School-Community Connections

The Ready by 21 National Partnership is sponsoring the Quality Improvement & Asset Building Challenge Grants (Q&A Challenge) in three southeast communities: Wicomico County, MD; Asheville, NC; and Ft.

By Karen Pittman, March 2008

In December of 2007, the Forum and the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) co-hosted a three-day forum for state superintendents to discuss collaboration on extended learning opportunities, among other topics. Attached is the presentation given by Marc Levy, President of United Way of Greater Dayton at the forum.

By Karen Pittman, September 2002

By Karen Pittman, March 2003

The Bush administration unveiled its request last month to cut funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CLC) program by 40 percent for fiscal 2004. This is not good news. But it is not surprising.

By Karen Pittman, December 2003

I'll admit it: I've got mixed feelings about character education classes — emphasis on "classes." My gut instinct, first as a parent, then as a youth worker, is that these kinds of lessons are best learned when they're embedded in other learning experiences and reinforced in life, particularly when the recipients are teens.

By Karen Pittman, June 2005

More than fifteen years ago, I began using a twist on an old saying as a way to get discussions started about the status of youth work and youth workers in the United States. We all understand the disrespect shown to teachers and students in the adage: “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” Needing to communicate my message quickly, I added a third phrase: “Those who can’t teach do youth work.”

While the nation’s public systems continue to fall short of delivering equitable educational supports to children and youth, youth workers have spent the last several decades insulating and, in some cases, patching the leaks in the “education pipeline”– a term describing the route students follow from early childhood through post-secondary education.