By Antonia Rangel-Caril, Sr. Program Specialist, National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and Families
The NLC Reengagement Network is a vibrant, primarily virtual group staffed by the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and Families that welcomes participation by representatives of communities, cities, school districts, and other organizations with a commitment to improving the outcomes for millions of youth and young adults between the ages of 16-24, who are not in school or working.
Members of the Reengagement Network have opportunities to attend the National League of Cities virtual quarterly Network meetings, receive weekly emails with resources, join national initiatives, and participate in reengagement discussions offered during twice-annual convenings of the National Youth Employment Coalition.
Our Reengagement Network member group also contains a resource bank with sample tools and materials from the National League of Cities and experts from across the country. One example of resources we post is our notes, presentations, and video from our Network Calls. These Network Calls include program updates, presentations on reengagement research from national leaders, ARPA/ESSER funding examples, and community brainstorm sessions. Read the full article...
You can also reach out to Antonia Rangel-Caril, Sr. Program Specialist, at Rangel-Caril@nlc.org.
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Andrew Moore, Director, Youth & Young Adult Connections - Institute for Youth, Education, and Families
As Open Doors program leaders and partners know only too well, the Covid pandemic years have resulted in more school disconnection and fragile living circumstances for the nation’s Opportunity Youth – those between the ages of 16-24 who are neither working nor in school. Indeed, Measure of America estimated that the number of Opportunity Youth doubled to nine million at the height of the pandemic and the related decline in economic activity. In Washington, the pre-pandemic figure stood at 83,000, a number likely to have grown.
In the face of these large numbers, strategically building and deploying local capacity to reengage Opportunity Youth in education and work is more important than ever. In dialogue with practitioners over the past decade plus, the definition of “reengagement” has come to encompass five functions: Outreach to the known pool of recent school-leavers, and an open door for others who may have fallen off lists; assessment of educational and psychosocial needs; referral to a best fit education option and other services and supports; support to re-enroll; and support to stay enrolled for at least the balance of one school year.
Continue reading this article...
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Out-of-school youth, also known as OSY, refers to migrant eligible youth between the age of 16–21 who are not currently enrolled in a K–12 education, have not yet graduated from high school, or have not received a high school equivalency diploma but are still eligible for academic services. This may include:
- Students who have dropped out of school and have not received a GED
- An individual who has never enrolled in a K–12 educational system
- Youth who are working on a GED outside of a K–12 school
This population includes immigrant students who fit the profile of "Here-to-Work," meaning they have no intention of enrolling in the U.S. educational system. Many individuals in this population are underage and are entitled to a free public education (through grade 12) under state law.
To learn more about supporting OSY, contact:
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The COVID-19 Student Survey: Impacts & Implications on Student Learning and Well-Being is back for 2022. This survey, for students in grades 6 to 12 is an opportunity for districts to gather student voice on the impact of COVID-19 and their mental health and well-being. Additional questions about school experience and mental health have been added this year.
The survey was developed with schools and districts in mind. It’s meant to be actionable, allowing schools to use the data that they receive to make changes. It’s also been streamlined and can be given in a 20-25 minute planning period.
Registration is open now until February 24th.
Schools can chose to administer the survey at a time that works best for them from February 1st to 28th.
Districts will receive results in April 2022, in time to use for development of school improvement plans, reengagement plans, and other planning.
A copy of the survey questions can be found here.
The survey is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, Vietnamese and Somali.
Questions? Email or call; Emily.Maughan@k12.wa.us 360-725-6030
 Equitable Practices in Reengagement
February 9, 2022 | 10:00-11:30am
What are equitable practices that increase the impact of your reengagement programs? We’re hosting author and national leader in reengagement, Dr. Victor Rios to share what he’s learned about establishing reengagement programs with school districts and communities to address system inequities and how to promote prosperity, well-being, and educational achievement for at-promise youth and their families. We’ll also be hosting a panel of Washington reengagement leaders to talk about their partnerships, including Highline Public Schools, Clover Park School District, Southwest Youth & Families Services, Career Link, and Graduation Alliance. They’ll be sharing their favorite resources that you can use to assess your progress. We’ll be offering 1.5 free Clock Hours for your participation. Register here...
Funding & Eligibility
Funding for Open Doors
Open Doors is an education program that generates state basic education funding. OSPI issues approval to local educational agencies to innovatively use education funds to operate Open Doors 1418 Youth Reengagement programs, as defined in RCW and WAC. For non-education entities such as community-based organizations, contracting with a local education agency is required. Additional supports and funding through school improvement identification may be available for Open Doors programs that elect to operate as a school and obtain an R-type school code (see below). If your district, school, or educational entity is interested in starting an Open Doors program, please visit: Open Doors Youth Reengagement-Getting Started Toolkit .
School Improvement Funding
Most Open Doors 1418 Youth Reengagement programs with an R-type school code are eligible for supplemental funding and supports through OSPI’s Office for System and School Improvement (OSSI). This is true for programs identified as eligible for Tier III supports (Comprehensive or Comprehensive Graduation Rate) per the 2018 Washington School Improvement Framework (WSIF). Awards amounts have range; the most recent awards were $35,000-$103,820. For more information on funding through school improvement, contact Mary Adams at mary.adams@k12.wa.us.
Eligibility
Only local education agencies (LEAs) are eligible for Washington state’s Open Doors 1418 Youth Reengagement application and approval. As defined in Elementary and Secondary Education Act “a public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a State for either administrative control or direction of, or to perform a service function for, public elementary schools or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a State, or for a combination of school districts or counties that is recognized in a State as an administrative agency for its public elementary schools or secondary schools.”
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February is Black History Month
(also known as African-American History Month)
February is a time to celebrate the achievement of Black people as a race, recognizing they are a part of the history of this country from the very beginning.
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February 2 National Girls and Women in Sports Day
The National Girls and Women in Sports Day is an annual day of observance held during the first week of February to acknowledge the accomplishments of female athletes, recognize the influence of sports participation for women and girls, and honor the progress and continuing struggle for equality for women in sports.
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