1. THE READY BY 21 CHALLENGE: Ensuring that Every Young Person is Ready for College, Work & Life Karen Pittman The Forum for Youth Investment

2. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 The American DREAM All Youth Can be Ready. Every Family and Community Can be Supportive. Each Leader Can Make a Difference.

3. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 The American REALITY Too Few Youth are Ready. Only 4 in 10 are doing well. Too Few Families and Communities are Supportive. Fewer than 2 in 5 youth have the supports that they need. Too Few are Trying to Make a Difference.

4. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 The American DILEMMA THE GAP BETWEEN VISION AND REALITY HAS TO BE CLOSED At a time when “Failure is NOT an Option” (The Hope Foundation) and “Trying Hard is NOT Good Enough” (Mark Friedman)

5. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 The American DILEMMA Fragmentation Complacency Low Expectations of Youth, Communities and Leaders

6. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 New Employer Survey Finds Skills in Short Supply On page after page, the answer to the report – 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

7. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Employers Find These Skills in Short Supply 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.) Employers reported that 4 in 10 high school graduates were deficient in these areas (Note: Only 1 in 4 of four-year college graduates were highly qualified.)

8. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 43% are doing well in two life areas and okay in one Productivity: Attend college, work steadily Health: Good health, positive health habits, healthy relationships Connectedness: Volunteer, politically active, active in religious institutions, active in community Too Few Young People are Ready Doing Well 43% Doing Poorly 22% In the Middle 35% 22% are doing poorly in two life areas and not well in any Productivity: High school diploma or less, are unemployed, on welfare Health: Poor health, bad health habits, unsupportive relationships Connectedness: Commit illegal activity once a month Researchers Gambone, Connell & Klem (2002) estimate that only 4 in 10 are doing well in their early 20s.

9. WANTED: High Quality Community Supports

10. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 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

11. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Do these Supports Really Make a Difference? Even in Adolescence? ABSOLUTELY SOURCE : Finding Out What Matters for Youth: Testing Key Links in a Community Action Framework for Youth Development 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…

12. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 … 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. Do these Supports Make a Difference in Adulthood? SOURCE: Finding Out What Matters for Youth: Testing Key Links in a Community Action Framework for Youth Development

13. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 From 4 in 10 doing well To 7 in 10 doing well Providing These Supports CAN Change the Odds Gambone/Connell’s research suggests that if all young people got the supports they needed in early adolescence, the picture could change…

14. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 But One Third of 6-17 Year Olds Lack the Supports They Need 50% 37% 13% 6 – 11 Years Old 45% 30% 25% 12 – 17 Years Old According to the America’s Promise Alliance National Promises Survey, only 31% of 6-17 year olds have at least 4 of the 5 promises. 21% have 1 or none. The likelihood of having sufficient supports decreases with age: 37% of 6-11 year olds have at least 4 promises; 13% have 1 or none. Only 30% of 12-17 year olds have at least 4; 25% have 1 or none.

15. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 “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

16. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Civic Social Emotional Physical Vocational Cognitive Ages Times of Day Outcome Areas ? ? ? The Challenge for All Community Stakeholders: To Fill the Developmental White Space Morning... Night 21. 0 School After School At its best, school only fills a portion of developmental space

17. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Who is Responsible for the Rest? Families Peer Groups Schools and Training Organizations Higher Education Youth-Serving Organizations CBOs (Non-Profit Service Providers and Associations) Businesses (Jobs, Internships and Apprenticeships) Faith-Based Organizations Libraries, Parks, and Recreation Departments Community-Based Health and Social Service Agencies ?

18. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Fostering Initiative: All Settings have Equal Potential, All Do Not Currently Deliver

19. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Social & Emotional Health Core Supports & Opportunities Delinquency & Violence Pregnancy & HIV/AIDS Dropouts & Illiteracy Unemployment Substance Abuse, Suicide, Depression Civic Engagement Educational Attainment Physical Health Vocational Readiness & Success Even the Smallest Communities have Too Many Initiatives

20. WANTED: Effective Leaders Doing Business Differently

21. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 SOURCE: Margaret Dunkle … See a Problem, Convene a Task Force, Create a Program… Has Created a Tangle of Inefficiencies Children’s Services in Los Angeles County

22. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 To Help All of Us Think Differently 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. 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 P Change = Dissatisfaction x Vision x Plan

23. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 The Ready By 21 Challenge: Changing the Odds for Youth By Changing the Way We Do Business

24. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Changing the Way We Do Business SET BIGGER GOALS BE BETTER PARTNERS USE BOLDER STRATEGIES Think Differently so that together we can Act Differently BIG PICTURE APPROACH

25. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Big Picture Approach Child- and Youth-Centered Research-Based Action-Oriented Focus and Prioritize Differently… see both the forest and the trees The Big Picture Approach: Thinking Differently

26. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Taking Core Principles … what we know about… and turning it into Common Language … that can be used for planning and action… The Big Picture Approach: Thinking Differently

27. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Core Principles ABOUT COMMUNITY SUPPORTS ABOUT LEADERSABOUT YOUTH Invest early and often. Support the whole child. Focus attention on those most in need. Build on strengths, don’t just focus on problem- reduction. See youth and families as change agents, not clients. Engage all sectors and stakeholders. Coordinate efforts, align resources. Inspire and inform the public. Children don’t grow up in programs, they grow up in families & communities. Support a full range of learning opportunities, formal/informal, in school and out. Assess and improve quality, reach and impact across all the places young people spend their time. Recruit, train and retain good staff.

28. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Example Language From Core Principles to Common Language

29. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Take Aim on the Big Picture How are Young People Doing? Pre-K 0–5 School- Age 6–10 Middle School 11–14 High School 15–18 Young Adults 19–21+ Ready for College LEARNING Ready for Work WORKING Ready for Life THRIVING CONNECTING LEADING

30. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Take Stock of the Big Picture Pre-K 0–5 School- Age 6–10 Middle School 11–14 High School 15–18 Young Adults 19–21+ Ready for College LEARNING Ready for Work WORKING Ready for Life THRIVING CONNECTING LEADING

31. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Traditional Approach: Pick One Area Pre-K 0–5 School- Age 6–10 Middle School 11–14 High School 15–18 Young Adults 19–21+ Ready for College LEARNING Children Enter School Ready to Learn Ready for Work WORKING Ready for Life THRIVING CONNECTING LEADING

32. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Children Enter School Ready to Learn But What Happened to the Rest of the Picture?

33. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Alternative: Learning to Focus Differently Shifting Red to Yellow, Yellow to Green Pre-K 0–5 School- Age 6–10 Middle School 11–14 High School 15–18 Young Adults 19–21+ Ready for College LEARNING Ready for Work WORKING Ready for Life THRIVING CONNECTING LEADING Pre-K 0–5 School- Age 6–10 Middle School 11–14 High School 15–18 Young Adults 19–21+ Ready for College LEARNING Ready for Work WORKING Ready for Life THRIVING CONNECTING LEADING

34. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Our Work Today Use these ideas and tools to get a better sense of the current picture in your state and how you can link, align and leverage your efforts. Across Ages Across Outcomes By Population Change the odds for youth Across Systems & Settings With Quality Supports Change the landscape of communities Stakeholders & Strategies Change the way we do business

35. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 The Basic Idea: Bringing Precision to Our Passion Why do we need precision? Because continuing to add on policies, programs and initiatives without adding up what’s currently there is not only ineffective but uninspiring. Who fills this developmental space? How well? Who benefits? Ages Times of Day Outcome Areas ? ? ? scho ol after scho ol “Developmental White Space”

36. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Bringing Precision to Passion How do we move forward to make change? Agree on common terms and indicators across the three gears. Use them consistently to set goals, make plans and track progress across systems and settings. Translate existing goals and plans into common language. Make data systems talk to each other. Recalibrate as needed.

37. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Common Terms to describe all the elements that need to be monitored as a part of your change effort (e.g. ages, outcomes, settings) An Actionable Vision that spells out goals across “the gears.” Balanced Set of Indicators sorted and prioritized for each gear. Counts, Baselines, Benchmarks to show where you started and where you want to go. Priority Areas & Action Plans that help you set bigger goals, be better partners and deliver on bolder strategies Implementation Strategies designed to achieve results. Interlocking Tracking Systems that provide real time data on youth outcomes, youth participation, program/services availability and quality, and human and fiscal resource allocation. Take aim Take Stock Take Action Track Progress Precision Basics

38. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Bringing Precision to Passion Where do we begin? This is too big to tackle and we’re already committed to things. Begin where there is momentum or a mandate to: Build/expand a coordinating group Create a broad youth master plan Create a specific action plan to move an indicator or address a population Improve system performance and reach Create recommendations for policy/resource alignment. Create a coherent set of goals and metrics Collect integrated data. Increase public awareness or engagement. Involve youth. Aim for precision where there is energy and resources. Assess progress in the other areas. Make corrections where needed to protect your big investment. Don’t cut corners. Do it once. Do it right.

39. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Sample Language Optional for Team Time: Getting to Common Language - How would your state fill in these columns?

40. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Optional for Team Time: What do you want to Take Stock of? H OW A RE C HILDREN & Y OUTH D OING ? Child and Youth Demographics (e.g., census data) Child and Youth Well Being (e.g., child and youth report cards) W HAT S UPPORTS A RE A VAILABLE ? Supports and Assets (e.g., 40 Assets, America’s Every Child Every Promise Survey) Program Participation (e.g., Youth Participation Reports) Program Availability (e.g., Program Inventories) Program Quality (e.g., Program Evaluations and Assessments) System Effectiveness (e.g., Performance Measure Reports) Provider/Workforce Capacity (e.g., Youth Workforce Survey) Resources/ Investments (e.g., Children’s Budgets) W HERE A RE THE P UBLIC C OMMITMENTS & L EADERSHIP ? Leadership Actions (e.g., Mapping Change Horsepower) Policy Priorities (e.g., Policy Benchmarks) Public Will (e.g., Polling, Focus Groups) Political Will (e.g., Political Leadership Assessment) Stakeholder Perceptions (e.g., Key Informant Interviews, Surveys)

41. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Big Picture Coordinating Bodies Big Picture Goals Big Tent Partners Big Impact Strategies A Blueprint for Action

42. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Optional for Team Time: Does your state have the change horsepower that it needs?

43. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 The Ready By 21 Challenge: Changing the Odds for Youth By Changing the Way We Do Business

44. © The Forum for Youth Investment 2008 Institutes, Trainings and Webinars In-Person Convenings: Introductory Institutes. Learn the Ready by 21 Approach and become a change maker. Training of Trainers. Advanced training for change makers to lead a coalition through the Ready by 21 Challenge. June 27-28 Washington DC. Ready By 21 Webinars: The Ready by 21 Approach. Learn to use the tools and further your big picture work. Exploring the Blueprint for Action. Hear stories of places taking action on the blueprint in its entirety and go in depth into its components. Engaging Stakeholders. Hear from the National Partners how best to engage their members including: policymakers, funders, businesses, advocates, educators and others.