Breadcrumb
- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
Bureau of Land Management Youth Initiatives
This site describes looking to the future, The Bureau of Land Management's youth initiatives. These initiatives feature a variety of programs that engage, educate, and inspire and focus on youth from early childhood through young adulthood. The aim of the youth programs is to build on the spark of childhood wonder about the natural world, sustain interest through hands-on education and volunteer experiences during the school-age years, and develop into long-term engagement and stewardship, as well as pursuit of natural resource careers.
Museums and Libraries: Engaging America's Youth
This initiative shines a spotlight on the role libraries and museums play in bringing about positive change in the lives of young people. This report discusses the effectiveness of library programs for children and youth ages 9-19, from a year-long study of IMLS (Insitute of Museum and Library Services) grants.
Resources: High School Issue Briefs
These issue briefs are the latest in a series that presents strategies high schools can use to help at-risk students stay in school and graduate:
- Case Management for High Schools
Provides information on case management, a school-based dropout prevention strategy
in which a social worker or school professional advises students and connects them to services to address their academic and non-academic needs - Social Services
Describes the social services high schools can provide to address the non-academic issues that can negatively affect student participation and outcomes, such as health care, mental health care, and assistance with shelter, clothing, or transportation
Action Guide for Emergency Management at Institutions of Higher Education
This guide has been developed to give higher education institutions a useful resource in the field of emergency management.
A Guide to School Vulnerability Assessment Key: Principles for Safe Schools
This guide is a companion piece to the Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities (above). It emphasizes a valuable part of emergency management planning—ongoing vulnerability assessment—and is intended to assist schools with the selection and implementation of an effective vulnerability assessment tool.
Compendium of School Discipline State Laws and Regulations
Developed by the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, which is funded by the Department of Education's Office of Safe and Healthy Students and the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Compendium of School Discipline State Laws and Regulations provides information on school discipline laws and regulations for each of the 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. Users can search by state or category and can also download the full Compendium in PDF format.
ED Office of Safe and Healthy Students Emergency Planning Website
The U.S. Department of Education (ED)'s Office of Safe and Healthy Students' (OSHS) Center for School Preparedness provides support, resources, grants, and training to support emergency management efforts for local educational agencies and institutions of higher education.
Emergency Planning for Schools
This website, Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS), provides information that can help school leaders plan for any emergency, including natural disasters, violent incidents and terrorist acts.
Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities
Taking action now can save lives, prevent injury, and minimize property damage in the moments of a crisis. Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities is designed to help navigate the process of reviewing and revising school and district plans. The guide is intended to give schools, districts, and communities the critical concepts and components of good crisis planning, stimulate thinking about the crisis preparedness process, and provide examples of promising practices.
Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools
The Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) administers, coordinates, and recommends policy for improving quality and excellence of programs and activities related to youth safety and drug prevention.
The Challenge
A principal vehicle by which OSDFS communicates with the field, and provides information on research-based activities, best practices, and other information related to effective drug abuse and violence prevention strategies.
Resource: Academic Performance, Retention, and Alcohol Use
This article (PDF, 3 pages) discusses the effect of alcohol on academic performance, retention, and college graduation. It also describes evidence-based strategies college and universities can use to address high-risk drinking and shares what some institutions are doing to prevent risky alcohol use and promote healthy decision making.
Resource: SITE ASSESS: A Mobile Application for K-12 Schools and School Districts
This free mobile application, developed by the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center, allows school and school district personnel to walk around school grounds and examine their safety, security, accessibility, and emergency preparedness.
Resource: Cybersecurity and Cyber Safety for Schools and Institutions of Higher Education Fact Sheets
These fact sheets, developed by the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center, explain how cyber incidents can affect schools, school districts, and institutions of higher education, and the steps they can take to respond:
Choice Neighborhoods
The Choice Neighborhoods initiative will transform distressed neighborhoods and public and assisted projects into viable and sustainable mixed-income neighborhoods by linking housing improvements with appropriate services, schools, public assets, transportation, and access to jobs. A strong emphasis will be placed on local community planning for access to high-quality educational opportunities, including early childhood education. In addition to public housing authorities, the initiative will involve local governments, non-profits, and for-profit developers in undertaking comprehensive local planning with residents and the community.
Neighborhood Networks
HUD created Neighborhood Networks in 1995 to encourage property owners to establish multiservice community learning centers in HUD insured and assisted properties. Neighborhood Networks was one of the first federal initiatives to promote self-sufficiency and help provide computer access to low-income housing communities. Neighborhood Networks centers are alike. With support from innovative public-private partnerships, Neighborhood Networks centers sponsor a range of services and programs. Nearly all centers offer job training and educational opportunities, and many also provide programs that include access to healthcare information and microenterprise development.
AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps (formerly the Corporation for National and Community Service) brings people together to tackle the country’s most pressing challenges, through national service and volunteering. AmeriCorps is the only federal agency tasked with elevating service and volunteerism in America. AmeriCorps provides opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to give their time and talent to strengthen communities across the country. By bringing people together to serve communities, AmeriCorps is making service to others an indispensable part of the American experience. AmeriCorps offers individuals and organizations flexible ways to make a local impact through several key programs: State and National, VISTA, NCCC, Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions, RSVP, and Volunteer Generation Fund, along with initiatives including 9/11 and MLK Day of Service.
Four Colleges and Universities Earn Presidential Honor for Community Service
766 higher education institutions were named to the 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Four received the President’s award, the highest honor a college or university can receive, for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.
Minnesota Reading Corps Evaluation Shows AmeriCorps Boosts Childhood Literacy
CNCS funded a two-part independent evaluation of its Minnesota Reading Corps program, the largest AmeriCorps tutoring program, which provides evidence-informed interventions and data-driven assessments to children from age three to grade three. The evaluation revealed students tutored by AmeriCorps members were significantly more prepared for kindergarten than students without tutors, and AmeriCorps members helped students meet or exceed targets for kindergarten readiness in all five critical literacy skills assessed. Results also showed the program was effective across a range of settings and for all students, regardless of gender, race/ethnicity, or dual language learner status.
Keeping Education Connected to National Service
This blog post outlines how AmeriCorps members, Senior Corps volunteers, and Social Innovation Fund grantees have helped students succeed, and introduces a new program called Operation AmeriCorps. Through this program, AmeriCorps member are working in select communities to boost attendance, hone students’ study skills, and organize college and career planning workshops.