The Walmart Foundation’s 2011 Investment in Summer Youth Employment: Encouraging Results and Lessons Learned

In Spring 2011, the Walmart Foundation funded summer employment opportunities for youth in five cities – Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC. A team from the Center for Youth and Communities at Brandeis University’s Heller School visited all five sites, interviewing administrators, partners, and employers and observing program operations. This report summarizes… Read More ›

Innovating Under Pressure: The Story of the 2009 Recovery Act Summer Youth Employment Initiative

This study documents the implementation of the ARRA summer youth employment initiative in four featured communities: Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana; and Phoenix and Maricopa County, Arizona. This report describes the local context for implementation, provides insight into specific assets and innovations that were used to achieve the community goals, identifies… Read More ›

Liberty Mutual Mentoring Initiative: Mentoring. Modeling. More.

This report highlights key findings of the multi-phased research study conducted by the Donahue Institute. In 2003, Liberty Mutual launched the Liberty Mutual Mentoring Initiative (LMMI), a $1 million commitment to mentoring that provides grants and technical assistance to mentoring programs throughout Massachusetts, as well as funds relevant to research. In 2004, Liberty Mutual, in… Read More ›

Unfinished Work: Building Excellence in Washington DC’s Summer Youth Employment Program

This study by Brandeis University identifies best practices and examines the potential of Washington DC’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) as currently organized to provide the city’s young people with an introduction to work, with opportunities to earn money over the summer, and with positive learning experiences that support their future employability. Source Organization: Center… Read More ›

New Teacher Survival Guide: Differentiating Instruction

This 13 minute video features a new chemistry teacher working with an expert in differentiated instruction to modify a lesson to meet the needs of the diverse learners in her classroom. She tries several strategies, including tiered word problems and group work, and discusses her successes and challenges. To facilitate sharing and self reflection,The Teaching… Read More ›

National Evaluation of Learn and Serve America, Summary Report

In 1993, the National and Community Service Trust Act (P.L. 103-82) established the Learn and Serve America School and Community-Based Programs to support school and community-based efforts to involve school-aged youth in community service. Between 1994 and 1997, Brandeis University’s Center for Human Resources and Abt Associates Inc. conducted an evaluation of the national Learn… Read More ›

The Power of Combining Youth Development Principles, Culture and Arts: Findings of a Study of the Culture & Arts Youth Development Initiative

This study from the Skillman Foundation features the results of an evaluation of its Culture and Arts Youth Development Initiative, which integrates youth development with arts and culture by providing youth in underdeveloped neighborhoods opportunities to participate in long-term exposure to the arts. The findings are based on the evaluation of the first four years… Read More ›

Documenting Stories of Immigration in Your Community

This resource provides information on how to empower students to become more engaged with the issue of immigration and provides a manual for teachers and students for getting started. Source Organization: What Kids Can Do Visit the Resource

Teacher Design for Education

Using hands-on activities and project-based challenges, Teacher Design for Education (TD4Ed) harnesses the creativity and problem-solving skills educators use everyday to solve some of the toughest problems within education. Through this curriculum, educators will tap into skills they already have and build new competencies to identify challenges, generate new ideas, and implement solutions. Source Organization:… Read More ›

A Step-by-Step Guide to Personalized Learning

This report offers a six step approach on how to create a classroom environment that gives each learner a voice and choice. It first provides the background on what is and what is not “Personalized Learning.” Then the authors provide a condensed version of their “Stages of Personalized Learning,” recognizing that achieving personalization within a… Read More ›

ELO: Beyond Classroom

This website is written for New Hampshire educators who are ready to explore student learning outside the traditional classroom. Here you can find information, tools, and resources to help educators understand what extended learning opportunities (ELOs) are (as defined in New Hampshire), how they work, and and they can be used at schools. This website… Read More ›