Intersection Newsletter, Volume 5, Number 3 - September 2008 ~ The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth)

The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) has released a paper on high school reform on academic and career readiness for youth.

Preparing All Youth for Academic and Career Readiness: Implications for High School Policy and Practice

This paper identifies the challenges in practice and policy for successful post-school outcomes and it offers recommendations on how states, local school districts, and individual high schools can prepare all youth, including youth with disabilities, with the academic and career readiness skills. Based on two symposia and a year-long research effort, this paper identifies five broad policy and practice areas: (1) Instruction, Curriculum and Structure; (2) Assessment Practices; (3) Graduation Requirements; (4) Community and Family Connections; and (5) Data Quality Challenges. The paper suggests that by addressing these areas, a range of high school policy makers at the national, state, and local levels can improve their approaches for meeting the multiple and complex challenges of all their students.

The Institute for Educational Leadership has released an evaluation on foster youth in transition in collaboration with Casey Family Programs.

Foster Youth Demonstration Project: Final Evaluation Report

According to a 2008 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over 26,000 youth age out of the foster care system each year. Research shows that youth who leave foster care are more likely to drop out of high school, to be unemployed, and to be dependent on public assistance when compared to other youth. The Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor funded a five-state demonstration project in the states with the highest concentration of youth in foster care (California, Illinois Michigan, New York, and Texas). Casey Family Programs funded the Institute for Educational Leadership, and a series of experts in the field to evaluate a series of demonstration projects around foster care transition. One of the most significant findings to emerge from the data is that youth who receive services for more quarters are much more likely to attain a positive outcome than youth who receive the same service for fewer quarters. Additionally, as the number of quarters participants received college preparation services increased, so did the number achieving a postsecondary outcome.

This evaluation adds to the overall work that NCWD/Youth has completed around youth in foster care which includes Negotiating the Curves Toward Employment: A Guide About Youth Involved in the Foster Care System.

GAO released a report titled: Young Adults with Serious Mental Illness

The transition to adulthood can be difficult for young adults who live with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. When these individuals are unsuccessful, the result can be economic hardship, social isolation, and in some cases suicide, all of which can pose substantial costs to society. Due to concerns about young adults with serious mental illness transitioning into adulthood, GAO was asked to provide information on (1) the number of these young adults and their demographic characteristics, (2) the challenges they face, (3) how selected states assist them, and (4) how the federal government supports states in serving these young adults and coordinates programs that can assist them. GAO reviewed published research; interviewed federal, state, and local officials, as well as mental health providers, experts, and advocacy groups; and conducted site visits in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Mississippi --four states that focus on this population.

This report adds to the overall work that NCWD/Youth has completed around youth with mental health needs which are available on our website: Tunnels and Cliffs: A Guide for Workforce Development Practitioners and Policymakers Serving Youth with Mental Health Needs; Guideposts for Success for Youth with Mental Health Needs; and Transitioning Youth with Mental Health Needs to Meaningful Employment and Independent Living; as well as Pioneering Transition Programs: The Establishment of Programs that Span the Ages Served by Child and Adult Mental Health which was produced by the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

MDRC released a report of an eight year evaluation of Career Academies:

Career Academies: Long-Term Impacts on Labor Market Outcomes, Educational Attainment, and Transitions to Adulthood

Established more than 30 years ago, Career Academies have become a widely used high school reform initiative that aims to keep students engaged in school and prepare them for successful transitions to postsecondary education and employment. Findings on Career Academies show that the programs produced sustained employment and earnings gains, particularly among young men. Career Academy participants were also more likely to be living independently with children and a spouse or a partner.

Intersection: Navigating the Road to Work