Learning communities as a partnership tool for increasing capacity to serve high risk populations

The purpose of this presentation is to share the process, strengths and challenges of a learning community convened by a foundation to bring together community grantees and university-based evaluators. The Teen Futures Initiative addresses the dropout crisis by increasing the capacity of community agencies and schools in Greater Boston, Massachusetts, that serve youth who have dropped out of school and are not working. ‘Disconnected youth' face significant health and social risks, including high rates of poverty, violence, unemployment, and incarceration, yet organizations that provide educational, employment and life skill development opportunities for this population do not have the same resources of traditional educational settings. Through the development of the learning community, foundation staff, community agency staff, including youth program managers, and evaluators worked collaboratively to clarify The Initiative's goals and strategies, develop an evaluation framework, develop data collection protocols, share best practices, and initiate public policy initiatives in order to increase the quality and the quantity of programs that combine education, skill development and employment for disconnected students. In this presentation, foundation staff, community agency staff, and evaluators will share examples of results created through the learning community. They will also share their perspectives and recommendations for how the learning community model can be an effective tool for grant-making and program evaluation that aims to strengthen interventions addressing complex health and educational issues.