High school students participating in 16 California multiple pathways programs generally graduated at higher rates, met university requirements in greater numbers, performed better on high school exit exams and were more engaged in school and learning. This report summarizes a 2007-2008 study of the ConnectEd Network of Schools, capturing positive results as well as challenges. Results are not considered conclusive, but provide encouragement and insight as Irvine launches a larger-scale demonstration: the California Multiple Pathways District Initiative. The report is also intended to offer insights to funders, policymakers and practitioners who, like Irvine, see great potential in California multiple pathways to help students build a strong foundation for success in college and career--and life. The study was conducted by MPR Associates, Inc., a leading education research and consulting firm. (Contains 4 exhibits.).
In California, the James Irvine Foundation created ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career to promote multiple pathways that link to the state's 15 major industry sectors. The ConnectEd Network of Schools, a demonstration project supported by Irvine, plays a critical role in expanding student options through multiple pathways and illuminating how pathways work and what they can accomplish. The Network consists of 16 sites spread across the state that vary significantly in structure, ranging from small autonomous schools to Regional Occupational Programs (ROPs) serving several districts, and including a charter school and a program run by a nonprofit organization. ConnectEd has made a strong commitment to rigorous evaluation of multiple pathways since its inception. A major objective of the Network sites is to provide data on a set of core indicators of student outcomes to document the effectiveness of multiple pathways. Undertaken during the 2007-08 school year, with follow-up ongoing in 2008-09, this evaluation of Network sites sought to answer these questions: (1) What is the evidence that multiple pathways produce greater student engagement, improved achievement, and higher rates of school completion than do more conventional high school programs?; (2) What is the impact of the pathways approach on student attitudes, behaviors, "soft skills," motivation, awareness of career options, and workplace readiness?; (3) What key program variables characterize implementation of pathways at each site?; (4) How well have sites implemented pathways, according to a rubric defining the key pathways features thought to contribute to improved student outcomes?; (5) What other variables (e.g., factors related to students and teachers) influence implementation?; (6) What are the relationships between student outcomes and fidelity of implementation of key features?; and (7) What major implementation themes emerge that are important to understanding whether and how pathways influence student outcomes? A full description of the evaluation methods is contained in Appendices A-C of the report. This paper presents the findings of the evaluation. Appended are: (1) Logic Model and Data Request Tools; (2) Evaluation Methods; (3) Evaluation Instruments; (4) Achievement Data Tables for Network Overall; and (5) Achievement Data Tables for Individual Site Comparisons. A glossary of terms is included. (Contains 24 exhibits, 193 tables. and 3 footnotes.).
Strengthen programs of family and community engagement to promote equity and increase student success! When schools, families, and communities collaborate and share responsibility for students′ education, more students succeed in school. Based on 30 years of research and fieldwork, the fourth edition of the bestseller School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, presents tools and guidelines to help develop more effective and more equitable programs of family and community engagement. Written by a team of well-known experts, it provides a theory and framework of six types of involvement for action; up-to-date research on school, family, and community collaboration; and new materials for professional development and on-going technical assistance. Readers also will find: Examples of best practices on the six types of involvement from preschools, and elementary, middle, and high schools Checklists, templates, and evaluations to plan goal-linked partnership programs and assess progress CD-ROM with slides and notes for two presentations: A new awareness session to orient colleagues on the major components of a research-based partnership program, and a full One-Day Team Training Workshop to prepare school teams to develop their partnership programs. As a foundational text, this handbook demonstrates a proven approach to implement and sustain inclusive, goal-linked programs of partnership. It shows how a good partnership program is an essential component of good school organization and school improvement for student success. This book will help every district and all schools strengthen and continually improve their programs of family and community engagement.
The global refugee crisis is staggering in scope. The United Nations Refugee Agency reported that 79.5 million people were displaced worldwide in 2019, and over half of all displaced persons were under eighteen. As the number of children and teenagers seeking asylum continues to grow, the impact of displacement on a young person’s well-being and development over the long term requires further study. In Finding Safe Harbour Emily Pelley investigates the current response to refugee youth in Canada by highlighting how Halifax, Nova Scotia, as a mid-sized urban centre, has mobilized services and resources to support young people seeking refuge. Opening with a broad contextual introduction to the global crisis of displacement and the impact of violence and armed conflict on young people, Pelley focuses on the reciprocal adaptation that is required for the long-term integration of displaced youth into the receiving society. A concise and illuminating study on refugee resettlement, Finding Safe Harbour concludes with an in-depth discussion of how cities can optimize resilience resources through meaningful engagement with refugee youth.
'The Impact of School Infrastructure on Learning: A Synthesis of the Evidence provides an excellent literature review of the resources that explore the areas of focus for improved student learning, particularly the aspiration for “accessible, well-built, child-centered, synergetic and fully realized learning environments.†? Written in a style which is both clear and accessible, it is a practical reference for senior government officials and professionals involved in the planning and design of educational facilities, as well as for educators and school leaders. --Yuri Belfali, Head of Division, Early Childhood and Schools, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills This is an important and welcome addition to the surprisingly small, evidence base on the impacts of school infrastructure given the capital investment involved. It will provide policy makers, practitioners, and those who are about to commission a new build with an important and comprehensive point of reference. The emphasis on safe and healthy spaces for teaching and learning is particularly welcome. --Harry Daniels, Professor of Education, Department of Education, Oxford University, UK This report offers a useful library of recent research to support the, connection between facility quality and student outcomes. At the same time, it also points to the unmet need for research to provide verifiable and reliable information on this connection. With such evidence, decisionmakers will be better positioned to accurately balance the allocation of limited resources among the multiple competing dimensions of school policy, including the construction and maintenance of the school facility. --David Lever, K-12 Facility Planner, Former Executive Director of the Interagency Committee on School Construction, Maryland Many planners and designers are seeking a succinct body of research defining both the issues surrounding the global planning of facilities as well as the educational outcomes based on the quality of the space provided. The authors have finally brought that body of evidence together in this well-structured report. The case for better educational facilities is clearly defined and resources are succinctly identified to stimulate the dialogue to come. We should all join this conversation to further the process of globally enhancing learning-environment quality! --David Schrader, AIA, Educational Facility Planner and Designer, Former Chairman of the Board of Directors, Association for Learning Environments (A4LE)
In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.
