'Dual Enrollment' Opportunities in California

A new report from the Community College Research Center sheds light on the current policies and practices that shape "dual enrollment" efforts in California. The report, funded by Irvine as part of our Youth program, demonstrates the feasibility of using dual enrollment programs to enhance college and career pathways for low-income youth who are struggling academically or who are within populations historically underrepresented in higher education. Dual enrollment programs offer high school students opportunities to take challenging college-level courses on a high school or college campus and earn college credits. Research suggests that career-focused dual enrollment programs can improve secondary and postsecondary academic outcomes for a variety of students.

Download (August 2008) (PDF, 329 KB)

Foundations and Public Policy Grantmaking

An Irvine-commissioned white paper explores the range of ways private foundations can engage in public policy. The paper, by independent consultant Julia Coffman, who has worked with numerous foundations, proposes a framework for public policy grantmaking. The paper suggests specific lessons that foundations should keep in mind when considering policy-related grantmaking, and highlights four case studies illustrating the variety of approaches foundations should consider. Irvine is increasingly engaged in the public policy arena, so we commissioned the paper to deepen our understanding of policy-related grantmaking.

Download (March 2008) (PDF, 575 KB)

What Matters, What Works: Advancing Achievement After School

This brief underscores the potential of after-school programs to advance children’s academic achievement. It shines a light on what matters most for programs that strive to promote academic success — namely, program quality and youth engagement — and it suggests what works by linking these program attributes to academic benefits. Based on the full outcomes report "Advancing Achievement," by Public/Private Ventures, the brief draws lessons from the Foundation’s Communities Organizing Resources to Advance Learning (CORAL) initiative. CORAL was an eight-year, $58 million after-school initiative aimed at improving education achievement in low-performing schools in five California cities.

Download (February 2008) (PDF, 832 KB)

Advancing Achievement: Findings from an Independent Evaluation of a Major After-School Initiative

This report presents full outcomes research on CORAL, an eight-year, $58 million after-school initiative aimed at improving education achievement in low-performing schools in five California cities. Findings in this report demonstrate the relationship between high-quality literacy programming and academic gains, and they highlight the potential role that quality programs may play in the ongoing drive to improve academic achievement. Commissioned by Irvine, this report was written by Public/Private Ventures.

Download (February 2008) (PDF, 770 KB)

Supporting Success: Why and How to Improve Quality in After-School Programs

This report, commissioned by Irvine and written by Public/Private Ventures, examines the program improvement strategies, step-by-step, that allowed the Foundation’s CORAL initiative to achieve the levels of quality needed to boost the academic success of young students. The report also makes specific policy and funding suggestions for improving program performance. Communities Organizing Resources to Advance Learning (CORAL) was an eight-year, $58 million
after-school initiative aimed at improving education achievement in low-performing schools in five California cities.

Download (February 2008) (PDF, 554 KB)

After-School Toolkit: Tips, Techniques and Templates for Improving Program Quality

This toolkit, commissioned by Irvine and developed by Public/Private Ventures, offers program managers a practical, hands-on guide for implementing quality programming in the after-school hours. The kit includes the tools and techniques that increased the quality of literacy-focused programming and helped improve student reading gains in the Foundation’s Communities Organizing Resources to Advance Learning (CORAL) initiative — an eight-year, $58 million after-school endeavor to improve education achievement in low-performing schools in five California cities.

Download (February 2008) (PDF, 820 KB)

Gaining Ground: Supporting English Learners Through After-School Literacy Programming

New research has found English learners achieving reading gains comparable to those of their
English-proficient classmates. This brief, commissioned by Irvine and written by Public/Private Ventures, presents findings that demonstrate a relationship between key approaches in CORAL — the Foundation’s eight-year, $58 million after-school initiative — and the academic progress of English learners. In addition to presenting findings, the brief suggests important considerations for any policymaker and funder interested in the success of English learners as a growing student population.

Download (February 2008) (PDF, 370 KB)

Tools to Help Community Foundations Advance Their Visibility

New tools developed and tested through Irvine's Community Foundations Initiative II are available for application by community foundations everywhere. An individual assessment and an individual action plan help board members take stock of, and enhance, their readiness to act as ambassadors promoting the value of their community foundation to local stakeholders. A sample legacy brochure helps board members introduce the concept of endowment giving to their personal contacts.

Downloads: (October 2007)
Individual Assessment (PDF, 31 KB)
Individual Action Plan (PDF, 35 KB)
Sample Legacy Brochure (PDF, 502 KB)

Growing Smarter: Achieving Sustainability in Emerging Community Foundations

It’s a striking paradox: As community foundations grow their assets, their sustainability is often threatened. This report, written by FSG Social Impact Advisors, offers guidance for how community foundations of virtually any size can achieve growth and sustainability, based on the experiences of 24 community foundations in California and around the United States. The report includes new data, case studies and a comparison of economic models. An Executive Summary and Discussion Guide, included in the paper, are also available as separate files for easy distribution. A Board Presentation introduces core concepts of the report.

Downloads: (October 2007)
Full Report (PDF, 2 MB)
Executive Summary (PDF, 175 KB)
Discussion Guide (PDF, 37 KB)
Board Presentation (PPT, 5.6 MB)

New Experiments in Minority Voter Mobilization: A Report on the California Votes Initiative

This report evaluates the effectiveness of various voter outreach strategies designed to increase turnout among infrequent voters in California. As part of the California Votes Initiative, the Irvine Foundation supports a group of nonprofit organizations enlisted to mobilize voters in low-income and ethnic communities in the San Joaquin Valley and parts of Southern California. This report documents findings from the first phase of the initiative, covering the June 2006, November 2006 and March 2007 elections.

Download (Sept 2007) (PDF, 1 MB)

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