Youth Policy Initiative
The Youth Policy initiative is directed by
Jean Grossman and carried out in conjunction with researchers at applied research organizations such as Public/Private Ventures (PPV) and MDRC. Dr. Grossman’s work includes assessments of after-school programs, mentoring programs, and pregnancy prevention initiatives. She also teaches courses on evaluation to the MPA students in the Woodrow Wilson School.
Many policy makers believe that increasing the number of caring adults in the lives of disadvantaged youth will improve their outcomes. The goal of the mentoring evaluation programs is to determine whether "created" adult/youth relationships can, in fact, have positive impacts on healthy adolescent development. These studies examine not only whether youth benefit from various forms of mentoring but also the nature and practices of effective mentoring relationships and the administrative structures that facilitate their growth.
After-school programs provide a wide variety of opportunities to elementary, middle and high school students. Since the early 1990's, policymakers have viewed these programs as important vehicles for helping disadvantaged youth. To investigate what effects these programs have, Dr. Grossman and her colleagues have conducted a number of evaluations on a range of school- and community-based programs. Their research examines questions such as: what kinds of experiences do young people have in after-school programs, how are high quality programs implemented, and what effects do after-school programs have on academic and social behavior.
“Plain Talk” is a neighborhood-based initiative designed to protect sexually active youth from pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases by creating: (1) a community climate that encourages straightforward communication about responsible sexual behavior; (2) broad-based community support for use of contraception among sexually active teens; and (3) increased accessibility of contraceptive services to youth. Dr. Grossman headed the quantitative assessment of the program. She investigated how communication with adults and access to contraception affected rates of teen pregnancy, contraceptive use, knowledge and attitudes about birth control, pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases.
