RL – accessibility tests

Increasingly, key areas of youth leadership and development are being re-imagined through the lens of belonging. As explored in the next chapter, it is incumbent on adults, whether they be parents, educators, practitioners in youth-serving organizations, etc., to intentionally create and sustain environments where youth feel supported, seen, respected and heard, just a few of the many words used to define a sense of belonging. This is often easier said than done as schools, districts, and other settings where youth can be found and rely on for stability struggle to rebound in the aftermath of the pandemic and an increasingly divisive and polarized climate. 

The 2022 Youth Transition Report underscores the persistent and pernicious gap between youth and young adults with disabilities and those without disabilities on measures of success in education, employment, opportunity, and poverty. While data and reports exist for the working-age adult population and children with disabilities, IEL recognized a lack of information specific to the youth and young adult population in the 14-24 age group. IEL’s Youth Transition Report addresses this need by presenting an annual snapshot of the outcome gaps between youth and young adults with disabilities and those without disabilities, including opportunity youth whom the education and workforce systems have not adequately served and supported. This report consists of the status of the selected population and education, employment, opportunity youth, and poverty indicators.

Examine the voice, engagement, and leadership of youth in Community Schools! This guide serves to support Community School practitioners to better understand and create opportunities for youth leadership in their schools and communities. Working with participating Community Schools and students, this resource captures youth stories and insight to help illustrate how to build more inclusive decision-making and activate the next generation of leaders in our communities. Download the guide for steps and strategies for how to incorporate youth voice, engagement, and leadership in Community Schools!

The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program is the largest workforce program in the United States, providing employment services to people with disabilities to help them retain or enter competitive integrated employment commensurate with their abilities and capabilities. During the pandemic, state VR services were significantly affected and in some cases those services were halted for a period of time as agencies attempted to reroute services virtually and to eventually provide in-person contact. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a recession in the United States that impacts all workers. Historical data in the U.S. show that people with disabilities are more likely than their peers without disabilities to drop out of the workforce during economic downturns and are less likely to recover employment after the recession ends.

When school leaders use evidence-based tools focused on equity for observations, they have greater potential to improve classroom practice.

This report was produced by the Institute for Educational Leadership, Inc. (IEL) to examine the persistent gaps in educational and employment outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities in the United States. The report focuses on comparative data for youth and young adults with and without disabilities between the ages of 14 and 24, including those opportunity youth that education and workforce systems have failed to adequately support, to highlight the needs of this transition age population. This information can support practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to better understand and serve this population.

Leaders of Tomorrow is a leadership program developed by the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) with a curriculum co-created by immigrant and refugee youth. The goal of Leaders of Tomorrow is to support and mobilize immigrant and refugee youth through opportunities to expand their knowledge, strengthen their skills, access tools and resources, and improve their own circumstances and those of all children, youth, adults, and families in their communities.

A Blueprint for Community Inclusion Strategies for Youth with Developmental Disabilities in Washington, DC provides a summary of comments and common themes among DC youth with disabilities and their families. This includes their top priorities, solutions to pressing issues, and ways that allies (individuals and organizations) can better support them. These priorities are foundations for a framework for policy and action steps that leaders, public institutions, and others can take to better engage and serve youth with disabilities in the District.

This document includes “Frequently Asked Questions” intended to support state and local efforts in effectively using ARP ESSER funds to advance evidence-based full-service community schools and related approaches.