Ready Partners: December 8, 2011

www.readyby21.org

For those who think a task force never changes anything, some youths in Nashville can prove otherwise - if you can catch them as they hop on city buses for school, rec programs, libraries and home, all for free.
 

They do that through a new program that shows how building broader partnerships can lead to on-the-ground changes for young people. Here, the local partners - Nashville's Metropolitan Transit Authority and Metro Nashville Public Schools - teamed to create a bus pass system that benefits both them and the students.
 

Read about it here, in the first in a new series of short stories about achievements in places carrying out Ready by 21 strategies.  
 

The U.S. Department of Education just made it easier for agencies to share important data about young people - data that will help them improve services and supports. The new guidance on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act  (FERPA) makes significant strides in recognizing that a young person's development takes place both inside the classroom and out.
 

In First Look: New FERPA Regulations, the Forum for Youth Investment's Thaddeus Ferber and Danielle Evennou examine the regulations, identify important changes on who is allowed to share information and explore the department's intentions.

Read the report here.

Want to learn more about building career skills? A new report by Corporate Voices for Working Families examines employers who are embracing training for their workers.

Through case studies and concrete metrics, Why Companies Invest in 'Grow Your Own' Talent Development Models details how several respected American employers invest in education, training and the basic workforce readiness of their employees, with a particular focus on the needs of entry-level and lower-skilled associates. The companies studied - including CVS/Caremark, the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. - took different approaches to their training programs, and their investments have paid off in a range of valuable dividends.

View the findings here.