Ready News: January 24, 2019

Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development Final Report Now Available

Our nation is at a turning point: We now understand that social, emotional and cognitive development underpin children’s academic learning. This breakthrough understanding about how people learn is fueling a growing movement to educate children as whole people, with social and emotional as well as academic needs. That’s the message of “From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope,” the final report and recommendations from the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development. The report offers specific actions to fundamentally shift how we teach children, with the understanding that the social, emotional and cognitive dimensions of learning are mutually reinforcing rather than distinct. Drawing on more than two years of input from more than 200 scientists, youth and parent groups, educators and policymakers, the report seeks to accelerate and strengthen efforts in local communities through the following six broad recommendations: Set a vision for student success that prioritizes the whole child.

  • Transform learning settings so they are physically and emotionally safe and foster strong bonds among students and adults.
  • Change instruction to teach students social, emotional and cognitive skills; embed these skills in academics and school-wide practices.
  • Build adult expertise in child and adolescent development.
  • Align resources and leverage partnerships across schools, families and communities to address the whole child.
  • Forge closer connections between research and practice to generate useful, actionable information for educators.

The Forum’s CEO and co-founder Karen Pittman served as a Commissioner and led the Youth Development Work Group, convened to ensure that the critical perspective of the youth development sector is reflected in the recommendations being put forth by the Commission.

View the full report and its complementary research, practice and policy briefs here.

Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality – Upcoming Training Opportunities

The Forum’s Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality partners with networks of youth programs to implement evidence-based quality improvement and accountability systems. To help build local capacity, the Weikart Center regularly offers trainings around the country that prepare participants to lead their quality improvement process. If you’re a manager or site leader who wants to support your program sites or are interested in building your capacity to offer professional development opportunities to your program staff, these trainings are for you.

Upcoming Training of Trainers (TOT) Youth Work Methods:

  • Ann Arbor, Michigan: April 16-18, 2019

Youth Work Management:

  • Ann Arbor, Michigan: May 7-9, 2019

Coaching for Continuous Improvement (C4CI) Upcoming Training Events:

  • Ann Arbor, Michigan: April 2-4, 2019

Learn more about these and other upcoming learning opportunities.

Take Advantage of the Early Bird Discount for the 8th Annual 2018 Ready by 21 National Meeting!

Book your ticket for the Ready by 21 National Meeting by February 1st to lock in the lowest rate! The event will take place in Seattle, Washington on April 23-25, 2019. Now in its eighth year, the National Meeting brings together more than 500 local, state and national leaders who, like you, are committed to improving the odds that all children and youth can be ready for college, work and life. These leaders manage change at all levels – from state policy coordination and community-wide cradle-to-career efforts to out-of-school time systems, single-issue coalitions and neighborhood-based initiatives. We hope to see you in Seattle.

Register today!

The Local Children’s Cabinet Network Launches

We are excited to announce the launch of the Local Children’s Cabinet Network, a new national network of city, county and community leaders working to improve the coordination of child- and youth-serving agencies and initiatives in their localities through the use of a “children’s cabinet” or equivalent policy-coordinating body. Children’s cabinets are convened in localities across the country as forums for increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of government efforts to improve child and youth outcomes. In this network, members will be able to learn from experts and one another about children’s cabinets as a tool for improving both systems-level governance and population-level outcomes. Network members will have access to expert panels and roundtable discussions, peer networking opportunities, and exclusive resources, publications, and tools, and will convene in-person in July 2019. The Local Children’s Cabinet Network is co-managed by the Forum for Youth Investment (as part of our work aligning children’s cabinets across the local, state and federal levels), the Education Redesign Lab at Harvard Graduate School of Education (as part of its fieldwork with communities including its By All Means consortium), and the Children’s Funding Project. If you or any localities you work with are interested in joining the network or have additional questions, please click here to complete a short form and we will contact you with more information.

Collective Impact Learning Lab – Ready by 21 version: Tools & Techniques for Achieving Results March 26-27, 2019 Silver Spring, Maryland

Please join us for a practical, hands-on two-day workshop and coaching session designed for backbone leaders, steering committee members and other partners actively involved in community change efforts focused on children & youth. The workshop is designed for leaders who are thinking about how the critical tasks of community change management can be staged and sequenced in order to move steadily towards improving outcomes. It is particularly useful for those in the early stages of forming or planning an initiative, or in the process of re-igniting or refreshing their initiative for the next phase of joint work. Special emphasis is given to tools and techniques that help leaders align and connect multiple issues and efforts, identifying areas for joint planning and action.

Learn more and register today.