The AYPF Oscars for Youth Development

American Youth Policy Forum recently released a report, How 23 Programs Support Youth on the Path to College and Beyond.  The programs (below) “have been proven to help young people successfully complete high school and be prepared for success in postsecondary education and careers.”  I’ve had the good fortune to work with most of them.  Here’s the factors that AYPF identified that contributed to their success:

The Programmatic Elements of Success include factors related to the content and interactions that characterize young people’s experiences in the programs, such as Rigor and Academic Support, Relationships, College Knowledge and Access, Relevance, Youth-Centered Programs, and Effective Instruction.

Structural and System-Focused Elements of Success include factors related to the context and environment in which the programs operate, such as Partnerships an Cross-Systems Collaboration; Strategic Use of Time; Leadership and Autonomy; and Effective Assessment and Use of Data.

The only downside is that few of these efforts have been taken to scale; nonprofits have inherent difficulty scaling.  The list doesn’t include charter management organizations–the most important youth development of the last decade.
Programs Profiled in the Publication
1) After School Matters
2) Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)
3) Career Academies
4) Communities in Schools
5) Citizen Schools
6) Digital Bridge Academy
7) Diploma Plus
8) Dual Enrollment in Two States: Florida and New York City
9) Early College High Schools
10) Enhanced Math in Career and Technical Education
11) First Things First
12) Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP)
13) Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection
14) Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP)
15) National Guard Youth ChalleNGe
16)Opening Doors and Enhanced Opening Doors at Chaffey College
17)Opening Doors Learning Communities at Kingsborough Community College
18) Project Graduation Really Achieves Dreams (GRAD)
19) Talent Development High School
20) Talent Search
21) Upward Bound
22) Upward Bound Math-Science
23)Washington State Achievers