All Featured Highlights

• Apr 03, 2013  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Bryant Taking Aim at Gun Violence: Rebuilding Community Education and Employment Pathways In a single generation, our nation is faced with the prospect of losing over 132,000 black men and boys to gun violence. Moreover, for every black male who dies from gun violence, there are another 24 others who suffer non-fatal injuries - making the impacts of such violence even greater. In black communities, gun violence is about far more than reforming gun control laws and empowering law enforcement. Gun violence for young black males predominates in communities where residents live in concentrated disadvantage with high rates of unemployment, school dropout, and poverty. The absence of opportunities in these communities gives rise to criminal activity and the loss of too many young lives. Solving the crisis of gun violence in communities requires that America address the issue of concentrated poverty and geography. The rebuilding and strengthening of these communities through creating infrastructure to provide improved education and employment opportunities for black youth will significantly reduce issues of gun violence. Download PDF
• Feb 22, 2013  |  CLASP Youth Policy Team New "Keeping Connected" Update Keeping Connected is a periodic update designed to keep advocates and practitioners informed on policy happenings in education, training, and youth development that can impact black male achievement. Read Online
• Feb 19, 2013  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Bryant, Linda Harris, Kisha Bird Investing in Boys and Young Men of Color: The Promise and Opportunity Boys and young men of color in the United States face challenges in the areas of education, employment, and health. In the last several years, there has been greater focus on understanding these challenges and identifying potential solutions. While we know more about effective programmatic solutions, we still have much to learn about the systemic barriers that impede the success of males of color. Effecting policy changes in these areas will produce sustainable gains for boys and young men of color. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation commissioned CLASP to conduct a scan of these policy opportunities to inform the development of their Forward Promise Initiative. Download PDF
• Oct 16, 2012  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Bryant Commentary on Children, Families and Poverty: Definitions, Trends, Emerging Science and Implications for Policy The latest issue of Social Policy Report, “Children, Families and Poverty: Definitions, Trends, Emerging Science and Implications for Policy” features commentary from Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Bryant. The Social Policy Report is a quarterly publication that provides a forum for scholarly reviews and discussions of developmental research and its implications for the policies affecting children published by the Society for Research in Child Development. Download PDF
• Jul 31, 2012  |  Linda Harris and Kisha Bird Comments to U.S. Department of Education Request for Information on Strategies for Improving Outcomes for Disconnected Youth CLASP applauds the Obama Administration and the leadership of the Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Department of Education in spearheading the Interagency Work Group on Disconnected Youth. We welcome the role the workgroup can play in providing visibility to the situation of this often forgotten segment of the youth population and in advancing policies that support dropout recovery and the reengagement of youth in high-risk situations. Download PDF
• May 08, 2012  |  LINDA HARRIS, RHONDA BRYANT, AND KISHA BIRD Finding the Will: A Guidebook for Using Youth Distress Data to Promote Community Advocacy and Action This guidebook is a companion document to CLASP’s Keeping Youth Connected data profile series developed to assist communities that have high levels of youth distress. The data profile project aims to elevate discussions about this challenge and encourage the strategic actions necessary to improve outcomes for youth and the community. Download PDF
• Dec 20, 2012  |  Campaign for Youth Campaign for Youth Urges Policymakers to Connect Youth To Training and Jobs in Sandy Relief Package Read Online
• May 24, 2012  |  Rhonda Bryant Connecting to Jobs: Local Strategies & Policy Approaches to Employ Black Men We are all painfully aware of the employment situation for Black males in the United States. The problem is not a new one. It has, however, been exacerbated by the economic crisis of the last several years. As in times past, black males have been slow to bounce back from this most recent setback in the economy. Young black men in particular face major challenges because their lack of attachment to the labor market is generally a predictor of future attachment and future earning potential. There are solutions to this employment problem – but it requires significant advocacy, the public will to be intentional about solutions for black males specifically, and adequate resources to address the scale of the problem. Read Online
• Jun 27, 2012  |  Campaign for Youth FACT SHEET: HOUSE WIA REAUTHORIZATION BILL ELIMINATES YOUTH JOBS AND TRAINING Download PDF
• Dec 09, 2010  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt We Dream A World: The 2025 Vision for Black Men and Boys There is a gross disparity in outcomes for Black people, particularly men and youth, in all major areas of American life, including education, employment and health. The reasons for these disparities are myriad, such as generational poverty, lack of access to opportunities and structural racism. As a nation, we simply cannot afford to write off generations of Black men who have so much potential. We urgently need action in the Black community and political will at all levels to drastically alter the status quo. The 2025 Campaign for Black Men and Boys was formed to ensure that by the time black boys born in 2007 turn 18 (in 2025), the nation's policies and social mores will have changed drastically enough that collectively they will fare far better than today's young black men. We Dream A World sets forth a strategy to raise awareness, create local impact, and advance better policies to achieve this goal. Read Online
• Nov 30, 2010  |  Linda Harris, Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield Building Pathways to Postsecondary Success for Low-Income Young Men of Color Download PDF
• Jan 27, 2011  |  CLASP Youth Team In Their Own Words In Their Own Words is a video developed to gain better insight into the unique experiences of young people who have dropped out of high school and reconnected to career and education supports and to capture the sense of hope and transformation of young males of color. Read Online
• Mar 29, 2010  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Reauthorizing ESEA: Considerations for Dropout Prevention and Recovery American school districts are losing the battle to successfully educate a large number of the nation's youth. The reauthorization of ESEA is a prime opportunity to rethink how we can strengthen our commitment to reconnect with youth who have left school without receiving their diploma. These comments, submitted to the US House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor, focus on how to amend ESEA to ensure that struggling students and high school dropouts have access to systems, support, and funding to remain in school or re-enter the educational system and attain a viable education that prepares them for post secondary opportunities and success in careers. Download PDF
• Mar 09, 2010  |  Sara Hastings, Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt, and Linda Harris Building a Comprehensive Youth Employment Delivery System: Examples of Effective Practice Many communities have shown tremendous commitment to youth employment. The return on investment and effort, however, can be greatly multiplied if federal youth funds, discretionary funding, resources from other youth serving systems, and community resources are brought together to build comprehensive youth employment system. Key elements of such a system include: a strong convening entity, an effective administrative agent, a well-trained case management arm, strong partnerships across systems that serve youth, and high quality work experience and career exposure. Download PDF
• Mar 09, 2010  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt, Linda Harris, and Kisha Bird Follow the Money: Funding and Legislative Opportunities on the Horizon for Communities to Serve Disconnected Youth Several pieces of legislation have been proposed or passed that present opportunities to fund programs in communities to keep young people connected to school and recapture those who have fallen by the wayside. Most of these resources, however, are from competitive funding streams which will require communities to demonstrate innovative practice in planning and implementation. Communities need to be aware of these potential opportunities very early in the process in order to plan strategically and create partnerships to program at-scale and meet the needs of their disconnected youth. Download PDF
• Aug 17, 2010  |  Linda Harris Recommendations for WIA Reauthorization Title I Youth Provisions WIA reauthorization provides the opportunity to re-think and strengthen the youth delivery system across the country. CLASP recommendations focus on increase targeting to high risk youth and more strategic alliances among youth serving systems Download PDF
• Oct 29, 2008  |  Linda Harris and Evelyn Ganzglass Creating Postsecondary Pathways to Good Jobs for Young High School Dropouts This paper advocates expansion and better integration of efforts to connect high school dropouts between the ages of 16 and 24 to pathways to postsecondary credentials that have value in the labor market. The paper highlights examples of innovations in policy, program delivery, pedagogy in adult education, youth development and dropout recovery, and postsecondary education that should be built upon in developing more robust and successful dropout recovery and postsecondary education policies and practices to open the door to higher wages and career opportunities for this population. The authors urge federal officials, governors, school administrators, college officials, workforce leaders and employers to provide leadership in building the supports and pathways at scale to bring dropout youth back into the education and labor market mainstream. The paper was prepared for the Center for American Progress. Download PDF
• Oct 28, 2008  |  Campaign for Youth Our Youth, Our Economy, Our Future: A National Investment Strategy for Reconnecting America’s Youth The Campaign for Youth has developed a national strategy outlining opportunities for federal investment in disconnected youth. These two documents--the full strategy document and its accompanying executive summary--have been circulated to all 2008 presidential candidates. Download PDF
• May 16, 2008  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt A Collective Responsibility, A Collective Work: The supporting the Path to Positive Life Outcomes for Youth in Economically Distressed Communities This paper presents a picture of risk and challenge for youth in distressed communities and outlines how these communities can band together to create a continuum of supportive activities to bolster youth's success in school and life. As youth grow and develop, individualized support and exposure to new experiences has a significant impact on their life trajectory. Youth in economically distressed communities deserve to have access to these types of opportunities, which are much more readily available to their peers in other communities. This investment in youth can have a positive effect on academic success, future life earnings, family stability, and the livelihood of the community. This paper may be helpful in guiding a community's thinking about how to get started in creating a sustainable support system for all of its youth. Download PDF
• Jun 19, 2009  |  CCRY Network Youth Opportunity Grant Evaluation Fact Sheet At the end of 2008, the Department of Labor released the findings of an independent evaluation conducted by DIR, Inc. showing positive results from the YO initiative and highlighting effective practices for serving youth. During the grant period, these 36 communities enrolled 92,000 mostly minority youth – 48 percent of them out of school. The evaluation documented that for this population, grantees were able to increase educational attainment, Pell Grant receipt, labor market participation, and employment rates and earnings. The evaluation also showed that when adequate resources are targeted at building community capacity to serve youth, labor force participation and education outcomes can improve. Download PDF
• Oct 08, 2009  |  CLASP The Safety Net's Response to the Recession Download PDF