Ready News: November 16, 2018

SEL Demonstration Initiative: Measuring Social Emotional Learning in Out-of-School Time

What supports are necessary to integrate new, explicit SEL supports into a continuous quality improvement system? What are the staff experiences with these supports? What recommendations do providers have for other networks or organizations that want to measure SEL in relation to both youth outcomes and youth program quality?

While positive youth development and out-of-school time programs have long sought to create settings where youth can develop talents, build relationships and connect with caring adults, an increased focus on social and emotional learning (SEL) in these programs has created a strong call for understanding measurement both of social and emotional outcomes and SEL program quality.

From 2017 to 2018, the Forum for Youth Investment and our David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality partnered with the Susan Crown Exchange and four out-of-school time networks to learn more about integrating social and emotional measures and improvement supports into a continuous quality improvement process.

Lessons learned are highlighted in a newly released report – SEL Demonstration Initiative: Measuring Social and Emotional Learning in Out-of-School Time. In the report, program providers and network leaders will find insights and recommendations that are designed to serve as a platform to support networks in the successful design of their own SEL measurement and quality improvement systems.

Review the report.

Governance Matters: Organizing for Success Webinar
December 11, 2018
2:00-3:00 PM EST

Out-of-school time (OST) systems are a promising strategy to improve access to quality expanded learning opportunities for more youth.

A key lesson learned from The Wallace Foundation’s investment in OST system-building is that coordination needs to match the local context. And, that governance really does matter for system success. In a study supported by The Wallace Foundation, Sharon Deich and colleagues at FourPoint Education Partners examined different approaches to governance structures and developed an infographic to describe how OST systems across the country are setting themselves up and evolving to ensure that their coordination continues to meet the local context.

Join Priscilla Little, Senior Consultant with the Forum, and Sharon Deich along with OST networks from across the country to learn more about approaches to OST system governance, and why and when it is time to consider revising your approach.

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Karen Pittman Featured on Recent Whole Child Podcast

On a recent episode of Mudboots, a podcast focused on a whole child approach to youth development and education, Paul Reynolds spoke with the Forum’s CEO and co-founder Karen Pittman. Together, they explored the role of the community in the whole child ecosystem.

Mudboots explores the world of whole child education from a variety of perspectives throughout the education community. Host, Paul Reynolds interviews teachers, students and education & community leaders to find out what makes whole child education so special, and how it can be implemented across the nation.

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Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice Certificate Program

Due to overwhelming demand, the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) has added a second cohort of its annual Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice Certificate Program. The training will be held March 25-29, 2019 at the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center, in partnership with the Center for Children’s Law and Policy.

Join teams from Contra Costa County, CA; Hillsborough County, FL; New York City, NY; at American University in Washington, DC to identify the most promising areas for reform at key juvenile justice system decision points including arrest, referral, diversion, detention, disposition and post-disposition. The training will also focus on specific strategies to reduce overrepresentation and address disparities at those decision points, and will allow participants to develop and implement a Capstone Project to apply the learning to a local reform effort designed to reduce the disparate treatment and disproportionate representation of youth of color in their juvenile justice systems.

CJJR will only accept a limited number of applicants to join the existing teams, so please visit the website to view the detailed curriculum and learn how to apply.

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Helping Young People Move Up: Findings from Three New Studies of Youth Employment Programs

Over four million young people in the United States are “disconnected,” meaning they are not in school and are not working. In the past few months, studies of three programs aimed at such young people have released new findings. A recent brief by MDRC, “Helping Young People Move Up,” discusses these findings and their implications. MDRC is a nonprofit intermediary that brings together public and private funders to test new policy-relevant ideas with the goal of improving the lives of low-income individuals, families and children.

Read the brief.