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Massacre is the deadliest elementary school shooting since Sandy Hook in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012 May 24th, 2022 Today we all mourn the devastating loss of over 19 children [as of 8:30 pm ET] and two adults that were killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Our work at the The Institute for Educational …
IEL Statement on Latest Slaughter of School Children in Texas Shooting Read More »
Welcome IEL’s four new Regional Deputy Directors Four Regional Deputy Directors join the IEL team to support our organization’s place-based strategy work, which strengthens our Coalition for Community Schools’ efforts to scale Community Schools in the Midwest, South, Northeast, and Western regions of the country. Building on IEL’s trusting relationships and core practices of leadership …
Written by Mary Kingston RocheThursday, April 7th, 2022 The Institute for Educational Leadership celebrates the confirmation of Hon. Ketanji Brown Jackson to the United States Supreme Court following the Senate’s affirmative vote today. Hon. Brown Jackson is the first Black woman to be nominated and appointed to serve as a Supreme Court Justice in our …
NBA Foundation Grant Supports RAMP Programming in Collaboration with Community Schools in Seven NBA Markets WASHINGTON D.C. – April 6, 2022 – The Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) is among 40 organizations to receive funding from the NBA Foundation to create employment opportunities, further career advancement, and drive greater economic empowerment for Black youth throughout …
IEL AMONG 40 NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AWARDED BY NBA FOUNDATION Read More »
In the recently passed omnibus appropriations bill that funds the federal government through September 30 of this year, IEL celebrates key historic increases for federal programs aligned with our Policy by the People agenda to advance equity and opportunity in education and workforce development. Specifically, we applaud the $45 million increase for the Full-Service Community …
MacKenzie Scott Donates $6 Million to Institute for Educational Leadership Largest Gift in IEL’s History Part of $3 Billion Given by Philanthropist to 465 Nonprofits (Washington, D.C., March 24) The Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) is thrilled to announce that it has been gifted $6 million in unrestricted funds by Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, part of …
MacKenzie Scott Donates $6 Million to Institute for Educational Leadership Read More »
“We are so excited to bring on such a dynamic and visionary president with experience as a funder and community nonprofit leader to advance the work of our organization. Eddie has worked successfully to close gaps in access and achievement in education and workforce development across the country. He understands the sensitivity and the urgency of our work to catalyze community-driven leadership and inspire equitable futures for youth and families,”
The Build Back Better legislation can improve the lives many different groups and communities, including through support of individuals with disabilities of all ages and their families to complete their education, enter and succeed in postsecondary education, find competitive wage jobs, sustain careers, and receive appropriate levels of healthcare and services. Highlights of the Bill …
Keeping our kids safe and healthy, and in turn protecting our communities, should be our priority. As an organization with a platform and a wide network of leaders, we have a responsibility to mobilize our communities to take action and continue to further prevent the spread of COVID-19. With the fresh recommendation by the Centers …
Family Engagement can Help Increase Vaccine Access and Equity Read More »
Panelists shared strategies on using data, building targeted teams, and more to curb chronic absenteeism in the return to full in-person learning.
IEL’s RAMP project supports youth with disabilities across the country to plan their careers. We are proud to see the work of IEL staff and our RAMP sites being highlighted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)! In their recent newsletter, the OJJDP wrote a spotlight about James, a youth who has …
RAMP youth highlighted by Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Read More »
The Purchasing Power of People with Disabilities When: Thursday, April 22, 2021, 2:00 – 3:30 PM ET Recording: Click here. Description: In the marketplace, people with disabilities—as well as their families, friends, and advocates—wield considerable spending power. People with disabilities have nearly half a trillion dollars in disposable income—the after-tax dollars for basic necessities such …
The Purchasing Power of People with Disabilities Read More »
Raise the Bar for People with Disabilities through Pay Equity January 2021 Since the establishment of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, federal and state policies and practices have led to increased employment for people with disabilities. In the past decade, this work has shifted to a greater focus on youth transitioning to work, increasing labor …
Raise the Bar for People with Disabilities through Pay Equity Read More »
The National Family and Community Engagement Conference is an annual convening where state leaders, school and district leaders, administrators, educators, non-profits, community-based organizations, researchers and families come together to focus on solutions that enhance and expand engagement through family-school-community partnerships. With pre-conference sessions, site visits, plenaries, workshops, deep dive sessions and more, it is an …
Register now for the 2021 National Family and Community Engagement Conference! Read More »
written by Executive Director and President of Attendance Works Hedy Chang and Vice President for Leadership and Engagment at IEL Kwesi Rollins Looking back, we thought the spread of Covid-19 would be under control by the time the new school year began. We thought we would know how to ensure that school buildings provided healthy …
Crisis or not, family and community engagement benefits schools Read More »
What do we know? The prevalence of disability among youth (ages 14-24) is 6.1% nationally, but rates vary from 10.1% in Maine to 4.1% in Hawaii (Cheng & Shaewitz, 2019). In every state, youth with disabilities are less likely to graduate high school, enter and complete postsecondary education, or enter employment (ibid). Youth with disabilities …
Listen to Us: Youth with Disabilities Speak Up During the Pandemic Read More »
On Monday, July 20th, a group of national parent leader organizations released a letter to education leaders and policymakers laying out their clear guidelines for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year. In order to safely and equitably resume schooling in the fall amidst the current global pandemic, health and safety must be a priority – for …
IEL Supports Parent Leaders’ call for healthy, equitable, and quality education Read More »
On Tuesday, June 30th, IEL’s Y-TAC hosted a “Discussion on Systemic Racism and Supporting Youth of Color” as part of Y-TAC’s Virtual Network series of peer-to-peer conversations for VR professionals. Their special guest Hasan Davis joined the discussion to talk about experiences of systemic racism that youth of color with disabilities regularly encounter and implications …
Discussing Systemic Racism and Supporting Youth of Color Read More »
Building a New Normal Together: A Virtual Summit on Community Schools and Family Engagement 20 days, 80 sessions, 100 hours, and one giant opportunity for more than 2,000 participants to come together and share their collective knowledge and experience, to inspire each other in these uncertain, challenging times. That’s what our first ever virtual summit …
Rising Up For Equity in the Face of Two Pandemics Read More »
The COVID-19 pandemic is a global issue that we did not expect or anticipate. One key lesson we are learning is that the pandemic is exacerbating existing inequities. Low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately affected. Fewer are tested. Too many lack access to intensive care. Many have lost their jobs. Others take huge …
Addressing Inequities: IEL’s Response to the Pandemic Read More »
The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the inequalities in our country, and this is especially true for people with disabilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2019 that people with disabilities make up nearly 26% of our population—1 in 4 Americans. Opportunity youth with disabilities, defined as young people between the ages …
Pandemic Further Erodes Rights of People with Disabilities Read More »
Betty Hale, Senior Fellow, IEL and Sarah McCann, IEL Consultant The need for increased collaboration is a primary theme across nearly all recommendations for resolving the workforce challenges facing rural places and organizations. Increasingly, there is also a call for increased collaboration between the education and workforce systems to address today’s workforce and workplace needs …
Promoting “Closer Encounters” Between Education and Workforce Read More »
The 2019 Youth Transition Report: Outcomes for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities, published by IEL, presents data that underscore the gap between youth with disabilities and those without.
Through its Simulated Workplace Program (SWP), West Virginia is changing the culture of career and technical education (CTE), changing the way students learn at school and gain work experience, and simultaneously helping to meet the demand for skilled labor in the state.