In Boston and Providence, youth serving organizations recognized a need to credential students' real-world skills including teamwork, perseverance and critical thinking. By issuing digital badges, a microcredential gaining traction in both workforce development and education, programs are equipping students with portable evidence of their skills,…

Opportunity Works was a three-year effort led by Jobs for the Future to help opportunity youth--young people ages 16 to 24 who are not in school or meaningfully employed--access postsecondary and career pathways. Based on the Back on Track framework, seven cities across the country undertook collective impact approaches with diverse partners to…

The people of Boston made a commitment that no homeless person will be denied a bed, a meal, quality health care, and transportation to shelter during the winter of 1989-90. This commitment was difficult to fulfill due to a decline in services for the mentally ill, federal housing cutbacks, and an increase in the number of families living in…

The Urban Crime Prevention Program (UCPP) was designed to combat urban crime through the establishment of 85 innovative neighborhood-based crime prevention projects across nine cities for 18 months. UCPP's main goals were to increase citizen participation in innovative neighborhood crime prevention efforts, to bolster the capabilities of…

This report summarizes the development of the Metropolitan Planning Project's (MPP) plan to voluntarily eliminate racial and ethnic isolation within the schools of the Boston metropolitan area for the periods July 1973 through June 1974, and October 1974 through September 1975. Included in this summarization are a description of the population…

This compendium report presents papers on what mayors have done to revitalize their cities. These efforts have been concentrated on improving schools and educational outcomes, renewing strong neighborhoods, investing in infrastructure, improving public health facilities, and reducing crime. The reports include: "City of Akron: The Akron…

The people of the City of Boston have made a commitment that, during the Winter of 1988-89, no homeless person will be denied a warm bed, a hot meal, quality health care, and transportation to shelters. This document comprises a progress report on Boston's efforts to address the needs of the homeless. The following summary points are discussed:…

This report summarizes the development of the Metropolitan Planning Project's (MPP) plan for the phased elimination of racial and ethnic isolation in the schools of the Boston metropolitan area by voluntary means, covering the period from October 1975 through September 1976. A specific description of the number and characteristics of the…

This paper examines community responses to court-ordered desegregation in Louisville, Boston, Denver, and Dallas. Background information is provided on the implementation of desegregation, court decisions affecting desegregation, reactions to desegregation and busing, and the influence of social structures, political traditions, and prevailing…

This paper examines the success of the Boston (Massachusetts) Compact's business and public education agreements over the years 1985 through 1987. The Compact began in 1982 as a citywide public school improvement program. Business, university, and trade union leaders agreed to establish and meet measurable admission and hiring goals to increase…

A case study of the introduction of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) in Boston was conducted (1) to chronicle and analyze the changes in employment and training planning and programs as the federal policy changes from a centralized and categorical policy to a decentralized and decategorized one, (2) to examine the impact of…

This paper discusses the potential of school district-based and community-wide approaches to dropout prevention, and provides a summary of the goals and expected outcomes of the Consortium on Dropout Prevention, and the Urban Dropout Prevention Collaboratives Program. The Consortium on Dropout Prevention was formed to cooperatively gather and…

This document contains a phased Ten Year Plan aimed at promoting voluntary collaboration between urban and suburban Boston area school districts and includes the involvement of students, parents, teachers, school principles, superintendents, community organizations, and others concerned with education. It is a plan containing policy and program…

Recent efforts to build economic and work force development systems in seven leading cities were reviewed to inform similar efforts undertaken in Baltimore, Maryland. Research examining efforts to establish work force development systems in the following cities were analyzed: Austin, Texas; Berkeley, California; Boston, Massachusetts; Cleveland,…