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BEST WISHES & FOND FAREWELLS

We would like to honor and wish the fondest of farewells to our dear colleague and friend,
David Lemmel, who announced in July his transition from AHSI work to pursue new
career opportunities for his family and himself. David’s stellar leadership of AHSI over
the past four years as the network formed and evolved into a close-knit community of
alternative high school colleagues is to be commended! David’s work with AHSI was
incredible, and we strive to build upon it every day. In his role as AHSI National Director
and as Director of Data and Evaluation, David demonstrated the deepest level of
commitment to this initiative. His dedication and clarity of purpose were evident, and he
inspired us with his intellect and vision for alternative high schools, even as he raised
probing, insightful questions about every aspect of this effort and its relationship to the
broader fields of education and youth development. David’s warm, easy-going, generous
Spirit endeared him to us all, and we’ll always cherish the fun times shared over dinner,
during convenings, or catching up by phone. We look forward to staying in touch with
David and his family, and we hope our paths will cross again professionally and
personally. We thank you, David, for your invaluable contributions, and we wish you
every continued success. David may be reached by email at dlemmel@bigpicture.org
through October, or by cell phone at (401) 215-4717.

CELEBRATORY CONGRATULATIONS!

NEW BABY!
Congratulations and well wishes to Gateway to College’s Director of New Program
Development Nick Mathern and his wife on the birth in August of their daughter, Yujin
Kokko Mathern!

NEWS MAKER!
Congratulations to YouthBuild USA’s Founder and President Dorothy Stoneman
who was recently recognized by the NonProfit Times as among the top 50 most
influential nonprofit leaders in the United States.
NonProfit Times (NPT), a premier nonprofit publication, annually recognizes the best
thinkers and executives based on “the innovative plans they are putting in place to
evolve the charitable sector.” The 11th annual NPT Power & Influence Top 50,
describes Dorothy this way: “a legendary leader of youth development work, she has
endless reservoirs of idealism, determination and social vision.”
A complete list of the 2008 NPT Power and Influence Top 50 can be found here.

ANDRE BRADLEY CO-AUTHORS ARTICLE IN EDUCATION WEEK!
Congratulations to Andre Bradley, joined by Elliot Washor and Sam Seidel, in
publishing the article “Andre’s College Application” in Education Week, Vol. 28, Issue 01,
Pages 26-27 and online here. We wish Andre the best as he starts his first semester at
Hampshire College in Massachusetts. If you are unable to access the article with this
link, please visit http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/08/27/01washor.h28.html.
Anyone interested in sending Andre well wishes can email him at konvirse39@gmail.com.

AHSI NEWS & EVENTS

NETWORK SURVEY
The AHSI Team would like to know how we might make AHSI work better for you!! What
are the network’s most valuable roles? What is the quality of AHSI’s activities and
supports? How effective are AHSI strategies? What would you recommend to enhance
the network’s relevance for your organization and your work? How involved would you
like to be in advancing AHSI’s strategies? What results would you like AHSI to achieve?
We invite everyone involved in the AHSI network to complete a confidential online survey
to let us know your thoughts and ideas! The AHSI Network Survey will be available
online for ten (10) days from Monday, September 15 - Thursday, September 25,
2008. We realize that we’re requesting a rather quick turnaround, and we appreciate
your willingness to participate! We would like to gather your responses and synthesize
findings in time to share information with everyone during our AHSI Fall Convening in
Houston on October 14-16, 2008. We thank you in advance and encourage you to help
us make AHSI the most meaningful network it can possibly be!

Each AHSI work group facilitator will invite members to complete a separate survey to
provide comments on High School to Careers & College, Math & Quantitative Reasoning,
Policy & Place-based Partnerships, and Principal Training & Support activities. The links
to work group surveys will be forwarded next week. MANY SINCERE THANKS!

FALL CONVENING – REGISTER NOW!
This year’s AHSI Fall Convening will be co-hosted by The Association for the
Advancement of Mexican Americans (AAMA) in Houston, TX, Tuesday, October
14 – Thursday, October 16, 2008, with an AHSI Directors’ meeting on the evening of
October 16, 2008. We are excited to visit one of AAMA’s charter school campuses –
George I. Sanchez High School in Houston. We’re piloting a new format for this
convening – focusing on work group efforts to enhance capacity around High School to
Careers and College, Math & Quantitative Reasoning, Principals Training & Support, and
Policy & Place-based Partnerships. Therefore, we’ve asked AHSI Directors to let us know
which members of your organization will participate in the fall convening, encouraging
them to select work group members who will have an opportunity to meet as part of the
convening agenda. We encourage you to get in touch with your AHSI Director about
participating in the fall convening and ask for attendee names and information to be sent
to Lauren Smock-Randall ( lsmock-randall@bigpicture.org ) no later than Friday,
September 12, 2008.

AHSI TOOL SHARE CALL – MOVED TO SEPTEMBER 30!We are excited and pleased to feature Diploma Plus and YouthBuild’s collaboration as the
featured topic for this month’s AHSI Tool Share Call! The call has been rescheduled from
September 9th, our regularly scheduled 2nd Tuesday, to September 30th to accommodate
presenters’ availability. In addition to learning about this collaboration, this call will be
co-hosted with Diploma Plus using an interactive online meeting forum which may be a
useful tool for us all to consider for teleconferencing. Please mark your calendars for this
call on Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 11:30am – 1:00pm EST.

AHSI NEWS FROM THE NETWORK

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STREET SCHOOLS (NASS) IS NOW STREETSCHOOL
NETWORK
Check out the StreetSchool Network’s new logo below and visit them at
www.streetschools.com

BIG PICTURE COMPANY IS NOW BIG PICTURE LEARNING
Check out Big Picture Learning’s new logo below and stay tuned for the unveiling of their
new website soon!

COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS RECOGNIZES THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF ITS NETWORK
OF NON-TRADITIONAL HIGH SCHOOLS IN PREPARING STUDENTS FOR SUCESSPerformance Learning Centers® from Across the Country Honored With Inaugural Award
for Excellence
Alexandria, Va. – Communities In Schools, Inc., the nation’s largest dropout prevention
organization, honored its outstanding non-traditional schools at the inaugural
Performance Learning Center™ Awards in Atlanta this summer. The ceremony
recognized the academic outcomes of 10 Performance Learning Centers (PLCs) operated
by Communities In Schools where students at risk of dropping out can catch up and
graduate on time prepared for college.
Performance Learning Centers are a key part of the CIS portfolio of initiatives. They are
high schools designed to meet the needs of students who have not been successful in a
traditional learning environment. Funded by school districts, private donors and a multimillion
dollar three-year grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the CIS
national office, 12 new PLCs are scheduled to be established in North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington state. The Nicholson Foundation and Newark
Public Schools also funded a PLC in Newark, New Jersey.
The Performance Learning Center Awards took place at the annual PLC Summer Training Institute, “Road Work Ahead: The PLC Roadmap to Success.” Sponsored by CIS of Georgia, the Institute brings together PLC staff to explore best practices that will help them continue to meet their students’ needs and explore issues surrounding the No Child Left Behind Act.
“We are proud to recognize these PLCs and their students. Their success proves that
when students are joined by caring adults in a mutual respect for each other and
learning, those young people are already choosing success and focusing on succeeding,
not just in school, but in life,” said Daniel J. Cardinali, president, Communities In Schools,
Inc.
First developed and implemented by CIS of Georgia, PLCs represent the culmination of
CIS’ commitment to non-traditional education. Between 2003 and 2008, over 3,000
students graduated from PLCs. There are currently more than 30 operational PLCs in the
CIS network, with 45 expected to be operational by 2009.

BIG PICTURE LEARNING PRESENTING LONGITUDINAL STUDY FINDINGS AT
NATIONAL COLLEGE ACCESS NETWORK CONFERENCE – HOUSTON, TXSession title: “The Summer Flood: The Gap between College Admission and
Matriculation Among Low-income Students”
Session date: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 from 2:30 – 4:00 PM.
Presenters: Mario DeAnda and Shezwae M. Fleming
Session description
The Big Picture high school network has gained national attention for success in
graduating socio-economically disadvantaged students of color and assuring their
admission to college. This session presents research findings and implications for practice
from a study of Big Picture graduates. The period between spring admission confirmation
and fall matriculation often features a continuation of fundamental decision-making about
where and even whether to attend college. The presenters will lead participants in a
session that describes the Big Picture schools and college transition structure, and covers
the longitudinal study and its findings related to the post-graduation summer of students
who have already been admitted to college. The bulk of the session will be devoted to the
implications of this previously unnamed re-decision stage of college access for high
schools, colleges, policy makers, and researchers.

BIG PICTURE SODA FEATURED IN BUSINESS WEEK
Highlighted in a follow up article on America’s Best Young Entrepreneurs, Big Picture
Soda appeared in Business Week. The business plan for Big Picture Soda Company began
in an entrepreneurship class at the Met, a Big Picture school in Providence, Rhode Island.
The soda is sold in Whole Foods and nearly 40 other businesses in Southern New
England. Senior Jean Merlain, now acting CEO, hopes to expand the soda’s market
through the Big Picture school network.
Find the link here:
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/running_small_business/archives/2008/09/we_j
ust_publish.html

POLICY AND PLACE-BASED PARTNERSHIPS
MULTIPLE EDUCATION PATHWAYS LEARNING EXCHANGE: NOVEMBER 12-13
The Multiple Education Pathways Learning Exchange to be held November 12-13, 2008 at
the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, is a national dialogue sponsored by
the U.S. Department of Labor and its partners: Alliance for Excellent Education,
Alternative High School Initiative, America’s Promise Alliance, Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Jobs for
AHSI Network News – September 12, 2008 Page 5 of 7
the Future, National Center on Education and the Economy, National League of Cities’
Institute for Youth, Education, and Families, and National Youth Employment Coalition.
The focus of this one and a half day summit will be in-depth sharing of best practices and
common challenges among practitioners on the ground who have the most useful
knowledge to share in dropout prevention and recovery. Goals for the Learning Exchange
are to: raise awareness of the various efforts underway; generate collaborative
conversations across sites for the purpose of sharing effective practices and leveraging
knowledge; and create a network of community practitioners who can inform Federal and
state policy development and the philanthropic community. Several AHSI leaders will
present and lead sessions during this summit.
You can register for the Learning Exchange at
http://www.regonline.com/usdol. Registration is free. However, attendees
must cover their own lodging and transportation costs.
Our AHSI lead contacts are Andrew Moore, NLC-IYEF (Moore@nlc.org), and Bill Diehl,
Diploma Plus (wdiehl@commcorp.org). US DOL contacts for the Learning Exchange are
Joanna Mikulski at Mikulski.Joanna@dol.gov, 202-693-2679 or Maisha Meminger at
Meminger.Maisha@dol.gov, 202-693-3962.

MAYOR NUTTER’S EDUCATION WEEK IN PHILADELPHIA 09/03/08 – 09/11/08During Education Week Mayor Michael A. Nutter underscored his commitment to a new
partnership with the School District of Philadelphia and Superintendent Dr. Arlene
Ackerman, working to halve the high school dropout rate, double the college degree
attainment rate, provide a safe environment for students and teachers, and increase the
literacy rate.
This week Philadelphia’s Mayor focused on College Readiness, and his itinerary included
greeting the incoming class at the YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School as well as
meeting with students currently enrolled in the Gateway to College program.
Click Here to view the entire schedule for the week.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

DIRECTOR OF HIGHER EDUCATION ACHIEVEMENT, YOUTHBUILD USAYouthBuild USA seeks a Director of Higher Education Achievement to manage a
national pilot project that will demonstrate effective strategies for helping lowincome,
first time college and career aspirants to complete postsecondary credentials
and career certifications. Based on the theory that a postsecondary credential is key
to earning a family-sustaining wage and central to breaking the intergenerational
cycle of poverty, the work of this initiative will include a comprehensive set of
interventions that focus on: academic rigor, mentoring, financial supports,
partnerships with colleges, peer support systems for youth, apprenticeship
programs, employer associations, follow-up engagement from staff, and service and
leadership development opportunities.
For a position description and additional information, please contact Sangeeta Tyagi,
Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Public Policy, YouthBuild USA
(styagi@youthbuild.org).

NELLIE MAE FOUNDATION RFP FOR PATHWAYS TO HIGHER LEARNING
INITIATIVE IN NEW ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 15 RELEASE
On September 15th, The Nellie Mae Education Foundation will release a
Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Pathways to Higher Learning Initiative in
New England. Grant awards will support innovative, achievable, “out of the box”
approaches that expand educational, practice, and policy beyond its current status in
the New England States. Successful proposals will support the development and
strengthening of multiple pathways to increase the variety and quality of educational
delivery systems to higher learning for underserved students. Applicants must be
collaborative partnerships which include a local educational agency (LEA) and public
secondary school. Considered proposals may include partners from the following
areas: policy making, workforce development, community-based organizations,
(youth development organizations, afterschool providers, etc.), postsecondary
education institutions, and other non-profits. Secondary schools and their LEAs do
not necessarily have to be the lead agency. Up to six proposals will be funded.
The award range will be $100,000-150,000. For more information, please visit our grants
guidelines page or click on this link.

THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES’ FORUM AND SERVICENATION SUMMIT
In the days leading up to the National Day of Action, public interest in service will be
piqued by special advance events and the ServiceNation Summit, September 11-12 in
New York City. The Summit will open with a Presidential Candidates’ Forum the
evening of September 11, where Senators McCain and Obama will speak in depth about
their views on the role of citizenship and service in post-9/11 America. Sally Prouty will
be among the other 500 leaders of universities, foundations, businesses and civil service
agencies who will celebrate the power and potential of citizen service, and lay out a bold
policy blueprint for addressing America’s greatest social challenges through expanded
opportunities for volunteer and national service.
If you missed the Presidential Candidates’ Forum LIVE at 8PM Eastern Time, on
September 11 on CNN, MSNBC, FOX, and some PBS & CSPAN affiliates, The
Summit will also be streaming on the ServiceNation website starting September 12.
Then, after you watch the Presidential Candidates’ Forum, be the first in your area to sign
the Declaration of Service, which will be posted at the Service Nation website September
11th.

PARTICIPATE IN THE GREEN JOBS NOW NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION
On September 27, Green Jobs Now coalition partners will hold a National Day of Action.
The National Youth Employment Coalition is a partner in this coalition of organizations
focused on connecting America’s workforce with the emerging green jobs industry. We
encourage you to organize your own events or join existing events in preparation for this
day. To learn more and sign up visit
http://events.greenjobsnow.com/partners/natlyouthemploymentcoalition.
Please consider getting your organization involved in promoting a new economy that
invests in clean, renewable energy and creates thousands of new green-collar jobs.
Getting involved can mean just taking a group photo with signs saying “Green Jobs Now”
or organizing a local work project to install energy-efficient light bulbs or clean up a
neighborhood park. In many communities, you may be able to join with green service
projects already underway. This is an excellent opportunity to involve young people and
organizations in a new and growing industry while doing something do benefit our
economy and our environment.