Weekly Remix Round Up – 7/11

Last Tuesday’s launch from the White House of the National Partnership for Student Success was an energizing kick-off to the work ahead! NPSS has brought a collaboration of partnerships amongst “school districts, non-profit partners, and institutions of higher education to recruit, train, place, and support screened adults in critical high impact roles such as tutors, mentors, student success coaches, and more.”  It was incredibly powerful to hear a shared message from public and private learning and development leaders that to support young people to achieve success we must focus on their needs holistically, not just as students.

Karen kicked off the virtual watch party reflecting on this unprecedented partnership for unprecedented times.  As she noted, “. . .the NPSS collaborators have at their core a commitment to learning discovery and social emotional wellness. We’ve got this balance between recovery and asset-based approach that’s going to undergird the supports to communities to ensure young people aren’t just problem-free but fully prepared.” For nearly thirty years, I have worked with Karen and partners across the allied youth fields to advocate for the importance of learning and development ecosystems that are built with schools and all of the essential people, places, and possibilities that can help students succeed inside and outside of the classroom.

While NPSS is just to the starting line, it’s been an honor for me to work behind the scenes over the past few months with partners new and old. It has been particularly exciting for me to see these partners – more than a dozen national nonprofits and alliances from across the field of youth development – respond to the call to become supporting champions.  Individually and collectively, they have leaned in to shape the direction of the initiative, emphasizing the potential while also problem-solving around the barriers ahead. I also want to give a shout out the national hub team for the initiative.  They have demonstrated what it takes to listen intently and incorporate the range of perspectives that will ensure this effort can both go to scale quickly and strengthen the community-based infrastructure needed for the long haul.

The coverage in Reuters, Ed Post, the Washington Examiner, and more has shown that the call to action to ensure that every young person has the essential connections they need for success is resonating.  In addition to President Biden’s call to use the $122 billion in funds provided by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) COVID-relief package to “provide high-quality tutoring, summer learning and enrichment, and afterschool programs,” there is a call to Americans to volunteer as well. On launch day, AmeriCorps announced their commitment to focus targeted ARP funding on ensuring 200,000 more volunteers are trained, supported, and connected to play these critical roles.  We hope this is the first of many such commitments at the national, state, and local level as leaders tap into the unprecedented levels of ARP funding to rethink how to support the learning landscape in communities.

Now is the moment for everyone – both those who will step up and join the effort and those whose work across the learning and development fields – to set the solid foundation for the work ahead.  This is truly an all hands-on deck, learning and development happen everywhere, across the ecosystem effort.