Changing the Odds for Youth : A Call for Organizational and Community Leadership
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Transcript of Changing the Odds for Youth : A Call for Organizational and Community Leadership
© 2006
Changing the Odds for Youth: A Call for Organizational and
Community Leadership
Presented by Karen Pittman, Executive Director, The Forum for Youth Investment
© 2006
American Dream: All Youth Ready; Every Family and Community Supportive; Each Makes a Difference
American Reality: Only 4 in 10 ready, only 1 in 3 supported; too few making a difference. Why?
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Fragmented Efforts
Outcomes
AgesSettingsSupports Stakeholders
Strategies
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The Ready by 21 Challenge:To Change the Odds for Children and Youth
by Changing the Way we Do Business. Outcomes
Ages SettingsSupports Stakeholders
Strategies
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We Advocate for the Use of a Big Picture Approach
• Take Aim
• Take Stock
• Take Action
• Make Progress
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We Provide Basic “Conceptual” Tools Such as those in the Workbook
About Young People
How “Ready” are your Young People?
Who’s Not Ready?
What’s Behind the Numbers?
About Communities
How Supportive is Your Community?
How Many Promises Have Been Met?
How Well do Systems and Settings Provide Needed Supports?
About Leaders and ChangeDoes your Community Have the Change Horsepower it Needs?
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We Provide Training and TA for those needing “power” tools
• Program Landscape Mapping• Program Quality Assessment• Workforce Status Surveying• Program Quality Improvement Planning
– Workforce Development Asset Maps– Training curricula and Turnover reduction planning
• Public/Private “Demand” development• Resource Assessment• Community and Cross-System Strategic Planning• “Change maker/change structure” coaching
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Wanted: Fully Prepared Youth
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The Need: Well-Prepared Youth
“The continued ability of states to compete in the global economy hinges on how well they enable their
younger citizens to attain the competencies and social attributes necessary to ultimately fuel
economic growth and contribute to the well-being of their families and communities.”
— National Governors Association’s Center for Best PracticesOctober 2003
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Ready for WorkYouth Employment Outcomes
Ready for College
Academic Outcomes
Ready for LifeYouth Development Outcomes
21st Century Skills & Content
Information & Media LiteracyCommunication
Critical & Systems ThinkingProblem Solving
Creativity, Intellectual CuriosityInterpersonal Skills
Self-DirectionAccountability and Adaptability
Social ResponsibilityFinancial LiteracyGlobal Awareness
Civic Literacy
Cultural, Physical & Behavioral Health Knowledge & Skills
Specific Vocational Knowledge & Skills
To Deliver 21st Century Skills & Content: The Common Core of Ensuring All Youth are Ready
Subject Matter Knowledge
Community partners are calling for and contributing to the development of broader skills and knowledge.
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Too Few Young People Are Ready
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New Employer Survey Finds Skills in Short Supply
On page after page, the answer to the report title – Are They Really Ready to Work? –
was a disturbing “NO.”
Employers ranked 20 skill areas in order of importance. The top skills fell into five categories:
» professionalism/work ethic, » teamwork/collaboration, » oral communications, » ethics/social responsibility » reading comprehension.
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Employer survey
How critical are these skills? • 7 in 10 employers saw these skills as critical for
entry-level high school graduates, • 8 in 10 as critical for two-year college graduates,• more than 9 in 10 as critical for four-year graduates.
How prevalent?• Employers reported that 4 in 10 high school
graduates were deficient, • Only 1 in 4 of four-year college graduates were
highly qualified.
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We Know What It Takes to Support Development
The National Research Council reports that teens need:• Physical and psychological safety• Appropriate structure• Supportive relationships• Opportunities to belong• Positive social norms• Support for efficacy and mattering• Opportunities for skill-building• Integration of family, school and community efforts
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Do these Supports Really make a Difference? Even in Adolescence?
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25
30
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40
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Youth w/ SupportiveRelationships
Youth w/ UnsupportiveRelationships
Ready by end of 12th grade Not Ready
ABSOLUTELY
Gambone and colleagues show that youth with supportive relationships as they enter high school are 5 times more likely to leave high school “ready” than those with weak relationships.
SOURCE: Finding Out What Matters for Youth: Testing Key Links in a Community Action Framework for Youth Development
2.6
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Do these Supports Make a Difference in Adulthood?
… and those seniors who were “ready” at the end of high school were more than 4 times as likely to be doing well as young adults.
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Ready by 21 Not Ready by 21
Good Young Adult Outcomes
Poor Young Adult Outcomes
SOURCE: Finding Out What Matters for Youth: Testing Key Links in a Community Action Framework for Youth Development
2.7
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Providing these Supports Can Change the Odds
from 4 in 10 doing well
to 7 in 10 doing well*
.
Gambone/Connell’s research suggests that if all young people got the supports they needed in early
adolescence, the picture could change…
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Wanted: High Quality, Coordinated
Community Supports
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Communities should provide an ample array of program opportunities… through local entities that can coordinate such work across the entire community.Communities should put in place some locally appropriate mechanism for monitoring the availability, accessibility, and quality of programs…
- Community Programs to Promote Youth Development, 2002
National Research Council Report Recommendations
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.. the traditional boundaries between the public school system’s responsibilities and those of other community agencies are
themselves part of the educational problem…and asksand asks
“How can [a] community use all its assets to provide the best education for all our children?”
His answer: His answer:
Community education partnerships
Paul Hill, It Takes a City
Education Expert’s Recommendations
Paul Hill, a leading education researcher at the University of Washington suggests that:
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Ages
Times of Day
Outcome Areas
•prevention to participation
•cognitive, social, civic, physical
The Challenge for All Community Stakeholders: Filling the Developmental White Space
school
?? ?after-school
At it’s best, school only fills
a portion of developmental
space
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Families Peer groups Schools and Training Organizations Higher Education Youth-serving organizations CBOs (Non-profit service providers and associations) Businesses (jobs, internships, apprenticeships) Faith-Based organizations Libraries, Parks, Recreation Departments Community-based Health and Social Service Agencies
Who is Responsible for the Rest?
?
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Why are all these stakeholders needed?
• All learning doesn’t happen in schools. Critical learning can and does happen outside of schools for every kind of student.
• All students are not in school. Not all students who need to learn are in school (nationally,32% do not graduate on time).
• All students in school are not learning. Those in school are frequently not absorbed in learning because teachers have not had to master the art of creating youth-centered learning environments.
These are not indictments of schools. They are facts that have to be considered if we are going to ensure that every student is
ready for college, work and life.
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To Provide Consistent Supports: across the settings where young people spend their time
WHEN
WHERE?In the School Building
During the School
Day
Out of School Time
In the Community There is increasing evidence that the characteristics of good learning environments are the same across the range of settings where learning happens.
School Classrooms & Spaces
Libraries, Museums, Colleges, Businesses
Extracurriculars Community Schools
Families, CBOs, Faith, Parks & Rec, Community Centers
Formal Learning
Enriched Learning
Informal & Applied Learning
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*A r t ,
D e v e lo p m e n t o f In it ia t iv e
-0 . 2
0
0 . 2
0 . 4
0 . 6
0 . 8
C la s s W i t h F r ie n d s S p o r t s P ro g ra m s *
C o n t e x t
I n t r i n s i c M o t i v a t i o n
C o n c e n t r a t i o n
* A r t , H o b b ie s , O r g .
R e e d L a rs o n : A m e r ic a n P s y c h o lo g is t , J a n u a ry 2 0 0 0
R e s e a rc h o n In it ia t iv e
To Foster Initiative: All settings have equal potential, all do not currently deliver
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Wanted:Wanted:Cross-System Commitments Cross-System Commitments
to Qualityto Quality
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The NRC Report Affirms that Some Environments are Actually Toxic
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The Systems and Settings Where Youth Spend their time
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Developmental Supports
#1Education
#2Juvenile Justice
#3 #4 #5
Doing Well
Doing Harm
Doing Well
Doing Harm
Doing Well
Doing Harm
Doing Well
Doing Harm
Doing Well
Doing Harm
Basic Services ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
Physical and Psychological Safety
❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
Appropriate Structure ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
Supportive Relationships
❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
Opportunities to Belong
❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
Positive Social Norms ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
Support for Efficacy and Mattering
❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
Opportunities for Skill Building
❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
Can we measure quality across them? Use a common lens to assess systems and settings
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YES. If we get to the core of youth-adult interactions.
• Point of service quality is the space where kids, adults and resources come together. It emphasizes the after-school experience from the perspective of the youth – meaning that quality is defined in terms of access to key experiences by all youth in the program.
• Converging research suggests improving POS quality adds value in the most important youth outcome areas.
High/Scope 2005
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Engagement
Interaction
Supportive Environment
Safe Environment
Youth Centered Policies & Practices
High Expectations
Access
•Set goals and make plans
•Make choices •Reflect
•Partner with adults
•Lead and mentor •Be in small groups•Experience a sense of belonging
•Reframing conflict
•Encouragement
•Skill building•Active engagement
•Appropriate session flow •Welcoming atmosphere
•Healthy food and drinks
•Program space and furniture •Emergency procedures and supplies
•Physically safe environment
•Psychological and emotional safety
• Staff development• Supportive social norms• High expectations for
young people• Committed to program
improvement
• Staff availability and longevity
• Program schedules• Barriers addressed• Families, other orgs,
schools
• Staff qualifications support positive youth development
• Tap youth interests & build skills• Youth influence setting and activities• Youth influence structure and policy
High/Scope Educational Research
Foundation:
“Point of service” assessments
Maintaining and Improving Program Quality: New Research, New Impetus for Investments
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Program Quality Drops as the Expectations increase
Scores Across Diverse Samples Trained outside observers Self assess
Program Offering LevelMixed N=140
School Age N=12
21st Elem N=15
21st MSN=26
I. Safe environment 4.35 4.10 4.38 4.39
II. Supportive environment
3.75 3.14 3.69 4.16
III. Interaction 3.11 2.97 2.93 3.73
IV. Engagement 2.83 1.70 2.71 3.37
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Program Quality Improves with Training and Capacity Building
Across settings, POS Quality decreases with movement up the pyramid from safety to engagement.
The High/Scope research strongly suggests that best way to improve “POS Quality” is to: – Reduce staff turnover– Increase training, professional development and on-
site support– Increase opportunities for young people to have input
and share control
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QUALITY COUNTS, QUALITY COSTS, and YOUR LEADERSHIP IS REQUIRED
• Improving youth outcomes requires improving community supports.
•Improving community supports requires adequate investments in infrastructure – in the things that ensure that learning environments are plentiful and positive.
• This means redoubled commitments from public and private leaders to focus on increasing the quantity and quality of supports for youth.
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How do We Change from Business as Usual?
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We Need to Think Big
Incremental change can be easier to attain, but limited policy improvements for children can frustrate policy advocates and parents when conditions for children are slow to improve.
— Who Speaks for America's Children?
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Core Supports &
Opportunities
Delinquency
& Violence Pregnancy
& HIV/AIDSD
ropo
uts
&
Illite
racy
Unemplo
ymen
t
Substance Abuse,
Suicide, Depression
Even the smallest communities have too many initiatives
Civic Engagement
Educational Attainment
Physical Health
Vocational Readiness & Success
Social & Emotional Health
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Ch
ildren
’s Services in
LA
Co
un
ty
SOURCE: Margaret Dunkle
We Need to Alter Our Response Set: … See a Problem, Convene a Task Force, Create a Program….
Has created a tangle of inefficiencies
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Think Differently
the more we focus (on narrow pieces), the more we fragment (the responses),
the more we fail (our children and youth).
C = D x V x PChange = Dissatisfaction x Vision x Plan
The Harvard Change Model suggests that the likelihood of change increases exponentially as any of these factors gets stronger.
But disconnected change efforts may actually dissipate the energy for change.
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Big Picture Vision: Core Assumptions About Youth
Communities Need to Ensure That
throughout their developmental years Age Groups e.g., Early childhood, High School, Young adults
and throughout their waking hours Time e.g., During School, After School, Summer
All Children and Youth
need constant access to a range of services, supports and opportunities
Supportse.g., Basic Care, Challenging
Experiences, Relationships
in the settings where they spend time Settings e.g., Families, Youth Organizations, Schools
in ways that address challenges, strengthen skills and connections
Goals e.g., Protection/Treatment, Prevention, Preparation
in order to be well-prepared for college, work and life
Outcomese.g., Learning, Working,
Thriving, Contributing
Achieve to Their Full Potential
and get additional supports, if needed. Challenges Poverty, Race, Disability, ESL.
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Big Picture Vision: Building on the Core Assumptions about Youth
Big Picture Vision »Youth-Centered »Research-based»Actionable
– using the core assumptions
taking what we know about young people and how they develop
to build our strategic planning framework.
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Pre–K0–5
Children6–11
Youth12–17
Young Adults18–20+
Ready for
College
Cognitive/ academic
development
Ready for Work
Vocational development
Ready for Life
Physical development
Social/ emotional
development
Civic and cultural
development
Take Aim on the Big Picture of Youth Outcomes
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Create Big Ticket Assessments: Take Stock of Youth Outcomes Using a Set of Key Indicators
Pre–K0–5
Children6–12
Youth13–19
Young Adults20–24
Families and Communities
Ready for College
Cognitive/ academic
development
Ready for Work
Vocational development
Ready for Life
Physical development
Social/ emotional development
Civic and cultural development
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Take Stock of Public & Private Community Supports Using a Common Set of Performance Measures
Setting A Setting B Setting C Setting D Setting E
Safety & Structure
Relationships & Belonging
Skill-Building Opportunities
Opportunities to Contribute
Basic Services
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Alternative: Keeping Focused on the Big Picture
Pre–K0–5
Children6–12
Youth13–19
Young Adults20–24
Families and Communities
Ready for College
Cognitive/ academic
development
Ready for Work
Vocational development
Ready for Life
Physical development
Social/ emotional development
Civic and cultural development
Pre–K0–5
Children6–12
Youth13–19
Young Adults20–24
Families and Communities
Ready for College
Cognitive/ academic
development
Ready for Work
Vocational development
Ready for Life
Physical development
Social/ emotional development
Civic and cultural
development
shifting red to yellow, yellow to
green
Big Picture Change Planning
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The Ready by 21 Roadmap
Big Tent Partnerships that take Shared Accountability
for a Big Picture Vision and work to develop
Integrated Strategies, and
Sustainable Change Structures, to achieve
Big Impact Results
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Support Big Picture Change Makers: Support the Individuals and Organizations Who Are Trying to Connect the Dots
Individuals and organizations with the capacity, motivation and authority to work across initiatives and entities to achieve a shared goal.
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The Ready by 21 Challenge:To Change the Odds for Children and Youth
by Changing the Way we Do Business.
Moving the small gear
makes a big difference
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