to NCSC member organizations, highlighting the good works they have accomplished in service to our nation. Many members represented here have included their position or thoughts on the pending reauthorization of the National and Community Service Act, a piece of legislation important to the Service field. (Only available in PDF)
View PDF	Finding Common Ground: Service-Learning and Education Reform A new AYPF report reveals areas of compatibility between Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) programs leaders in education reform and elements of service-learning. For example, most CSR programs (or models) in the report provide opportunities for students to apply their knowledge and skills to real-life situations, address local community issues and interests, and develop civic skills and competencies. There has been a suspected compatibility between service-learning and CSR, but no one has asked CSR models directly until now. It remains to be seen whether these two educational movements collaborate to develop a unified approach to linking classroom academics to service in school or the community, providing a truly comprehensive education for America’s children and youth.
View PDF	Lessons Learned: What the WAY Program Can Teach Us About Program Replication This paper addresses the issue of program replication based on the experience of replicating the Work Appreciation for Youth (WAY) program in four urban community-based organizations, with support from the United States Department of Labor/Employment and Training Division. WAY was originally developed by The Children’s Village (CV) for youth in the child welfare system’s most restrictive level of care—residential treatment—to assist and motivate them to stay in school and to develop and practice work ethics after they had been discharged from care.
	Guide for the Powerless and Those Who Don't Know Their Own Power Acquire essential political skills to engage productively with both elected and appointed officials at all levels of government. This easy-to-read guide is a perfect introduction to effective citizenship for community leaders, educators, students, youth workers and other human service providers.
View PDF	TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDUCATING CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES: The Good News and the Work Ahead This publication highlights a variety of statistics showing the progress made during the past quarter-century in educating children with disabilities. It also includes data showing how much more needs to be done to prepare all students with disabilities for a productive and independent future. The intent is to bring this information in digestible form to policymakers, parents, classroom teachers, reporters, and others who don't usually read studies of special education. After 25 years of federal involvement in special education, a body of evidence has emerged about the long-term effect of this commitment.
View PDF	HIGHER LEARNING = HIGHER EARNINGS This booklet is for students in middle school and high school who need guidance in making decisions that will affect the rest of their lives. The guide is colorful and filled with images that show youth how "More education equals more money." It speaks to those who do not know if they should pursue a 2-year or 4-year degree, or train for a special license outside of college. It is a valuable youth empowerment tool that should be shared with students as they prepare to take control over their future.
View PDF	RAISING MINORITY ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT This report is the culmination of a detailed, two-year effort to find, summarize and analyze evaluations of school and youth programs that show gains for minority youth across a broad range of academic achievement indicators. The report provides an accessible resource for policymakers and practitioners interested in promoting the academic success of racial and ethnic minorities from early childhood through advanced postsecondary study.
View PDF	RAISING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: A Study of 20 Successful Programs 20 youth programs that succeeded in raising test scores, retention rates, graduation rates and other measures of academic performance. The report analyses the strategies used by the programs for their participants. Summaries of the programs are included.
View PDF	MORE THINGS THAT DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR YOUTH, Vol. II A Compendium of more evaluations of youth programs. Summarizes 64 evaluations of career academies, school-to-work, Tech Prep, school reform, juvenile justice and related areas of youth policy.
View PDF	SOME THINGS THAT DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR YOUTH: A Compendium of Evaluations of Youth Programs and Practices This guide summarizes 69 evaluations of youth interventions involving education, employment and training, mentoring, service-learning and youth development to craft strategies affecting services and support for our nation's youth, particularly disadvantaged young people.
View PDF	NYEC and AYPF Issue Proceedings of 2001 Policy Forum titled, Education Reform Through Standards: What Does It Mean for Youth in Alternative Education Settings? In 2001, NYEC organized the Colloquium as a policy forum sponsored by the National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC) and The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF). The topic of the 2001 forum is Education Reform Through Standards: What Does it Mean for Youth in Alternative Education Settings?
View PDF	LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD—Technology as an Equalizer in Education, Transition to Careers in Daily Life is a summary of forum events that explored the movement toward using technology to assist youth with disabilities. The report shares innovative partnerships between employers and the education and training sectors that use technology to help youth with disabilities make effective transitions in school, to work and through daily life.
View PDF	HIGH SCHOOLS OF THE MILLENNIUM: Report of the Workgroup High schools are out of date and need to be redesigned to meet the needs of today's youth, claims a new report High Schools of the Millennium: Report of the Workgroup, published by the American Youth Policy Forum. The report argues for a new vision of high school, one that uses all the resources of the community to create smaller learning environments, to engage youth in their striving for high academic achievement, to support them with adult mentors and role models, and to provide them with opportunities to develop their civic, social, and career skills.
View PDF	LOOKING FORWARD: School-to-Work Principles and Strategies for Sustainability This thoughtful report is organized around Ten Essential Principles designed to assist policymakers, practitioners and the wider community in thinking about ways to sustain successful school-to-work approaches. These Principles represent a distillation of critical elements of the STWOA used by the field in: improving the school experience for young people; expanding and improving work-based learning opportunities; and building and sustaining public/private partnerships. The report also identifies a variety of federal legislation and national programs that could support these gains, as well as actions for leadership at the local, state, national and federal levels.
View PDF	DO YOU KNOW THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT AMERICAN EDUCATION has searched through education news, currently overrun with discouraging statistics and stories, to find facts that show improvements in some areas. Do you know that fewer students are dropping out of school, school crime is declining, more girls are taking high-level mathematics and science courses, and more students with disabilities are being educated in regular classrooms? Learn more good news in the report.
View PDF	LESS COST, MORE SAFETY: Guiding Lights for Reform in Juvenile Justice Following up on the June 2000 report, "Less Hype, More Help: Guiding Lights for Reform in Juvenile Justice," this new study profiles eight juvenile justice initiatives nationwide that are making communities safer and saving taxpayers money. The success of these guiding light programs, the report concludes, demonstrates the need and potential for fundamental reforms in our nation's efforts to combat juvenile crime.
View PDF	LESS HYPE, MORE HELP: Reducing Juvenile Crime, What Works — and What Doesn't Demonstrating that trying youthful offenders in adult courts — "adult time for adult crime" — is a counterproductive fad that actually exacerbates juvenile crime, a groundbreaking new report unveils alternative approaches that are far more effective in preventing teens from committing crimes — and in protecting the communities in which they live.
View PDF	THINKING ABOUT TESTS AND TESTING: A Short Primer in "Assessment Literacy" Are you confused about all the talk about tests and testing? Do you know the difference between a norm-referenced test and a criterion-referenced test? Here's a nonpartisan, objective discussion to help you understand the arguments now raging around education about "high-stakes tests" and their consequences. If you have trouble understanding statistics, this book is for you. Simple, straightforward, and very useful
	THE FORGOTTEN HALF REVISITED: American Youth and Young Families, 1988-2008 Updates the 1988 reports of the William T. Grant Foundation Commission on Work, Family and Citizenship. Includes essays and the latest data on employment, youth and community development, school reform, higher education, service. Essayists include Thomas Bailey (Teacher's College, Columbia University), Martin Blank (Institute for Educational Leadership), Carol Emig (Child Trends), Lawrence Gladieux and Watson Scott Swail (The College Board), Samuel Halperin (American Youth Policy Forum), Harold Howe II (former U.S. Commissioner of Education), John F. Jennings and Diane Stark Rentner (Center on Education Policy), Karen Pittman (International Youth Foundation), Shirley Sagawa (The White House) and Daniel Yankelovich (Public Agenda).
	PREVENTION OR PORK? A Hard-Headed Look at Youth-Oriented Anti-Crime Programs Surveys what is known about the effectiveness of youth crime prevention programs. What works and what does not? Readable and helpful in preparing for crime prevention funding. By Richard A. Mendel.

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