Critical Investments for Critical Times

Out of school youth are more likely to be unemployed or drop out of the workforce completely, and have increased involvement with the welfare and legal systems, a new Brookings Institute report confirms. "The links between leaving school before graduating and having poor life outcomes are striking," Dan Bloom and Ron Haskins write in Helping High School Dropouts Improve Their Prospects.

But a variety of programs, already in place around the United States, have shown promise for allowing disconnected youth to get the support they need to prepare for adult life. "Each has a distinct approach, typically emphasizing some combination of education, training, community service, leadership development, subsidized employment, and other activities," the report says.

"Although states and localities will deliver or manage most of the services for these youth, the federal government should play a key role by funding programs, promoting innovation, and identifying and disseminating evidence about what works to reduce the number of dropouts and to recover those who do drop out," the report recommends. By investing in these programs, the federal government can both evaluate existing program models and test new ideas for dropout prevention and recovery.

The Campaign for Youth has called for federal investment in a national youth initiative, which would create much-needed jobs and provide invaluable paid work experience for out of school, out of work youth. Click here to read the Campaign for Youth's proposed job strategy to support disconnected youth populations by providing job skills, education, training, and community-based support.

For more information on Helping High School Dropouts Improve Their Prospects, or to download the report, click here.