May 30, 2001

Public/Private Ventures;

States of Change documents efforts by state policymakers and local practitioners to devise useful approaches to helping low-income job seekers stay employed and begin advancing. It draws, in part, from our experiences working on these issues since 1997 with five states -- Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Oklahoma and Florida -- as well as on examples and lessons in several other states. In general, states are trying a number of retention strategies, but few have been tested. Therefore, we expect that many strategies discussed will soon be modified or replaced with new approaches. We hope that States of Change encourages this process of testing and innovation by providing a sense of what is being tried and learned around the country, and what challenges remain.

Dec 30, 1999

Public/Private Ventures;

This report describes the goals and program elements of P/PV's State Workforce Policy Initiative, a five-state initiative designed to develop effective employment retention and skills-upgrading strategies to assist Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other low income job seekers in earning enough to move out of poverty. While no two strategies are alike, each state's strategy takes into account the needs of local employers, as well as the skills barriers and record of poor job retention present among so many entering the workforce. The report describes each state's individual strategy and recaps the key issues faced in the work first policy climate.

Sep 30, 1999

Public/Private Ventures;

School-based mentoring is one of the most promising of several new mentoring approaches. This study explores some of the strengths, challenges and potential contributions of this approach by describing two well-run school-based programs. It describes characteristics of the mentors and youth involved, program practices and potential benefits to youth, and discusses implications for practitioners and directions for future research. Findings suggest that well-run school-based mentoring programs are likely to be a powerful intervention for many disadvantaged youth.