EMERGING ISSUES AFFECTING CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt, CLASP Senior Policy Analyst July 28, 2010 Grantmakers for Children, Youth, and Families Youth Poverty, Dropout Recovery, and Youth Employment

CLASP Youth Agenda Pathways for Disconnected Youth We advocate for federal policies that meet the education and training needs of the millions of young people ages 16 to 24 who are disconnected from school and employment. Building the Capacity of Communities We work with communities to identify and highlight effective cross-system approaches that can provide opportunities for youth to complete their education, enter the labor market and improve their life outcomes. Supports and Strategies for Youth of Color We highlight the depth of the disadvantaged and disconnected youth problem for young people of color in some of the nation's most challenged communities and propose strategic solutions.

YOUTH POVERTY OUR MESSAGE  Children and youth who grow up in poverty and in low- income communities have far more negative education and employment outcomes in adulthood. A comprehensive approach is needed to support these youth to get on track to good careers and self-sufficiency.  Children born into poverty are three times more likely to drop out of high school, or to become a teen parent.  The longer a child lives in poverty, the worse their adult outcomes. Only 34% of persistently poor boys and 28% of persistently poor girls have consistent employment in young adulthood.  Black boys in poor families have the worst employment outcomes in young adulthood of any sub-group. Poor black children are more likely to be poor in adulthood.

YOUTH POVERTY CURRENT AGENDA Comprehensive Youth Legislation Needs-Directed FundingCapacity and Field -Building Dropout Recovery & Re-engagement Employment & Work Experience Employer Incentives C OMPREHENSIVE Y OUTH L EGISLATION

YOUTH POVERTY CHALLENGES AND CONSIDERATIONS  Current economic situation  Several stand-alone pieces of youth legislation  Lack of grassroots voices to push Congress to act

DROPOUT RECOVERY OUR MESSAGE  The number of youth who drop out of high school in distressed communities is far too high. Local school districts must take on the responsibility to recover these youth, and to guide them successfully to high school completion and post-secondary opportunities.

DROPOUT RECOVERY CURRENT AGENDA  Infuse dropout recovery into ESEA Reauthorization  Elevate dropout recovery as part of district and state planning  5- and 6-year cohort graduation rates, disaggregated by race  Provide district incentives for dropout recovery  Allocate sufficient resources to dropout recovery strategies in districts and states  Create a menu of educational options that provide pathways to completion and post-secondary training and education  Establish horizontal alignment with other youth-serving systems to share resources and support vulnerable populations  Provide necessary wrap-around supports for dropouts  Fund community-based organizations with a history of successful dropout recovery  Create longitudinal data systems to track high school dropouts, re-enrollment, and successful service provision

DROPOUT RECOVERY CHALLENGES AND CONSIDERATIONS  GED as an acceptable alternative high school credential  High school reform discussions  High schools not receiving Title I resources

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT OUR MESSAGE  Opportunities for employment are critical to putting youth on a path to self-sufficiency.

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT CURRENT AGENDA WIA Reauthorization  Elevate the Youth Council strategic function  Focus Youth Council on cross-system collaboration  Raise eligibility age to 24 and rethink eligibility requirements  Establish a 50% target for out-of-school and high risk populations  Define the expressed purpose of WIA Youth funds as providing quality pathways leading to a credential  Provide program transition support to postsecondary institutions  Encourage WIA collaboration with school reform  Create interim measures of progress for participating youth  Expand resources for summer and year-round work experience linked with other activities

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT CURRENT AGENDA RAISE UP Act (S. 1608)  Use RAISE UP Act as replacement for Youth Opportunity in WIA  Program to scale  Leverage other systems  Recruit and re-engage youth in large numbers  Create a community delivery infrastructure  Create safe supportive havens for youth  Reduce number of HS dropouts  Increase postsecondary access  Increase teen labor force participation and employment rates  Reduce crime and delinquency

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT CHALLENGES AND CONSIDERATIONS WIA REAUTHORIZATION Economic Realities Cohort Graduation Rate High School Reform Funding for Innovation and Demonstration Emphasis on Post-Secondary

MOVING THIS LEGISLATIVE AGENDA  What can happen by mid-term?  Political landscape is currently a challenge  While work is happening in all these areas, it is doubtful that we’ll see WIA or ESEA bill by November  What can happen afterwards?  Advocates will have to start up again building relationships with new members of Congress  We have made some progress this year, but there is still a lot of work to be done to push for the policy reforms we want to see  Communities can still strengthen their services despite these political challenges  Systems can still think differently about how they use current resources  Systems can still begin to create partnerships to expand service, and prioritize disconnected youth populations

How Can Grant Makers be Helpful?  Invest in comprehensive approaches in communities that look broadly at disconnected youth issues and demonstrate cross- system coordination.  Develop the capacity and leadership in communities to sustain cross-system work to serve struggling youth.  Support advocacy efforts that push for a particular focus on disconnected youth within communities.  Support the highlighting of data to demonstrate need, and community approaches to meeting the need systemically.