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Improving Outcomes for Disconnected Youth
College Access Affinity Group May 1, 2014
11:00am -12:00pm EST 1
A Vision Creating a Continuum of Coordinated Education and Services:
FlexibilityClear pathwaysEducation reform and economic development High Expectations Sustained and ongoing career development
Sounds Familiar?
1995- Council of Chief State School Officers Report 2
This is Not the First Time We Have Focused on This
Cross-system coordination to serve disadvantaged youth has been a focus of bipartisan federal attention for decades
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Disconnected Youth: Low-income young people, ages 14-24, who are homeless, in foster care, involved in the justice system, or are not working or not enrolled in (or at risk of dropping out of) an educational institution. ^
There are approximately 5-6 million disconnected youth in the U.S.*
^ Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014
* http://www.serve.gov/new-images/council/pdf/econ_value_opportunity_youth.pdf
This equates to roughly 1 in every 6 youth in this age range
Notwithstanding Our Past Efforts….the Problem Persists
We are Not Alone in This
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• NEED 1 to 2 Related PIAC slides
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Younger cohorts’ skills are not outpacing older cohorts
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The Five Conditions of Collective Impact Success
Common Agenda
All participants have a shared vision for change including a common understanding of the problem and a joint approach to solving it through agreed upon actions
Shared Measurement
Collecting data and measuring results consistently across all participants ensures efforts remain aligned and participants hold each other accountable
Mutually Reinforcing Activities
Participant activities must be differentiated while still being coordinated through a mutually reinforcing plan of action
Continuous Communication
Consistent and open communication is needed across the many players to build trust, assure mutual objectives, and appreciate common motivation
Backbone Support
Requires a separate organization(s) with staff and a specific set of skills to serve as the backbone for the entire initiative and coordinate participating organizations and agencies
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Federal Efforts 9
The Interagency Forum for Disconnected Youth
Interagency Forum for Disconnected Youth
DOLDOJHUD
Align evidence standards
Share best practices for effectively coordinating multiple systems and
programs
OMBEDHHS
and other federal partners
Disseminate tools for measuring and evaluating outcomes
Assess potential for development of public-private partnerships
Work with States and localities to align State and Federal rules and regulations
White House Domestic Policy Council
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Request for Information Key Areas of Focus:
- Effective and Promising- Practices and Strategies- Outcomes, Data and Evaluation
- Public and Private Partnerships- Barriers - Pilot Design
Overarching themes include:• Importance of a long term connection with a caring adult/mentor
• Barriers related to lack of housing stability, financial literacy and mental health services
• Alignment of eligibility requirements, intake processes, performance measures (both interim and long term) and data collection systems
• Incentivizing a long-term approach to better track outcomes
• Need for a multiple pathway approach addressing the full continuum prevention, intervention and re-engagement
• Full youth participation/partnership in the development, implementation and evaluation of proposed pilots
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Performance Partnerships Pilots (P3) for Disconnected Youth
• Authorized in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014
• U.S. Departments of Education, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Corporation for National and Community Service
• Up to 10 Performance Partnership Pilots using FY 2014 funds
• Additional flexibility in exchange for significant improvements in educational, employment and other key outcomes
• Agreements with states, regions, localities, or tribal communities 12
Elements of P3
• Blending funds
• Waivers
• Performance Agreements
• Limitations
• Looking Ahead to 2015
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Anticipated Benefits of P3
• Responsive to State and community needs and strengths
• Cost-effective innovations that improve coordination and service delivery
• Use of data and evidence for learning and improvement
• Meaningful accountability for outcomes
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The role of college access providers in improving outcomes for disconnected youth.
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On Point for College
GINNY DONOHUE Executive Director
OUR MISSIONTo open the door to higher education for the inner city youth; to break down the barriers that hinder potential students from entering college; and to provide support that empowers them to succeed.
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Challenges and Solutions • Housing at college: Solutions: Housing deposits provided by
college access program, deposits waived by college, emergency fund, off-campus for homeless.
• Housing on breaks or summer vacation: Solutions: Private college provides free housing to chronically homeless young adults, Rescue Mission volunteer dorm, public housing empty unit, special dorm for housing challenged at college, free gap housing in apartments, pay for one credit course to stay on campus, get a job on campus over the summer.
• Need for a Permanent Address: Solutions: DSS defined On Point as a permanent address for chronically homeless. This solves mail issues (delivered to On Point and carried to students at college once a month), Medicaid, certificates of residency which typically deprive homeless use of $1000 of grant aid.
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Challenges and Solutions Continued • Medical Problems: Solutions: Community Center assistance for
health insurance applications, pro-bono physicals, free eye glasses and eye exams, pro-bono dentistry (combined with mentor rides or bus tickets), DSS assistance for young adults on Medicaid and heading off to college.
• College Supplies: Solutions: Provided by On Point or service organizations or churches: bedding, backpacks, $150 in clothing, notebook, alarm clock, dictionary, flash drive, highlighters, pens, toothbrush and toothpaste, shampoo, towels and washcloths.
• Food: Solutions: Financial aid, food bank, some Financial Aid offices at college have food pantries
• Transportation: Solutions: mentor drivers and bus tickets for official vacations, medical emergencies, court dates.
• Legal aid: Solutions: Pro-bono help for criminal justice issues and foster care issues (i.e. no name on birth certificate, etc.) 18
Special Challenges:Court-Involved Youth: •Admissions restrictions – to residence halls or to the college totally. Solutions: Letters of recommendation, on-line courses. •Court dates. Solution: bus tickets. •Hiring issues. Solution: Band the Box Employers•Loss of hope while incarcerated. Solution: On Point visits young adults at the justice center to encourage completion of GED, inspire them to visit us the day they are released, to complete applications or financial aid forms.•College policies that force long delays before a person involved in the courts can enroll. Solution: advocacy and off-campus housing deposits.
Parenthood: Family housing/day care/public school on campus
Refugees/Immigrants forced to work full-time while in college: Solution: Since no grant aid is available and loans are maxed out, On Point purchases textbooks.
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Advocacy Issues: Federal Government
• Removal of the Ability-To-Benefit path to Pell funding has disenfranchised thousands of refugees. It was their path to college.
• College access and success funding cannot be restricted to programs that only work in high schools or only with top performing youth. This will leave our opportunity youth behind. Up to 50% - including high school grads, GED recipients, refugees who are educated in another country – will lose out.
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Advocacy Issues: State and Local Government • Check state grants to make sure that young adults in homeless
shelters or orphans receive the same level as young adults with parents.
• Check that state definition of “independence “is equal to federal definition as a requirement to receive grant aid.
• Lawyers for some local school districts require custody and residency before they will allow a student to attend their school. Therefore, a young adult with a drug-addicted parent who goes to live with an aunt is being denied admittance to high school if the aunt has not gotten custody in court!!!
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Other Advocacy Issues Colleges, Universities, Certificate Program Providers: •Need to identify in-demand occupations and offer accelerated programs•Admission policies that test and restrict students with criminal justice history (info is frequently incorrect; see Center for Community Alternatives national study – policies did not increase campus safety and did decrease African American male admission)
Employers:•Provide work to training opportunities (Certified Nursing Assistants after 6 months can take Licensed Practical Nursing courses at the workplace at end of shift)•Adopt “ban the box” policies to provide opportunity to young adults with court involvement.
Department of Social Services:•Some offices will remove all benefits (housing, food, child care, medical) if a student takes a single credit bearing course. A six-month or one-year certificate can help a family to stand on its own and should be an option. 22
Contact Information
Johan E. UvinDeputy Assistant Secretary
Office of Career, Technical, and Adult EducationU.S. Department of Education
Ginny DonohueExecutive Director
On Point for College, [email protected]
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Resource Links: •DISCONNECTED YOUTH: Federal Action Could Address Some of the Challenges Faced by Local Programs That Reconnect Youth to Education and Employment
, February 2008, GAO Report to the Chairman, Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives
•The Economic Value of Opportunity Youth, January 2012, Civic Enterprises with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for the Corporation for National and Community Service
•Community Solutions for Opportunity Youth, June 2012, White House Council for Community Solutions
•Opportunity Youth Network, Aspen Forum for Community Solutions
•Collective Impact for Opportunity Youth, FSG Power point presentation
•Performance Partnership Pilots, and Opportunity to Improve Outcomes for Disconnected Youth •On Point for College, U.S. Department of Education Homeroom Blog
•On Point for College Summer Housing Solution United Way Video, Le Moyne College
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