Keeping track
Three recent reports (from Education Week, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the Center for the Study of Social Policy) help all of us keep track, state-by-state, of how well our schools and communities are doing in securing better futures for all children. Each documents in painstaking detail where there are gains and where there's so much more that needs doing. (February 2006)

Gaining Strength
Two recent reports highlight teen strengths in two areas: giving back to their communities and finding resilience in the face of tough personal circumstances. When we are so used to spotlighting the deficits among our nation's adolescents, these reports offer a fresh view. Did you know that teens volunteer at a rate twice that of adults? (December 2005)

Fresh Terrain
Here we present three reports that recently caught our attention. Fast Track to College identifies flaws in the preparation high school students receive for employment after graduation. Making Space, Making Change seeks to have "youth and adults learn from the wisdom of youth leaders" by sharing the stories and accomplishments of youth-led organizations. Why Rural Matters 2005 underscores the urgent need for rural school reform. (June 2005)

Repaving the College Track
Current high school reform efforts speak loudly and often about improving graduation rates and increasing the number of students who go on to college, most of all among minority and low income students. Two recent reports from Achieve, Inc. and Jobs for the Future address both the racial inequality in high school graduation rates, and the gap between graduation requirements and the skills employers expect students to have. (February 2005)

Deciphering the Research
A recent group of four studies about the wellbeing of our nation's youth presents upbeat along with unsettling findings. In a survey by the Ad Council, for example, we learn that 78 percent of adults want to help children on a more regular basis. In Locating the Dropout Crisis, we learn that nearly half of our nation's African-American students attend high schools where graduation is not the norm. (October 2004)

King’s Dream or Plessy’s Nightmares
Two recent reports from The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University document how school desegregation has succeeded in many places across the country, yet is seemingly being abandoned today, with large consequences for the students “left behind.” (May 2004)

A Wealth of Information from U.S. Regional Education Labs
Established in 1965, the Regional Education Labs conduct research to help educators, policymakers, and communities improve their schools. They also develop and test educational tools and strategies. For a digest of research and reports, videos, CD-ROMs, and Internet sites produced by the Regional Labs on topics of interest to WKCD readers. (March 2004)

Benefits of Teen Activism
Two recent reports—one an undergraduate thesis, the other an evaluation by the Innovation Center—point to the benefits young people gain when they participate in social change programs and youth organizing groups. (March 2004) PDF version

Facts and Figures: Music Research
WKCD’s mini-collection includes a digest of research results that detail the benefits of music education, plus highlights from three surveys related to music education and listening. (December 2003)

Summer Learning Loss
Researchers have long documented student learning losses over summer vacation. Read brief research findings and a collection of online resources, papers, and publications that focus on summer learning. (September 2003)

Youth Organizing: An Emerging Model for Working with Youth
Four just-released papers from the Funders' Collaborative on Youth Organizing look at the growing field of youth organizing, presenting the history of the movement, profiles of current groups, and its impacts on youth. (June 2003)PDF version

Youth Media Comes of Age
Youth media has become a vibrant platform for not only building literacy and technical skills, but also for youth self-expression and action. This collection highlights noteworthy publications, resources, and links in the field. (March 2003) PDF version

Youth Involvement: 'No Longer a Rebellious Act'
Today, half of all nonprofits involve young people in decision-making and leadership roles. Three new publications-from The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Project 540, and the Coalition of Community Foundations for Youth-reinforce the message that everyone wins when we prize the ideas and contributions of young people. (January 2003)

The 2002 MetLife Survey of the American Teacher
The results of MetLife's 19th annual survey of American teachers show strong connections among students' lives at school, at home, and in the community. (November 2002)

Youth and Violence: Students Speak Out for a More Civil Society
Released in July by the Families and Work Institute and the Colorado Trust, this first-of-its-kind study asked young people directly what they would do to stop the violence in their lives. (September 2002)

America's Forgotten Children: Child Poverty in Rural America
This report from Save the Children chronicles in devastating detail the scope and challenges of rural child poverty. (July 2002)

Benefits of Service Learning
A new report finds that service learning-combining classroom academics with community service projects-benefits students of all ages.(March 2002)

Youth Development Works
New research gives consistent, compelling evidence of the power of youth development programs to change lives.(September 2001)

Competencies that Count
What knowledge endures when kids combine academics with real world learning? What skills do they develop? Here are some answers. (July 2001)