JusticeEd: Year One Progress Update
At the National Center for Youth Law (NCYL), we envision a future where each and every system-impacted young person is able to graduate from high school with the widest array of possibilities for their future. Whether they choose to attend a university, pursue a vocational training program, or open a business, youth who have experienced probation deserve to achieve graduation and create the futures they envision for themselves, with the support of a network of adults who are cheering them on along the way.
In 2015, NCYL began working in Santa Clara County, in partnership with a coalition of committed partners, with the goal of making that vision a reality. This work began with the Education Champion Project and led to the launch of our full-scale demonstration site, known locally as the JusticeEd Initiative. This initiative incorporates all aspects of the FosterEd framework designed to support deep partnerships with students, families, and the community to ensure that:
- Students have effective education champions – preferably caregivers – who are informed, knowledgeable, empowered, and active in support of their student’s education;
- Students have a well-coordinated team of professionals across multiple systems working in concert with each student’s family and support network; and
- Students have an education plan that is centered around their strengths, needs, and goals for the future.
We analyzed the educational data of our year one cohort, which is presented in this report, with the goal of establishing baseline data and gaining a better understanding of the education outcomes of probation-involved youth. This is the first time we have gathered and analyzed such educational data in Santa Clara County. While it has been a learning process, it has set the stage for strengthening our academic data analysis in the years to come. We are proud to share what we have learned and hope that it can be useful to the community as we collectively work towards better supporting the education success of all juvenile justice impacted youth county-wide.
We thank you for your support through implementation and look forward to sharing more of the lessons we learn and our future successes as we move ahead.