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

THE READY BY 21 CHALLENGE:Ensuring that Every Young Person is Ready for College, Work & Life

Karen PittmanThe Forum for Youth Investment

© 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.


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.


The American DILEMMA

THE GAP BETWEENVISION 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)


The American DILEMMA

• Fragmentation

• Complacency

• Low Expectations of Youth, Communities and Leaders


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


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.)


• 43% are doing well in two lifeareas 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 Well43%

Doing Poorly22%

In the Middle35%

• 22% are doing poorly in two lifeareas 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.

WANTED:High Quality Community Supports


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


Do these Supports Really Make a Difference? Even in Adolescence?

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Youth with SupportiveRelationships

Youth with UnsupportiveRelationships

Ready by End of 12th Grade Not Ready

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…


• … 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?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Ready by 21 Not Ready by 21

Good Young Adult Outcomes

Poor Young Adult OutcomesSOURCE: Finding Out What Matters for Youth: Testing Key Links in a Community Action Framework for Youth Development


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…


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.


“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


Civic Social Emotional Physical Vocational Cognitive

Ages

Times of Day

OutcomeAreas

???

The Challenge for All Community Stakeholders:To Fill the Developmental White Space

Morning . . . Night

21

.

.

.

0 School AfterSchool

At its best, school only fills a portion of developmental space


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

?


Fostering Initiative: All Settings haveEqual Potential, All Do Not Currently Deliver

*Art,

Development of Initiative

-0.2

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

Class With Friends Sports Programs*

Context

Intrinsic Motivation

Concentration

*Art, Hobbies, Org.

Reed Larson: American Psychologist, January 2000

Research on Initiative


Social & Emotional Health

Core Supports & Opportunities

Delinquency & Violence

Pregnancy & HIV/AIDS

Dropouts & Illiteracy

UnemploymentSubstance Abuse, Suicide, Depression

Civic Engagement

Educational Attainment

Physical Health

Vocational Readiness

& Success

Even the Smallest Communities have Too Many Initiatives

WANTED:Effective LeadersDoing Business Differently


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


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 PChange = Dissatisfaction x Vision x Plan


The Ready By 21 Challenge:Changing the Odds for YouthBy Changing the Way We Do Business


Changing the Way We Do Business

SET BIGGER GOALSBE BETTER PARTNERSUSE BOLDER STRATEGIES

Think Differently

so that together we can

Act Differently

BIG PICTURE APPROACH


• 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


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


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.


Example Language

From Core Principles to Common Language


Take Aim on the Big PictureHow are Young People Doing?

Pre-K0–5

School-Age6–10

Middle School11–14

High School15–18

Young Adults19–21+

Ready for College

LEARNING

Ready for Work

WORKING

Ready for Life

THRIVING

CONNECTING

LEADING


Take Stock of the Big Picture

Pre-K0–5

School-Age6–10


High School15–18


Ready for College

LEARNING

Ready for Work

WORKING

Ready for Life

THRIVING

CONNECTING

LEADING


Traditional Approach: Pick One Area

Pre-K0–5

School-Age6–10


High School15–18


Ready for College

LEARNINGChildren Enter School Ready to Learn

Ready for Work

WORKING

Ready for Life

THRIVING

CONNECTING

LEADING


Children Enter School Ready to Learn

But What Happened to the Rest of the Picture?


Alternative:Learning to Focus Differently

Shifting Red to Yellow,

Yellow to Green

Pre-K0–5

School-Age6–10


High School15–18


Ready for College

LEARNING

Ready for Work

WORKING

Ready for Life

THRIVING

CONNECTING

LEADING

Pre-K0–5

School-Age6–10


High School15–18


Ready for College

LEARNING

Ready for Work

WORKING

Ready for Life

THRIVING

CONNECTING

LEADING


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

AcrossOutcomes

By Population

Change the oddsfor youth

Across Systems & Settings

With Quality Supports

Change the landscapeof communities

Stakeholders& Strategies

Change the waywe do business


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

???

school

afterschool

“Developmental White Space”


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.


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


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.


Sample Language

Optional for Team Time: Getting to Common Language - How would your state fill in these columns?


Optional for Team Time: What do you want to Take Stock of?

HOW ARE CHILDREN & YOUTH DOING?• Child and Youth Demographics (e.g., census data)• Child and Youth Well Being (e.g., child and youth report cards)

WHAT SUPPORTS ARE AVAILABLE?• 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)

WHERE ARE THE PUBLIC COMMITMENTS & LEADERSHIP?• 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)


Big Picture Coordinating Bodies

Big Picture Goals

Big Tent Partners

Big Impact Strategies

A Blueprint for Action


Optional for Team Time:

Does your state have the change horsepower that it needs?


The Ready By 21 Challenge:Changing the Odds for YouthBy Changing the Way We Do Business


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.

Documents

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