National Youth Employment Coalition: PSI Working Group

The Postsecondary Success Initiative

PSI WORKING GROUP

The PSI Working Group is a new initiative at NYEC. The Group was formed with the goal of sharing the learnings from the initiative in an effort to broaden the impact of the PSI across the NYEC member network. Members of the PSI Working Group will share evidence-based practices, products, and tools that support postsecondary access, retention, and completion for formerly disconnected students; leverage networks and resources; and engage in collective advocacy efforts. The PSI Working Group will be chaired by Sandra Escamilla, Executive Director of the Youth Development Institute (YDI), a PSI site located in New York. To learn more about the PSI Working Group, download the document outlining the guidelines and structure of the group here.

The PSI Working Group will convene four times a year via online meetings and conference calls. Participation in the Working Group is open to NYEC members. For more information, contact Yelena Nemoy at yn@nyec.org.

PSI Working Group Launch: March 23, 2012

The PSI Working Group was formally launched at the NYEC Members Forum in San Diego. NYEC provided an overview of the PSI, including information about the PSI sites and student demographics; practices that have shown early promise in supporting PSI students; and products and tools developed by NYEC and PSI Partners. The launch was attended by the PSI sites CASES, ISUS, Our Piece of the Pie, Larkin Street Youth Services, Los Angeles Conservation Corps, and My Turn; Steve Patrick, Senior Program Officer from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; NYEC's partners in the PSI Jobs for the Future; NYEC Board Members; and representatives from American Youth Policy Forum, Arizona Call-A-Teen Youth Resources, Boston Private Industry Council, California Family Life Center, Diploma Plus, Gateway to College National Network, GOAL Academy, Juma Ventures, Kings View Ready, Set, Go!, Nashville Career Advancement Center, National Council of La Raza, National League of Cities, and See Forever Foundation. To learn more about the PSI Working Group launch, download the launch presentation here and the launch minutes here.

PSI Working Group Second Meeting: July 26, 2012

The goals of the meeting were to share knowledge, best practices, opportunities, challenges, and resources in the area of postsecondary access, persistence, and completion. Jill Toussaint, Director of Academic Advising and Career and Technical Education at the GOAL Academy, a public online secondary school in Colorado, shared information about the GOAL Academy model and outcomes, as well as strategies in institutionalizing partnerships with community colleges and in connecting students to careers and postsecondary education planning through concurrent enrollment and advising. The meeting was attended by Sandra Escamilla, Executive Director of YDI and PSI Working Group chair, and representatives of Boston Private Industry Council, California Family Life Center, Jobs for the Future, Los Angeles Conservation Corps, Latin American Youth Center, National Council of La Raza, National League of Cities, and Pathways Consultants.

The following resources made available at the meeting:

Meeting agenda can be downloaded here.
GOAL Academy presentation can be downloaded here.
GOAL Academy sample syllabi: Career Development Capstone A syllabus can be downloaded here and Career Development Capstone B syllabus can be downloaded here.
GOAL Academy concurrent enrollment products and tools: Concurrent Enrollment Reference Sheet can be downloaded here; Concurrent Enrollment Requirements Student and Parents Signature Sheet can be downloaded here; sample MOU with community college can be downloaded here; sample concurrent enrollment registration form can be downloaded here.
Fact sheet for concurrent enrollment legislation in Colorado can be downloaded here.

For more information about the PSI, please contact Yelena Nemoy at yn@nyec.org.