IEL's president, Johan E. Uvin, published an article in the Council on Adult Basic Education Journal's recent special edition, Featuring Career Pathways. The article is titled "Are We on the Brink of Something Big?: Reflections on the Current and Future State of Career Pathways Policy and Practice." It focuses on taking "on the next level of policy and practice challenges until we make good on the promise of career pathways as an equity strategy that provides employers with the skilled labor they seek and individuals and families with meaningful employment, good wages, and benefits." READ MORE...
Mary Kingston Roche, director of public policy for IEL's Coalition for Community Schools, wrote a blog that examines the staggering inequalities in poverty rates between white children and children of color. She asks, “Where is our moral outrage, our collective commitment to do something to address this?” She indicates that we should examine the causes of this disparity and to truly listen to communities to find answers. She ends with this challenge to the reader: "You have the capacity to change the odds for children living in poverty today. Arm yourself with the courage to call out these inequities in your community and elsewhere when you see them. READ MORE...
Priorities for promoting prosperity and the action strategies that work for rural communities have been identified. Two reports distributed in early 2018 offer a framework and specific actions that can help rural communities begin to address barriers and promote prosperity. Collaboration is key and we can start with a focus on education and workforce to have greater, more immediate impact. IEL’s recent blog post aligns 10 recommended actions from the IEL-led Appalachian Higher Education Network Opening Doors, Changing Futures to the priority areas emphasized in the President’s Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity report. READ MORE...
In a room of nearly 2,000 participants at IEL's Community Schools National Forum, IEL President Johan E. Uvin asked participants to hold hands, close their eyes, and reflect on those who had come before us and gave selflessly to the cause of creating a more perfect union.
“These are hands that unite us. Can you feel the energy? The hope? We are united. We have to be in these challenging times,” Uvin said. “Let us reach deep and leverage the powers of our passions and collaborations to do what is right for our children, youth, adults, and families so that everyone, irrespective of what they look like, sound like, whom they love and how, and irrespective of what status they have, will have a real opportunity.” READ MORE...
Too many adults lack the skills necessary to succeed in the workplace. There is a shortage of effective program designs that work well for adults without postsecondary education and training experiences and credentials. That is why IEL, in partnership with the Coalition on Adult Basic Education and the National Association of State Directors of Adult Education, and with the generous support of the ECMC Foundation, is selecting 10 teams from around the country to meet this program design challenge. Teams will partake in a three-day Design Camp, 24 hours of technical assistance and coaching, and a Career Pathways Festival to pitch their proposed solutions with a chance to receive a prize.
Contact Alicia Bolton for more information.
IEL's president, Johan E. Uvin, reflects on stories from our team members, the youth served through IEL's programs, and students in Parkland, Fla. after experiencing one of the deadliest mass shootings. These are all stories of unnecessary trauma and pain caused by gun violence. This is an ideological problem that is destroying the very fabric of America. The impact of guns goes beyond school violence. Let’s join our youth. They get it. Hands without guns. Hearts with love. That is what we need. So, how do we get there? READ MORE...
One year into his time as president of IEL, Johan E. Uvin reflects on 2017 and shares his intentions for the upcoming year and beyond. “…We are filled with hope and confidence that in 2018 we will make significant improvements in our ability to positively impact the individuals and families in our programs, the communities, partners, and networks we work with. We are looking forward to working closely with you to eliminate barriers and create favorable conditions for everyone to succeed, particularly children, youth, adults, and families in communities where opportunity has been constrained, by design or otherwise.” READ MORE...
IEL is pleased to announce the appointment of its new board chair, Dr. Karen Mapp, senior lecturer on education and faculty director of education policy and management at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, as well as the appointment of a new board director, Dr. Ana Tilton, executive director of Grantmakers for Education. IEL also celebrates its outgoing chair and long-standing board director, Dr. Kent McGuire. “It is particularly exciting that these three leaders have earlier in their careers completed IEL’s leadership programs,” state IEL's president, Johan E. Uvin. READ MORE...
The National Disability Mentoring Coalition recently inducted 25 individuals and four organizations into the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame. Curtis Richards, the director of IEL's Center for Workforce Development, is among this year's honorees. The honorees — nominated by their mentees — were selected based on their dedication to mentoring and their impact on the lives of youth and adults with disabilities. Richards is a nationally recognized leader in the disability community. READ MORE...
IEL stands up for the causes of those in high-potential communities who fight to provide opportunity in the face of poverty, trauma, and inequity. We strongly condemn the racist ideology displayed in Charlottesville and find the hateful actions of white supremacists egregious and unacceptable. To the families, communities, youth, and educational leaders we support, we remain committed to generating a force of young leaders who will oppose hate and division. As our country begins the healing process here are some tools to help begin the conversation on educating our youth about racism. READ MORE...
In June, IEL hosted the 4th National Family & Community Engagement Conference in San Francisco. Over 1,700 participants gathered to learn and share, and it was an overwhelming success! Attendees included school district leaders, community organizers, parent leaders, nonprofit partners, student leaders, and more! Highlights included hearing from parent and student leaders as well as "movers and shakers" in the field such as Karen Mapp from Harvard University, Pecolia Manigo from Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network, and Chris Chatman from Oakland USD’s Office of African American Male Achievement. Through hugs, tears, and eruptions of applause, equity was a clear theme of the conference. Save the Date for next year’s conference in Cleveland from July 11-13, 2018! READ MORE...
How does the community schools strategy positively impact schools? Recently, Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, president and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute, released a report in conjunction with the National Education Policy Center entitled Community Schools: An Evidence-Based Strategy for Equitable School Improvement. The report demonstrates how community schools are a successful strategy for improving schools under the new federal Every Student Succeeds Act. Dr. Darling-Hammond and Julia Daniel, Ph.D. candidate of the University of Colorado Boulder, also focused on why evidence supports that well-implemented community schools meet the educational needs of low-achieving children. READ MORE...
In this changing political climate, IEL's new president, Johan E. Uvin, shares his thoughts on the future direction of IEL and how we can position ourselves to address the challenges of today and tomorrow. Some solutions include ever-increasing support of equity, investment in collaborative leadership development, continue to strengthen our work with schools and workforce systems, and focusing on communities where opportunity gaps are the greatest. READ MORE...
I am grateful for the more than 30 years that I have been at IEL, the last eight, as president. Connecting leaders from grassroots to grass tops has always driven my work. It's a principle that is even more important in this era of the "devolution revolution," with the federal government reducing its commitment to children youth and families. You'll learn a little more about my thinking in videos and pictures from IEL's celebration of my contribution to the organization. It was a memorable experience as have been all my IEL years. Thank you. View a recording of my retirement reception. VIEW PHOTO GALLERY...
IEL's board of directors appointed Dr. Johan E. Uvin as IEL's sixth president. Previously, Uvin was the Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education. “The IEL board is grateful for Marty Blank’s leadership over the past eight years. Marty has transformed IEL into a movement-building organization, securing a strong foundation and a bright future for IEL,” says C. Kent McGuire, IEL’s board chair. Uvin begins his presidency on February 15. He succeeds Martin J. Blank, who has served as IEL president since 2009 and will remain the director of IEL's Coalition for Community Schools. READ MORE...
Recent growth of a "culture of health" has included the principle that health is influenced by complex factors that must be addressed by collaborating systems. More than 25 years ago, IEL and the National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality supported the National Health/Education Consortium, a group that advanced cross-boundary community health solutions and the notion that children must be healthy to be educated and educated to be healthy. Since then, IEL wove these concepts into its work, including recruiting healthcare professionals in its Education Policy Fellowship Program, incorporating healthy living in its youth transition initiatives, and advancing healthcare partnerships through its Coalition for Community Schools. READ MORE…
Seven years ago, IEL created a stem- and career-focused mentoring model for transition-age youth with disabilities involved or at risk of becoming involved in the juvenile justice system. Funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, IEL’s Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program (RAMP) was recently awarded its fifth RAMP grant, this one for $3 million. These funds will enable IEL to continue working with existing sites and expand into additional locations. These sites will serve 1,400 at-risk youth with disabilities over three years. Watch the RAMP video.
Reuben Jacobson, deputy director of IEL’s Coalition for Community Schools, recently published a report with Brookings. He emphasizes that the institutions of a neighborhood are vital to its health and economic strength, and public schools are one of the most important shared institutions. They function not only as centers for providing education but also as hubs for communities to organize a range of supports and opportunities for children and their families. Community schools emerged from America’s long history of exploring schools as community hubs. The Coalition estimates that 5,000 community schools are in operation. Evidence indicates positive impacts on attendance, health, school climate, and student achievement. READ MORE…
IEL mourns the tragic events that occurred this summer. We mourn Alton Sterling (Baton Rouge, La.) and Philando Castile (Falcon Heights, Minn.), whose lives were tragically cut short during encounters with police. Deaths like these are too common in our communities. We mourn the murder of Officers Smith, Ahrens, Krol, Zamarripa, and Thompson in Dallas. These tragedies come amidst deep, longstanding racial divides and on the heels of the deaths of other African Americans at the hands of police or in police custody. We continue to emphasize the need for us to come together. Only by coming together will we begin to find solutions. Download our Racism & Police Violence Resources. READ MORE...
In July, the IEL-based Appalachian Higher Education Network (AHEN) held its annual conference with the theme “Family. Institution. Community. Self.” These are the four pillars of student success as developed by Dr. Aaron Thompson, interim president of Kentucky State University and keynote speaker at the event. AHEN is supported by the work of three mentors: Betty Hale at IEL; Angela Kirtdoll at Eastern Gateway Community College in Ohio; and Sarita Rhonemus at Bluefield State College in West Virginia. READ MORE...
Martin J. Blank, president of IEL since 2009, will step down after a planned transition and search. After 25 years with the Institute, Marty will leave his position in early 2017 after a successor has been named. He will continue as the director of IEL's Coalition for Community Schools until a new Coalition director is chosen, and then will become an IEL senior fellow. Blank’s announcement comes at a time of significant growth and strength at IEL. During his tenure, and together with the members of the IEL leadership team, he has helped IEL become a major systems-change and movement-building institution. READ MORE...
Over 60 years after Brown v. Board, the education system is still struggling with segregation, the opportunity and achievement gaps, school funding discrepancies, and improving outcomes for all young people. In 2007, Dr. Claude Steele, then at Stanford University, delivered the seventh annual Jacqueline P. Danzberger Memorial Lecture on stereotype threat and why understanding it is crucial to leading students to success. Based on his and others’ research, he offered three key principles for making classrooms places where students feel a sense of belonging and have the safety and freedom to achieve. READ MORE…
IEL's board of directors named Kent McGuire as its new chair last November. A longtime supporter, he joined the board in 2002 and is a 1981 alumnus of IEL’s Education Policy Fellowship Program. A recent Education Week commentary he co-authored calls for states to prioritize community schools in state education reform. The article was based on Community Schools: Transforming Struggling Schools into Thriving Schools, a recent report by SEF, Center for Popular Democracy, and IEL's Coalition for Community Schools. READ MORE…
As the new Every Student Succeeds Act shifts more responsibilities back to the state and local levels, the roles of school boards continues to be paramount. In 1986, IEL authored the report School Boards: Strengthening Grass Roots Leadership, which identified indicators of effective school boards. A few of these board indicators include investment in board development, collaboration with other school boards, and a transparent approach to controversy. Themes and strategies from this report are just as relevant today as they were when the IEl published the report 30 years ago. READ MORE...
Career readiness has been an important consideration of U.S. public education since the early 20th century. In 1994, two leaders in the workforce development field—Joan Wills, founder and former director of IEL's Center for Workforce Development, and Irene Lynn, former leader of the National School-to-Work Office—came together to provide insight on what motivated involvement in school-to-work programs. The resulting report was titled School Lessons, Work Lessons: Recruiting and Sustaining Employers’ Involvement in School-to-Work Programs. More than two decades later, four of the report’s recommendations are still relevant today. READ MORE...
During spring cleaning earlier this year, IEL got new chairs for the office’s conference rooms, but didn’t want the old ones to go into the trash. Instead, Maame Appiah, Director of Operations & Network Development for IEL's Coalition for Community Schools, sent them to Ghana. Maame’s family members run Mother’s Love Kids Foundation Centre, a preschool in a high-poverty, high-need area in the town of Obuasi that serves 186 students ages 2-5. The chairs now provide classroom seating for the young students so they can better focus on their lessons. As you can see, they are putting our old chairs to great use! IEL is also sending its old LCD projector for use in the classroom. READ MORE...
In 1991, Martin J. Blank—who became IEL's president in 2009—led a task force commissioned by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, a major step forward for interagency collaboration. The group brought together leaders from across the country to think together about communicating the importance of school-community partnerships. The work of this task force led to the publication of the seminal report, Together We Can: A Guide for Crafting a Profamily System of Education and Human Services. READ MORE...
From June 22-24, over 1,100 educators, parent leaders, community partners and district leaders from 47 states, Australia, the Netherlands, and the Philippines gathered at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago for the 2015 National Family and Community Engagement Conference. Guided by the conference theme, Shaping our Future by Leading Together: Families, Schools, Communities, participants embraced the opportunity to learn about family and community engagement practices that are being implemented across the country. The conference was successful in its mission to empower participants, unite likeminded individuals, and motivate change in their communities. READ MORE...
In 2000 and 2001, IEL released a four-part series entitled Leadership for Student Learning. A product of IEL’s School Leadership for the 21st Century initiative, the series raised public awareness about problems facing education leadership. The series addresses how educational leaders can be effective to lead successful students and schools. The initiative successfully brought many of the challenges facing school leaders into the spotlight of public policy and worked to spark a spirited national debate about the future of our students, schools, and leadership. Although the Series is now over a decade old, many of the recommendations made by the task forces are still relevant today.
IEL and the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) hosted the inaugural Samuel Halperin Lecture and Youth Public Service Award. The lecture and award serve as a tribute to Halperin, a former IEL president and AYPF founder, who dedicated his career to advancing education, workforce, and youth policy. This year, the Ford Foundation’s Hilary Pennington was the keynote lecturer. She spoke on the "Forgotten Half," then and now, a reference to one of Halperin's seminal works on non-college youth in America. The award winner was 24-year-old Efrem Ayalew, an AmeriCorps teacher’s assistant at a Maryland middle school. READ MORE AND WATCH THE VIDEO…
IEL is convening the 2nd National Family & Community Engagement Conference—Shaping Our Future by Leading Together: Families, Schools, and Communities—in Chicago from June 22-24. The conference will lift up the work taking place across Chicago and Illinois. While honoring local and regional work, this year’s conference will examine other innovative initiatives across the country through 70 interactive workshops. The event serves as a remarkable professional development and capacity-building opportunity for student-centered family-community engagement, such as home visits, parent leadership development, parent-teacher teams, and organizing for school-community improvement. READ MORE...
In 2000 and 2001, as part of our School Leadership for the 21st Century work, IEL released the Leadership for Student Learning series, raising awareness about crises facing education leaders. Topics included “Reinventing the Principalship,” “Redefining the Teacher as Leader,” “Recognizing the State’s Role in Education,” and “Urban School Leadership.” Although the series is now over a decade old, many recommendations are still relevant today, such as providing effective professional development, professionalizing teaching, fostering bipartisanship, and dispelling myths about urban districts. The initiative brought many challenges into the public policy spotlight and helped spark a national debate about the future of our students, schools, and leadership. READ MORE…
IEL's Cross-Boundary Leaders for Education and Equity Symposium created an objective, open-minded, nonpartisan space where leaders could come together to discuss complex issues facing public education and explore forward-thinking solutions. The Symposium consisted of three panels:
The Institute for Educational Leadership has always been ahead of the curve. In 1985, Harold Hodgkinson, a renowned demographer who ran IEL’s Center for Demographic Policy, published a seminal report, All One System: Demographics of Education, Kindergarten through Graduate School. The report was significant in laying out trends we see today – a growing number of young people of color in the education system and the opportunity this trend offers for the vitality of the nation.
The report was a demographic study outlining major demographic shifts in our population, focusing in particular, on the changes from early childhood education through college and career systems. READ MORE...
IEL's Coalition for Community Schools is excited to share a new resource, the Community Schools Policy Playbook! Geared toward advocates and elected officials at the state and local levels, this playbook offers a number of resources, including sample state and local policies and funding that promote community schools, messaging on community schools, implementation resources, and more. READ MORE...
Leadership matters when it comes to community schools. Leaders for community schools put the development of students’ physical, social, emotional, moral, civic competencies, and academic achievement, high on their agenda. Join IEL's Coalition for Community Schools every week from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. EST for our After the School Bell webinar series focusing on community school leaders. Past topics include The Superheroes, The Community Organizers, The Future, and The Educators. WATCH RECORDED WEBINARS...
IEL's National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth released two videos featuring members of its National Youth Action Council on Transition (YouthACT). In the video You Can Lead Too!: Youth Perspectives on Leadership young leaders share insights on what it means to be a leader and advocate. In the video Developing Successful Youth-Adult Partnerships youth and adults describe what it takes to work together as equal partners. YouthACT is a national initiative to get more youth with disabilities and their allies involved as leaders who partner with adults and organizations to improve opportunities for youth to succeed in life. READ MORE...
The 2018-19 cohort year will mark the 55th anniversary of IEL’s Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP). EPFP is a nationally recognized fellowship program that develops a diverse and collaborative community of strategic leaders for effective public policy. Since its start, EPFP has acted as an instrument for fostering a comprehensive understanding of policy issues from diverse perspectives. After completion of the 10-month fellowship, EPFP alumni are transformed, empowered, and inspired leaders who apply the skills learned and connections made in their careers and communities. EPFP is now open for recruitment for the 2018-2019 cycle. EPFP sites are currently accepting applications. APPLY TODAY...
IEL's Family & Community Engagement (FCE) team at IEL attended the North Dakota Study Group’s (NDSG) annual meeting February 15-18. This year’s meeting was at Tugaloo University in Jackson, Miss., with the theme Emancipation, Equity, and Excellence: Learning from and with Activists. Since 1972, NDSG members have come together to reimagine possibilities and alternatives in education in the U.S. with a focus on accountability and assessment. The members are a diverse collective of progressive educators, activists, foundation program officers, and students, Attendees discuss, debate, and develop solidarity, intentionally centering equity, social justice and activism to support the success of students. READ MORE...
IEL, in partnership with The Freedom ’64 Project, led a bus tour retracing the civil rights movement. Participants on the learning journey engaged with student leaders from the movement in the ‘60s, as well as leaders from organizations currently working for equity and justice. Lucretia Murphy of Jobs for the Future wrote a blog post reflecting on her journey and the charge to bring the lessons to her work in economic mobility. Her words provide a moving reminder of how tightly linked civil rights work is to community development and how the lessons and strategies are applicable to work in education equity. READ MORE...
In December, IEL had the opportunity to speak with Bridget Murphy and Tami Love from the Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA) about its Parent Mentor Program. This nationally recognized program is a wonderful example of how one community-based organization took a grassroots approach to embed itself within Chicago Public Schools and the state of Illinois, to improve student outcomes. This interview highlights many of the challenges LSNA faced during the beginning stages of their organization, as well as strategies on how to strengthen parent voice and improve outcomes. READ MORE...
IEL's Appalachian Higher Education (AHE) Network published a new report, Opening Doors, Changing Futures, that tells the shared story of impact the AHE Network has had on postsecondary attainment in Appalachia from 2011-2016. The report sets out the current economic and education context in the 10-state region and highlights expanding education and training work that is increasingly important for today’s workforce. The narrative and data shared will motivate readers to leverage their partnerships and enhance their efforts to develop a stronger workforce and a more prosperous region together. READ MORE...
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) and IEL have been co-hosting education policy forums since 1983 as a vehicle to highlight research, policy, and practice in education. These monthly luncheons feature many of the leading researchers, thinkers, and practitioners in education. The 35th anniversary season kick off on October 19th featured Margaret Maaka University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa on "Using Indigenous Frameworks to Build Community Capability." Upcoming presenters and discussion facilitators include Jeff Selingo of the Washington Post on The Networked University and Jack Buckley of American Institutes for Research on Measuring Success: Testing, Grades, and the Future of College Admissions. READ MORE...
IEL is proud to introduce the 54th cohort of our Education Policy Fellowship Program. Three hundred ten Fellows from 16 sites are participating in the ten-month professional development initiative in which diverse emerging and mid-level leaders learn together about education policy, leadership, and networking. These participants join an alumni network of 9,000 leaders working in higher education, K-12 teaching and administration, policy writing and analysis, research, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, and government at every level. This long-standing program realizes its mission of developing a collaborative community of strategic leaders for effective public policy. READ MORE...
The annual Washington Policy Seminar, a capstone event of IEL’s 53-year-old Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP), focused this year on Navigating Education Policy Change. EPFP Fellows, a diverse cohort of professionals in education and related fields, spent four days learning about federal policy, sharing knowledge across roles and institutions and visiting Capitol Hill. EPFP Fellows may have left with more questions, but they also gained networking connections, policy insights on how to navigate education policy change in the current federal context, and leadership skills to drive the work within their own organizations and communities. Apply to EPFP. READ MORE...
Recently, IEL interviewed Dr. Larry Leverett, the newly retired executive director of the Panasonic Foundation, a corporate foundation with a mission to help public school systems with high percentages of children in poverty to improve learning for all students. Dr. Leverett reflected on his Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) experience. He maintains his multi-sector network and deep commitment to improving teaching and learning for every child, saying “The biggest value of EPFP was the connections I made. Relationships that I established during my time as a fellow have been sustained throughout my career as an educational leader.” READ MORE...
The Bay Area Regional Leadership Learning Exchange, "Ecology of Action," was a professional development opportunity for teachers and principals. Sixty-five participants met at Oakland's Jack London Aquatic Center. The participants included school personnel, students, parents, teachers, principals, and assistant superintendents. Participants were invited to engage in dynamic mindfulness with Niroga Institute's BK Bose and each other in small group discussions, gracious space, meals, learning walks, and planning sessions in order to cultivate and tell stories of radical hope. After practicing leadership learning exchange protocols and dynamic mindfulness, they left rejuvenated, and ready to use these processes in their schools and organizations to inform an ecology of action. As one principal noted, “It was one of the most inspiring learning experiences I have had.” LEARN MORE...
Educators, parents, families, and community partners must be able to respond to trauma and know where to access support. Over 400 participants tuned in to a second IEL webinar on addressing childhood trauma, co-hosted by the Center for the Study of Social Policy. This webinar examined how schools and community partners can engage and work with families to address childhood trauma. Panelists included Cailin O’Connor, Senior Associate at the Center for the Study of Social Policy, Cyntoria Grant, Parent University Director at Boston Public Schools, Donna Thompson-Bennett, Co-Director of the National Parent Leadership Initiative, and Maureen O’Neill Davis, graduate and Parent Leader of the National Parent Leadership Initiative. READ MORE AND WATCH THE RECORDING...
Seeking insight into some of the most challenging questions on race and equity still left unanswered in America, a bus full of community college faculty and education leaders, including Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) participants, embarked on a civil rights bus tour in late November. Their journey took them to historic civil rights movement sites throughout Alabama and Mississippi and brought participants face to face with current leaders and community members with first-hand experiences from the era. The tour was organized by the John C. Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University and the Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama. READ MORE…
Transformative, visionary, inspiring, life-changing, empowering: Words that IEL’s Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) alumni use to describe their EPFP experience, whether they were in the program last year or fifty years ago. EPFP focuses on three pillars: policy, leadership, and networking. This approach invites leaders learn from each other across systems. EPFP has graduated over 8,500 leaders in all fifty states and across the preK-16 sector and related fields, including public administration, labor, health, justice, business, workforce development, and philanthropy. In this time of great transition in education, opportunities like EPFP will be crucial to facilitate knowledge sharing and nurture leaders who can drive equity-driven, cross-system change. READ MORE...
Shital C. Shah is the assistant director of educational issues at the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). In this role, she works across AFT departments to help examine and develop policy for and to support implementation of AFT’s community schools area of work around whole school reform and provides support and training to state and local affiliates around the community school strategy and extended learning time. On cross-boundary leadership she explains that, “Our collective work involves different stakeholders across multiple systems, and the union recognizes that in order to be effective, there has to be a collaborative voice speaking for the community schools movement.” READ MORE...
The debates over the appropriate federal role in education have been persistent for decades, oscillating between the federal government and the states with regards to scope, strengthening, and responsibility. The new federal Every Student Succeeds Act represents the latest recalibration and the tenuous nature of the federal-state relationship. Dr. Michael Usdan, IEL senior fellow and former president, recounts the pivotal turns in the federal-state relationship throughout American history and offers a critical analysis of the growing federal role since the 1960s and the increasing influence and visibility of the federal government in education matters. READ MORE...
From July 17-21, IEL and East Carolina University hosted the 2016 Summer Leadership Learning Exchange in Greenville, NC. Leadership learning exchanges are one of the offerings under IEL’s Leaders for Today and Tomorrow (LT2) initiative. Roughly 75 participants were part of this year’s summer learning exchange, including teams of district administrators, principals and assistant principals, teachers and para-professionals, high school students, 12 school districts, and four schools of education. READ MORE...
Gay Kingman (DC EPFP 79-80) is the executive director of the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association (GPTCA) and the Coalition of Large Tribes. GPTCA—which is made up of tribal leaders from 16 sovereign nations from Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota—meets regularly to make administrative decisions and review legislation affecting all Tribal Governments. As the executive director, Gay manages GPTCA’s affairs, works with members of Congress, develops position papers and resolutions, works with the Administration, and coordinates with other tribes. As the leader of the Coalition of Large Tribes, she advocates for and protects the unique land, economic, jurisdictional, and funding issues faced by tribes with large land bases and populations. READ MORE…
IEL and East Carolina University are hosting a Summer Leadership Learning Exchange July 17-21, 2016. Breathing Joy and Justice into School and Community Leadership is an interactive, four-day institute utilizing the latest research on achieving collective impact for equitable and excellent schools. School- and community-based teams—including school leaders, teachers, middle and high school students, counselors, parent leaders or coordinators, and nonprofit partners—will practice useful and transferable strategies that strengthen cross-sector school-community leadership and engage in conversations on race, class, and equity. READ MORE...
In April, the Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) hosted its 52nd Washington Policy Seminar (WPS). The four-day annual capstone event that convenes EPFP Fellows from across the country welcomed 300 Fellows from 17 sites—our highest WPS attendance ever. The theme, Presidential Politics and Education Policy, explored the evolution of the role of the president and the federal government in education policy through 24 sessions with more than 50 speakers. READ MORE…
As the president of Excelencia in Education, Sarita Brown is a tireless advocate for Latino success in higher education. Brown spoke with the Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP)—she was a member of the 1984 Texas cohort—and shared her thoughts on what policymakers and higher education leaders should know about Latino students and how they can be better supported in colleges and universities, as well as leadership lessons learned and the value of her EPFP experience. READ MORE…
External accountability, high-stakes testing, and a focus on international rankings dominate much of the global education reform conversations. What will it take to flip the system and empower those closest to the children and youth—our teachers—to redesign an equity-driven approach to education? IEL recently penned a piece on strategies and practices that schools use to empower teachers to redesign an equity-driven approach to education reform. READ MORE...
In November, district leaders from across the country gathered in Nashville, Tenn. a learning lab focused on family and community engagement practices and strategies. Leaders also had the opportunity to participate in a district-wide family engagement summit to learn more about Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools’ efforts in this area and to hear from community-based organizations about their programs to support student and family success. READ MORE...
Dr. June Atkinson holds many roles: state superintendent of North Carolina, president of the Council of Chief State School Officers, and IEL board member. She spoke with the Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP)—she’s a 1985 alum of the North Carolina cohort—and shared her thoughts on the value of career and technical education, being a female education leader, and lessons she’s learned throughout her career. READ MORE...
Working in partnership with the East Carolina University (ECU) College of Education and the UCEA Center for Educational Leadership and Social Justice at Duquesne University, IEL successfully launched our first summer institute on July 20-24, 2015 at ECU in Greenville, NC. Unlike a major conference, the four-day summer learning exchange “Breathing Joy and Justice into School and Community Leadership” was designed to be a relatively small (100-125 participants), intensive experience for participating teams including school leaders, district administrators, coaches, nonprofit partners, teacher leaders, parents, student, and community partners. READ MORE...
California State Board of Education President Michael Kirst spoke with IEL before his July AERA/IEL Educational Policy Forum. He shared experiences from his career, leadership lessons, and thoughts on the changing California policy landscape. Kirst emphasized the importance of building coalitions to lead across boundaries. "I hope to get education leaders and policymakers in a position where all aspects of education policy and politics can be applied to the issues at hand... from nutrition to special education to school finance. Through my experiences in state and federal government and in higher education, I’ve learned that patience, persistence, and humility are important qualities that run through all of this work." said Kirst. READ MORE...
Since 2013, Education Week has highlighted outstanding school district leaders. Its Leaders To Learn From report profiles leaders in 16 focus areas, including family and community engagement. For the third year, a member of IEL’s District Leaders Network on Family and Community Engagement was recognized as an exceptional district-level leader. This year, Education Week honored Patricia Spradley, Chief Parent and Community Engagement Officer for Springfield Public Schools. READ MORE…
June 10 was a momentous day for IEL’s Education Policy Fellowship Program—our Michigan site celebrated its 40th anniversary! In honor of this milestone, both the Michigan House of Representatives and State Senate recognized the program’s history and the positive impact it has had on the state through special tributes. At a celebratory event at Michigan State University, Michigan EPFP coordinators Dan Schultz and Brian Boggs honored the site’s newest graduating cohort, hosted a panel of alumni sharing their program experiences, and honored longtime Michigan EPFP supporter Douglas B. Roberts, director of MSU’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, with the IEL National Leadership Award. READ MORE...
IEL and East Carolina University are launching an annual summer Leadership Learning Exchange. The first Learning Exchange, Breathe Joy and Justice into School and Community Leadership, will be in Greenville, N. Car. from July 19-23. Using diverse learning platforms and rich leadership support approaches, the event will provide an intense professional learning experience for teams and individuals. With a heavy emphasis on equity and access for students and families in our most vulnerable school communities, the annual summer institute will support leaders at the school and district level to embrace the complexities, challenges, and opportunities of their positions. READ MORE…
Maurice Sykes (DC EPFP ’78-79), director of the Early Childhood Leadership institute at the University of the District of Columbia, is an IEL Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) alumnus. Sykes recently shared his EPFP experience, saying, “EPFP was the most powerful professional development I had in my career… We had a broad range of opportunities and developmental experiences and interacted with cutting-edge thinkers. EPFP was enlightening and transformative.” His recent book, Doing the Right Thing for Children: Eight Qualities of Leadership, reflects on his personal experiences with leadership and focuses on eight core leadership values: human potential, knowledge, social justice, competence, fun/enjoyment, personal renewal, perseverance, and courage. READ MORE…
This year, IEL’s signature program, the Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP), celebrated 50 years of developing leaders. IEL published a retrospective, Fifty Years of Growing Policy-Savvy Leaders-and More to Come, highlighting EPFP's five decades as catalyst, guide, and premier cross-boundary leadership development opportunity.
With 8,000+ alumni and 260 fellows annually, EPFP impacts individuals by increasing policy knowledge, expanding professional networks, and developing leadership skills. IEL runs EPFP in partnership with 13 state and District of Columbia partners.
The new State Education Chief of Virginia, Dr. Steven R. Staples (VA EPFP ’89-90), is an IEL Education Policy Fellowship Program alum. When we asked Dr. Staples about his EPFP experience, Staples said, "[The] EPFP experience exceeded my expectations. It allowed me to associate with folks I wouldn’t have otherwise met. It shaped my perspectives and views on the world and on education and opened my horizons on diverse issues, at both the state and national levels. It also informed my career choices to pursue the superintendency.”
In his interview with IEL, Staples touched on his thoughts regarding cross-boundary leadership, challenges he's faced, and lessons he's learned throughout his career. READ MORE...
While everyone wants a great first day, what if we told you that you could have a successful school YEAR, starting with just one conversation? IEL has had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Gina Martinez-Keddy from Parent Teacher Home Visits, and D’Lisa Crain and Alicia Thomas from the Washoe County School District to learn more about the Parent Teacher Home Visit model and some recommended practices for implementation. Regardless of how many site visits you’ve conducted, you’re sure to learn something new. READ MORE...
IEL's Coalition for Community Schools hosted its second annual Coordinators Appreciation Week from September 24-28. Seventy-seven local, state, and national partners participated in the social media campaign on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Check out the highlights from the week by visiting Coordinators Appreciation Week results and catch up on the Twitter responses on #CoordinatorsRock Twitter hashtag. READ MORE...
The Together for Students Initiative recognized 10 communities for plans bringing key community members together to support the needs of local students. Three national education-focused organizations created this opportunity: IEL (through its Coalition for Community Schools), Communities In Schools, and StriveTogether. Each of the 10 selected communities will receive approximately $150,000 to support the activities and goals set forth in their collaborative plans. READ MORE...
In May, IEL's Coalition for Community Schools hosted the largest ever National Forum for Community Schools. Almost 2,000 attendees gathered in Baltimore to partner for equity. There was LIVE podcast coverage from the show EdFix hosted by Michael Feuer, Dean of the George Washington Graduate School of Education and Human Development. Listen to the podcast or view pictures from the Forum.
On July 11-13, 2018, IEL convened the National Family and Community Engagement Conference in Cleveland. The event's theme was Organize, Harmonize, Amplify. READ MORE...
With multiple challenges facing our children and youth, including racial tensions and gun violence, we need to work together to counter these forces. This is why IEL's Coalition for Community Schools, in partnership with the Afterschool Alliance, and American Federation of Teachers came together for March for Children & Youth Month, to support students in saying, "enough is enough." Throughout the month, student and education leaders participated in activities to promote advocacy. March for Children & Youth Month garnered a total of 1,223 tweets and reached 1.5 million people. At the end of the campaign, the IEL team joined thousands of youth advocates at the D.C. March for Our Lives. READ MORE...
Phi Delta Kappan featured an article that delves into why community schools serve as the hub of their communities. "It takes a community: Community schools provide opportunities for all" is authored by Reuben Jacobson and José Muñoz, who lead IEL's Coalition for Commuity Schools, and Coalition Steering Committee leaders Lisa Villarreal and Robert Mahaffey. The article spotlights how students, families, neighbors, and community partners work with school staff to shape the school's priorities. READ MORE...
“Learning matters when it is personal and when students have an opportunity to use or share what they are learning and what they know,” wrote IEL senior fellow and former president Martin J. Blank in two blogs about the teaching of Judy Ellsesser and Cyndy Hykes at South Webster High School, in South Webster, Ohio. The two teachers’ approach to teaching and learning uses the community as text for engaging students in meaningful lessons that explore the drivers and developing solutions to combat the opioid crisis. Their work was recently featured by NPR and shared via IEL's Appalachian Higher Education Network. READ MORE...
The Learning Policy Institute and the National Education Policy Center recently released a report, Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy: A Review of the Evidence. The report concludes that well-implemented community schools lead to improvement in student and school outcomes and contribute to meeting the educational needs of low-achieving students in high-poverty schools.READ MORE...
IEL's Coalition for Community Schools and partners came together on September 25-29 for the first Coordinators Appreciation Week. There were almost 1,000 #CoordinatorsRock tweets that reached over 700,000 people—from funny gifs and ice cream socials to flowers and heartfelt handwritten notes—that celebrated and thanked their community schools coordinators. READ MORE...
IEL's Family and Community Engagement (FCE) Network Spotlight is an opportunity for the FCE community to learn from their peers’ successes. In this interview, Allison Buzard, Equity and Diversity Coordinator at Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), talks about her work with Equity and Diversity University (EDU), a professional development program for school professionals. Sessions cover a variety of topics, including cultural awareness, equity and diversity, family engagement, and cohort-based learning. EDU seeks to build upon the knowledge, skills, perspectives, and practices of MNPS educators so that all students and families have access and opportunity to an excellent educator. READ MORE...
District Leader Landon Mascareñaz discusses his Family Empowerment Team in the Office of Family and Community Engagement in Denver Public Schools (DPS). He shares their mission of developing engaged and empowered parents who are academic partners at three levels, including the home, school, and district, and how they carry out their mission at each level. Dr. Mascareñaz also explains how his team’s work aligns with DPS’s vision of equity and how family engagement is infused in all DPS offices. READ MORE...
IEL's Coalition for Community Schools (CCS) highlighted evidence and inspiring stories of opportunity and support at its bi-annual Community Schools Awards for Excellence Symposium on June 5, 2017 at the National Press Club. This year's community school initiative winners are Community Achieves (Nashville, Tenn.), and NYC Community Schools Initiative (New York). For the first time CCS also awarded a neighborhood community school initiative award to Enlace Chicago (Chicago). The community school awardees are Oakland International High School (Oakland, Calif.), Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School (Nashville, Tenn.), and P.S./M.S. 188 The Island School (New York). WATCH THE VIDEOS...
IEL's Coalition for Community Schools is working with community school initiative leaders to enhance local capacity to make schools and communities healthier places for all by bridging the gap between the health and education sectors. Leveraging Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) support with a focus on creating a Culture of Health, the goal of our work is to help community schools coordinate system-level leaders around strategic action to ensure students learn and thrive. This work includes providing technical assistance to aid community school leaders in developing and implementing health action plans. READ MORE...
Now that states have the authority under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to determine how to improve struggling schools, many state chiefs are looking for a whole-child approach with deep community engagement to counter the more technical models required under the previous School Improvement Grants program. In response, the IEL's Coalition for Community Schools released a brief, that positions community schools as an effective school improvement strategy for states to consider in their ESSA plans and implementation. CCS will continue to engage state chiefs through our partnership with the Council of Chief State School Officers, and we encourage you to share this important document with your networks and colleagues. READ MORE...
Sometimes you need to see strong healthy living partnerships in action. IEL’s Coalition for Community Schools recently organized site visits for members of its Community Schools Leadership Network. Participants visited two Bay Area community schools to see how their partnerships focused on physical and mental health have positive impacts on students. These schools were Cherryland Elementary School in Hayward, Calif. and Oakland High School. Thanks to support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Coalition is proud to highlight both of these schools in its Community Schools Culture of Health Series. READ MORE…
IEL’s Coalition for Community Schools is working in conjunction with Communities in Schools and StriveTogether to leverage our national networks to better enable every student to thrive. This growing partnership will help us align our assets and expertise across networks, school districts, and communities. We are better together when we coordinate efforts to support children by following these key principles: build trusting relationships, foster cross-sector partnerships, ensure purposeful engagement; collect actionable data, and engage in shared accountability. Read our discussion paper and view our webinar.
IEL President Martin J. Blank reflects on the moving words of Khalil Bridges. The Renaissance Academy High School student from West Baltimore spoke at the 2016 National Forum for Community Schools. Khalil’s is the story of too many young people of color in disinvested communities across the nation. Blank reminds us that our society often focuses on helping a single individual, but overlooks broader support even though “every child deserves every chance”. That’s why Khalil’s school, educators, and community partners are working to tie the assets and resources of their community to their school. READ MORE...
IEL's District Leaders Network on Family and Community Engagement and the Family Engagement State Leaders Network convened a Learning Lab in Washington, D.C. A professional development opportunity for district family and community engagement leaders, the event featured a federal policy debriefing and listening session in conjunction with officials from the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. These sessions focused on the Departments' joint policy statement, respective family engagement frameworks, and the ways in which systemic engagement practices can act as a lever for improving transition and alignment from cradle to career. Day two featured panelists from local school districts. READ MORE...
IEL’s Dr. Reuben Jacobson, deputy director of the Coalition for Community Schools, recently wrote a chapter in an important new book, Learning from the Federal Market-Based Reforms: Lessons for the Every Student Succeeds Act. The volume contains chapters by widely respected education researchers that address topics such as accountability, school choice, segregated schools, equity in school reform, and more. Jacobson’s chapter, “School-Community Partnerships: A Typology for Guiding Systemic Education Reform,” draws on the experiences of the Coalition for Community Schools and other partnership efforts to help policymakers and researchers understand the value and different types of partnership approaches. READ MORE…
This June, IEL hosted the annual National Family and Community Engagement Conference in Pittsburgh. With over 1,200 participants from all 50 states, the event lived up to its theme, "Owning Our Movement, Maximizing Our Impact." It was the IEL's highest attended family and community engagement event to date. The impressive growth speaks to the mounting momentum and evidence supporting the field. Through four plenaries, nine mini-plenaries, 80 workshops, and four site visits, participants learned and shared systemic solutions in key topic areas, including equity in engagement, early childhood education, and parent leadership and advocacy. LEARN MORE...
With the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) returning significant authority over K-12 education to the states, it’s more important than ever for stakeholders at all levels—from educators to superintendents, state-level administrators to parents and the public—to be engaged and feel ownership over ESSA implementation. In an Education Week commentary, IEL president and Coalition for Community Schools director Marty Blank and Southern Education Foundation president and IEL board chair Kent McGuire outline principles to guide stakeholder engagement and highlight the groups that should be included in the conversation. READ MORE…
This year's Community Schools National Forum in Albuquerque, N.M., was the largest community schools convening yet. Co-hosted with the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Community School Partnership, the Forum attracted over 1,700 participants from 44 states and 9 countries. With the theme of “Rising Together: Learning across Family, School, and Community,” learning remained a focus throughout the entire Forum emphasizing how community schools can promote better learning in schools through community partnerships. The Forum featured keynote speakers including Lily Eskelsen Garcia, president of the National Education Association; Pedro Rivera, Pennsylvania secretary of education; and Paul Soglin, mayor of Madison, Wisc. READ MORE…
Broome County Promise Zone in upstate New York is one of the Coalition for Community Schools’ many partners and is working to build a countywide community schools network to support children, families, and neighborhoods. The Coalition spoke with Luann Kida, community schools director for Broome County Promise Zone, about the initiative’s partners and milestones, how her work aligns with the community schools strategy, and her favorite part of her work. READ MORE…
As co-chairs of the Coalition for Community Schools’ Superintendents Leadership Council, Teresa Weatherhall Neal from Grand Rapids, Mich., and Dr. Steven Webb from Vancouver, Wash., have seen the positive impact of community schools in their districts. They spoke with Marty Blank, president of IEL and director of the Coalition, about how community schools have helped their districts overcome challenges, their biggest lessons learned in implementing community schools, and why they believe the strategy is one that truly works to support students, families, schools, and communities. READ MORE…
IEL's Coalition for Community Schools recently released A Framework for More and Better Learning through Community Schools Partnerships. The framework begins with a discussion of community school learning principles and the conditions essential for better learning. Next, it articulates a learning framework for community schools that relies on results-based school and community partnerships to create health and social supports and services, expanded learning opportunities, and meaningful family and community engagement. READ MORE...
For the last decade, advocates for community schools determined that it was necessary to renew a core American value—that our public schools should be centers of flourishing communities where everyone belongs and works together to help our young people thrive. This movement is still growing. In April, hundreds of community school leaders and supporters will gather in Albuquerque, N.M. for the National Community Schools Forum 2016. In the fall 2015 issue of the American Federation of Teachers’s American Educator magazine, IEL president and Coalition for Community Schools director Martin J. Blank and steering committee chair Lisa Villarreal discussed why the community schools movement has grown and the positive results they evince. READ MORE...
In the Lower Price Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, the community has transformed an abandoned row house that served as a crack house into a renovated early childhood center that supports the neighborhood’s youngest residents. This center, connected to the Oyler Community Learning Center, a Pre-K-12 school building, is part of Cincinnati Public Schools’ district-wide community school strategy. In September, IEL published a Huffington Post Blog on this transformation, and the school is the center of a new documentary, Oyler: One School, One Year. READ MORE...
This summer, the House and Senate passed their separate bills to replace No Child Left Behind of 2002, the current federal education law. Education stakeholders are hopeful Congress will finish a bill this year to replace what most agree is a broken law. The Senate's bill contains several wins for the community schools movmement, including the establishing of a Full-Service Community Schools grant program, allowing Title IV funds to support community school coordinators, requiring more community-based needs assessments, and addressing school climate and discipline in Title I plans. READ MORE...
In June, over one thousand educators, parents, community-based partners, and fellow stakeholders in education convened at the second annual National Family and Community Engagement Conference to discuss the role of family engagement in K-12 education. This idea of family involvement in schools has recently begun to receive national attention due to the overwhelmingly positive results that are being seen as a product of family engagement in education. Recent articles in Education Week featuring IEL’s Kwesi Rollins and EPFP alum and IEL board member Karen Mapp demonstrate the support this movement has received at both local and national levels. READ MORE...
The Coalition for Community Schools honored two initiatives and five schools from Baltimore, Md., Chicago, Ill., Salt Lake, Utah, and San Fernando, Calif. The Community Schools Awards for Excellence were followed by a policy briefing on Capitol Hill. The award winners and local community school leaders met with their senators and representatives to advocate for community schools. Check out the Twitter highlights from all of the events!
Many people agree that the current federal education law No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is broken, but Congress is having trouble agreeing on how to fix it. These next few months are seen as the crucial window for updating this troubled law during President Obama’s tenure.
IEL and its Coalition for Community Schools are working to ensure key principles are embedded in reauthorization, including incentives for public-private partnerships, success indicators to report on beyond basic achievement, stronger definitions of family and community engagement, and greater consultation with school stakeholders. READ MORE...
Every day, teachers—especially those in our poorest communities—are asked to address their students’ multiple out-of-school needs, including healthcare, social support, housing, and nutrition, while still achieving high academic success. Thankfully, many teachers no longer need to stand alone.
IEL’s Coalition for Community Schools recently sat down with Menlo Park Elementary School Principal Kellie Burkhardt and Community School Coordinator Steven Joinson to take a deeper look at how they are re-writing the script on achievement levels and increasing opportunities for our most vulnerable youth. And it should be no surprise they aren’t doing this work alone. READ MORE…
IEL's Coalition for Community Schools organized a study tour for 25 Capitol Hill, executive branch, and association staffers to Baltimore to learn about the city’s community school strategy and how it is driving outcomes for young people, families, and communities.The tour highlighted key stakeholders: Family League of Baltimore, Baltimore City Public Schools, and Elev8 Baltimore.
Capitol Hill and executive branch staff were inspired by the school-community coordination and strong results-based partnerships. They saw that community schools require strong cross-sector partnerships, address multiple barriers to learning, and benefit from supportive federal policy. READ MORE...
Increasingly community and parent organizations have organized to advocate for education reform, including Journey for Justice Alliance led by Jitu Brown. Born on Chicago’s south side and a product of its public schools, Brown has organized the Kenwood Oakland neighborhood for 17+ years, bringing community voices to the table on school issues.
Says Brown, "We are organizing in our neighborhoods, in our cities, and nationally, for an equitable and just education system, based on a belief in the potential of all children and the rights of parents, youth, and communities to participate in all aspects of planning and decision-making.” READ MORE...
IEl's National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) invites youth, professionals, and families to participate in a National Disability Employment Awareness Month Twitter chat on October 24 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. EDT. This discussion with youth leaders will focus on ways to support youth with disabilities as they make decisions about, prepare for, and transition to employment. Alumni of NCWD/Youth's National Youth Action Council on Transition (YouthACT) are helping to host this chat. To participate, follow NCWD/Youth on Twitter @ncwdyouth_iel and use the hashtag #NDEAM. The chat will include YouthACT resources. LEARN MORE...
IEL launched the third wave of its Right Turn Career-Focused Transition Initiative, partnering with community based organizations in five communities around the country, including Houston, Tex., Lansing, Mich., Los Angeles, Calif., Nashville, Tenn., and Phoenix, Ariz. Right Turn provides a career development process to young adults ages 18 to 24 who have been involved with the justice system. Right Turn sites will focus on providing exposure to apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship opportunities in high-demand industries. READ MORE...
In June, IEL delivered a four-day training in Toronto for case workers in a cross-system pilot providing career development to youth with disabilities. Ontario’s Ministry of Community and Social Services is piloting intensive case management with case workers from two agencies—Ontario’s Disability Support Program and Ontario Works—collaborating to support the employment goals and aspirations of youth with disabilities, ages 14 - 29. IEL developed a case management framework and tools based on the U.S. individualized learning plan models and IEL's Individualized Career Development Plan and adapted IEL's Youth Service Professionals’ Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities work with its National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for youth. IEL will provide ongoing coaching. READ MO
IEL's National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth released two new research briefs: Making the Right Turn: A Research Update on Improving Transition Outcomes Among Youth Involved in the Juvenile Corrections System and Making the Right Turn: A Research Update on Prevention and Diversion for Justice Involved Youth. These two briefs synthesize the latest evidence on effective and promising approaches to the prevention of delinquency, youth diversion, and improving transition outcomes among incarcerated youth. These briefs provide an update to the previously published guide, Making the Right Turn: A Guide About Improving Transition Outcomes for Youth Involved with the Juvenile Corrections System. READ MORE...
IEL's Curtis Richards, with Eve Hill and Regina Klein (with Inclusivity Strategic Consulting), published a policy brief intended to inform school leaders about their responsibilities under recent case law to prepare youth with disabilities for work and careers. It can also be helpful for students, families, vocational rehabilitation and developmental disability agency personnel, and community rehabilitation providers. In recent years, the landscape of law and policy regarding transition from school to post-school life for students with disabilities has changed in significant ways. These changes have come not through traditional legal avenues, but through important legal developments that school leaders need to know about to prepare transition-age youth with disabilities for work. READ MORE...
The IEL-led National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for youth (NCWD/Youth) published Promoting Quality Individualized Learning Plans throughout the Lifespan: A Revised and Updated ILP How to Guide 2.0. The guide provides a combination of practical career development resources and activities for implementing quality ILPs, as well as strategies for gaining buy-in and developing capacity at the local level to facilitate the ILP process. It provides examples of how to ensure wuality ILPs implementation. The publication expands on the NCWD/Youth's earlier ILP guide by addressing more age groups and settings, including elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education; workforce development programs; and other non-school settings. READ MORE...
IEL’s Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program (RAMP) is a featured grantee of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Since 2009, RAMP has provided career-focused mentoring to over 2,500 youth with disabilities in 20 communities across the country. In the first seven years, participants achieved these results: 96% stayed in school, 96% had no offenses, 75% improved school attendance, and 80% increased social competence and sense of social support. “Through RAMP, I learned that no matter what kind of kid you are and what you like to do, there could be a good job for you,” says a RAMP Youth from Brattleboro, Vermont.
The IEL-led National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) released a video about the National Youth Action Council on Transition (YouthACT). In the video, youth and adults representing the three cohorts who have partnered through the YouthACT initiative share their hopes for youth, their accomplishments, and their perspectives on working together. YouthACT is a national initiative to get more youth with disabilities and their allies involved as leaders who partner with adults and organizations to improve opportunities for youth to succeed in life. WATCH THE VIDEO...
The IEL-led National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth released a brief aimed at assisting youth development and leadership programs with increasing career development opportunities for youth. The brief describes how organizations can assess the extent to which they currently provide quality career development opportunities and suggests ways to integrate more career development skills-building into youth programs. By incorporating more career development activities into their work, youth development and leadership programs can ensure that youth acquire competencies they need not only to enter and succeed in employment but also to make informed decisions and manage their future career. READ MORE...
The IEL-led National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth released a brief that describes strategies and considerations for designing and delivering professional development for youth service professionals at the state and local levels. It highlights strategies, required resources, and lessons learned from three different professional development initiatives led by IEL. The brief informs the decisions of organizations, agencies, and funders as they consider how to invest in professional development efforts within the workforce development system and other youth service systems and program contexts. READ MORE...
The Right Turn Career-Focused Transition Initiative (Right Turn) provides a career development process for youth who are involved with or at-risk of becoming involved with the juvenile justice system. IEL celebrates youth, such as Ricardo Mixon, who exemplify the powerful impact of Right Turn program sites across the country. Right Turn has served over 1500 youth in high-crime, high-poverty communities across the country. Right Turn provides individualized education, training, and workforce development opportunities. Through these opportunities, all youth have the power and tools to change their lives and transform their communities. WATCH THE VIDEO...
IEL President Johan E. Uvin attended SXSWedu in March. He reflects on the event, which fosters innovation in learning by hosting a diverse and energetic community of stakeholders across a variety of backgrounds in education: “One of my main takeaways was that the place-based strategies underlying IEL’s work align well with the policy and investment priorities of key funders in the equity space.” Uvin’s panel, Reach and Engage More Adult Learners with Mobile Tech, identified the biggest challenge as the underdevelopment of the mobile technologies market for low-skilled adults and suggested that the public sector has a role in stimulating industry development in this new market. READ MORE...
IEL’s convened the annual meeting for the second phase of the Right Turn Career-Focused Transition Initiative. Since 2013, the Department of Labor-funded program has yielded an array of powerful outcomes for youth involved with the juvenile justice system through restorative justice projects, record expungement, school retention, job placement, and more. As Year 1 of the grant came to a close, the four newest sites gathered to engage in program enhancement activities, share their most effective strategies, and reflect on outcomes. Youth participants from each site were selected to attend the meeting and receive leadership development training. After three energizing days of collaboration, staff and youth returned to their respective sites with fresh ideas to implement going into Year 2. LEARN MORE...
In January, IEL's Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program (RAMP), and Right Turn Career-Focused Initiative joined youth and programs around the country in celebrating National Mentoring Month. Youth engaged in relationship-building activities, including game nights, career tours, and movie nights (shout-out to those who saw Hidden Figures and met a female NASA scientist who knew the women from the movie!). Youth also thanked their mentors through appreciation breakfasts, making "thank you" picture frames, and celebrating in other ways. IEL created RAMP and Right Turn from a variety of foundational materials that are free and available to the public.
The IEL-led National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth released a series of briefs for community colleges: Supporting Student Success through Connecting Activities. Community college leaders are increasingly concerned with finding ways to better support and engage students to improve college completion rates. The series highlights the importance of connecting postsecondary students to services and supports, such as physical and mental health services, housing and transportation assistance, academic skills training, financial planning and assistance services, and a variety of other community-based adult services. Connecting students to these services and opportunities can help increase postsecondary persistence and completion rates. READ MORE…
Since 2013, IEL's Right Turn Career-Focused Transition Initiative has yielded an array of positive outcomes for youth involved with the juvenile justice system, from restorative justice projects to school retention and job placements. IEL recently convened the final annual meeting of the first five sites of the program, with an overall theme of justice and youth empowerment. At the completion of three years pioneering Right Turn, managers, coordinators, mentors, and youth from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C. to celebrate their success and reflect on the impact it has had on their communities. READ MORE...
In September, IEL celebrated the fifth graduation of the DC Advocacy Partners (DCAP) program, a nine-month leadership and advocacy training program for self-advocates, family members of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and professionals working with people with disabilities. DCAP’s goal is to empower a core group of D.C. residents to work with policymakers to improve policies, programs, and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in D.C. To date, 29 D.C. residents have graduated from DCAP, including seventeen this September. READ MORE...
Many students, including students with disabilities, enter postsecondary education lacking the personal skills, knowledge, and attributes they need to achieve their education and career goals. To increase student retention, completion, and career readiness, postsecondary institutions need to include youth development and leadership opportunities that help students build personal competencies. The new guide by the IEL-led National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth, Personal Competencies for College and Career Success provides suggestions about various strategies postsecondary professionals can use to assist all students, including those with disabilities, in developing personal competencies that will increase their chances of success. READ MORE...
In July, 14 youth service professionals graduated from the D.C. Youth Workforce Leaders Academy (YWLA), a 10-month professional development program co-led by IEL and the DC Alliance of Youth Advocates. YWLA develops competencies and creates a peer learning community for staff from organizations that provide workforce development services to D.C. youth ages 16 to 24, including those with disabilities. Participants received training on quality practices and program design in a wide variety of topic areas, including youth rights and policies, youth development and youth voice, program design and delivery, career exploration and workforce preparation, assessment and individualized planning, employer engagement, collaboration and partnership, and engaging families. READ MORE...
The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) recently released an info brief designed to help staff, faculty, and administrators in postsecondary institutions better understand how engaging families of students with disabilities can make them partners in student success. This brief highlights findings from a national online dialogue on the topic conducted in early 2015. It provides ideas for supporting families related to common need areas identified in that dialogue, and promotes the idea of family engagement as a sound strategy for student retention and academic achievement. READ MORE…
On April 15, IEL and the American Youth Policy Forum hosted the second annual Samuel Halperin Lecture and Youth Public Service Award. The lecture, presented by Michele Cahill of the National Center for Civic Innovation, focused on how we can support and engage students in college and career readiness. Ebony Rempson, a 21-year-old AmeriCorps volunteer from Washington, D.C., was presented the youth public service award and read her winning essay. READ MORE…
The IEL-led National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth recently released By Youth, For Youth: Employment, a youth-driven, youth-friendly guide to exploring careers and preparing for, landing, and keeping a job. The guide includes tips, resources, and checklists related to finding the right job, preparing a resuming, acing an interview, disability disclosure and accommodations, keeping a job, vocational rehabilitation and other supports, and workplace mentors. READ MORE...
On December 29, 2015, the U.S. District Court in Oregon awarded a landmark settlement that will impact almost 8,000 workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the state. The settlement addresses the claim that these workers with disabilities were unnecessarily segregated into sheltered workshops, where they receive sub-minimum wage pay, instead of receiving supported employment services to prepare for and attain jobs in integrated employment settings with competitive wages. IEL provided expert witness support to the case related to its impact on transition-age youth. READ MORE…
IEL announced the selection of four sites across the country to be in the second cohort of its Right Turn Career-Focused Transition Initiative for youth in the juvenile justice system. Earlier this year, IEL was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to serve as an intermediary organization to work with communities on Right Turn. Following a competitive nationwide application process, IEL selected Lawrence Hall in Chicago, Ill., Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, N.Y., The Children’s Cabinet in Reno, Nev., and Peckham, Inc. in Lansing, Mich. READ MORE...
The IEL-led National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth released Designing Statewide Career Development Strategies & Programs. The guide will help policymakers implement high-quality, comprehensive statewide career development programs to help all youth, including those with disabilities, become college and career ready. The first part of the guide is a primer to quality youth career development systems. The second is an implementation guide with resources, promising practices, and challenges encountered by states implementing career development programming in schools. READ MORE...
Recently, the IEL-led National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) released a new guide, Fostering Inclusive Volunteering and Service Learning. The guide seeks to help youth service professionals integrate youth with disabilities and other disconnected youth into service learning and volunteering opportunities and activities. This guide provides useful information on facilitating youth engagement in volunteer activities. It describes how ALL youth benefit from volunteering, different types of volunteer opportunities, and ways to assist youth to prepare for, access, and learn from their experiences. It also provides relevant resources and tools that can enhance and foster successful outcomes. READ MORE...
This summer, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) turned 25. The ADA impacted missions and fostered the ADA Generation, a group of young people with disabilities who came of age under the ADA's aegis. The ADA generation experienced more equality and access to opportunity in education, the workforce, and the community than their predecessors. IEL gathered some of their stories. Allan Brizaela wants to be a lawyer or a cop, enjoys playing baseball, and is a disability advocate. Sarah Funes is an intern with Sen. Barbara Boxer and credits the ADA for making it possible for her to be independent. Anjali Forber Pratt is a Vanderbilt University professor, Paralympic bronze medalist, and author. READ MORE...
The D.C. Youth Workforce Leaders Academy (YWLA), co-led by IEL’s Center for Workforce Development, is a year-long learning community that provides professional development and training to youth service professionals in the Washington, DC area. YWLA launched in 2014 with a cadre of 15 members who participated in monthly in-person sessions, online discussions and webinars, and peer collaboration with the aim of improving their organizations’ work in youth workforce development. During their graduation ceremony on May 28, YWLA members presented their capstone projects and heard from U.S. Department of Labor Deputy Assistant Secretary Eric Seleznow and D.C. Councilmember Elissa Silverman, as well as each YWLA member. READ MORE…
Earlier this year, IEL and several individuals with disabilities and their family members affiliated with IEL’s programs, including DC Advocacy Partners, attended an event at the White House highlighting the benefits and achievements of the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014, which included remarks from Vice President Joe Biden and Senators Bob Casey and Richard Burr. The ABLE Act creates a new savings account for people with disabilities who acquired their disabilities before age 26 and allows families to save up to $100,000 for future disability-related expenses, including education, healthcare, transportation, and housing. READ MORE...
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the contribution and impact of the ADA Generation, IEL is collecting stories from youth and young adults with disabilities who came of age under the ADA and their allies. IEL is particularly interested in stories related to transition to adulthood, including secondary and postsecondary education; work skills, internships, and employment; and independent living.
IEL has a long history of supporting youth transitioning to adulthood. It is essential for youth with disabilities to understand disability history, culture, and public policy, as well as their rights and responsibilities. READ MORE…
The U.S. Department of Labor recently released guidance for states, local areas, and youth service providers for implementing the new Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). WIOA is replacing the Workforce Investment Act as the policy backbone of our workforce system. One of WIOA’s most significant shifts for young people is a markedly increased focus on out-of-school youth. WIOA programs will be expected to spend at least 75% of funds on that population. Another major change that affects youth is that WIOA programs must spend at least 20% of funds for youth work experiences, including youth summer and year-round employment opportunities. READ MORE…
The IEL-led National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) released its new report entitled Use of Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs): A Promising Practice for Driving College and Career Readiness Efforts – Findings and Recommendations from a Multi-Method, Multi-Study Effort. This report summarizes findings and recommendations of NCWD/Youth’s 5+ years of ILP research. The ILP process helps youth, including youth with disabilities, to plan secondary and postsecondary courses aligned to career goals. The process also incorporates opportunities for self-exploration, career exploration, and career planning and management. READ MORE...
Michael Gritton is the executive director of the Louisville-based KentucianaWorks. Twelve years ago, Michael began his tenure as executive director of KentuckianaWorks. Notably, KentuckianaWorks was the nation’s first WIB to run a college access center. Its vision: promoting Louisville as the country’s next “economic hotspot,” home to a skilled and educated workforce. To date, KentuckianaWorks has helped 12,000 Kentuckians find jobs with over 46,000 receiving financial aid and career counseling.
Behind his success as a leader is a story of confronting and successfully overcoming a variety of work challenges. In a recent interview with Michael he shared his experiences successfully working across boundaries with various stakeholders. READ MORE...