News

Monday
May082023

School & Main Institute Appoints Chantel Devaughn as New President and Executive Director

The Board of Directors of School & Main Institute (SMI) are happy to announce the selection of Chantel Devaughn as the new President and Executive Director of SMI. With over 25 years of experience in public policy, economic development, and direct service, Ms. Devaughn is uniquely positioned to lead SMI in its continuing mission of building successful coalitions that create opportunities for young people to thrive.

Prior to joining SMI, Ms. Devaughn held various leadership roles in both the public and private sectors, where she managed numerous large-scale projects through innovative initiatives and national partnerships.

"Chantel’s vision, experience, and dedication to youth empowerment align perfectly with the organization’s mission and values; we are confident that under her leadership, SMI will continue its rich history of bringing together diverse stakeholders to create innovative solutions to complex challenges." said James Gross, Chair of School & Main's Board of Directors.

Ms. Devaughn’s passion for youth development, combined with her extensive background in policy and program management are a great addition to the SMI team.

Please join us in supporting Chantel as she embarks on this new journey with the SMI family, and as we welcome her into her new role as President and Executive Director of School & Main Institute.

Signed - SMI Board of Directors:

James Gross – Chair
Maddrey Goode
Robert Sainz
Kellye Gordon
Ellen Gibson
Girard Melancon - Clerk

Tuesday
May022023

Applications are open for the RJJ 6.0 2023 Training-for-Trainers Institute! 

We are pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the RJJ 6.0 2023 Training-for-Trainers Institute

This year the RJJ 6.0 T4T Insti­tute seeks to deep­en the engage­ment and lead­er­ship of young adults who have had direct expe­ri­ence in the juve­nile jus­tice sys­tem with­in the last 12 years and are now between 18 and 30 years old. These young leaders will serve as co-design­ers, partners and co-train­ers with adult team members in delivering RJJ in their community.  

For additional details, please visit the RJJ T4T 2023 FAQ

To learn more, please join us for an informal information session on Tue. May 9th from 4-5 p.m. where we'll be joined by several of our young leaders to focus on the engagement of young adults as co-trainers and partners in this next phase of RJJ implementation. Register here for Info Session

We encourage you to share this opportunity with your partners and network. If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Flynn Woodland at katflynn@schoolandmain.org.

Thursday
Oct152020

Casey Selects 16 Organizations to Train Juvenile Justice Staff on the Frontlines

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has selected 16 state and local juvenile justice agencies and related organizations to conduct professional development based on the RJJ curriculum. The chosen agencies and organizations will participate in the virtual 2020 RJJ Train-the-Trainer Institute sponsored by the Foundation and delivered by the School & Main Institute. This training equips agencies and organizations to take RJJ’s concepts, curriculum and instructional approach back to their home jurisdictions.

To read more, see The Annie E. Casey Foundation blog post.

Tuesday
Aug252020

RJJ 4.0 Kick Off

On Tuesday, August 25th the national application process for the Reimagining Juvenile Justice (RJJ) 4.0 Training Institute kicked off with an informational webinar sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and hosted by the School & Main Institute (SMI) in collaboration with the Pretrial Justice Institute (PJI).

The RJJ initiative aims to help youth justice professionals and system partners move from a historically punitive youth justice framework towards one that effectively addresses the multifaceted needs of young people and their families, helping them minimize or avoid system-involvement.  

The next RJJ Training Institute will be offered virtually this October 2020 through a series of online facilitated training sessions.  This unique professional development opportunity  is open to sites from across the country seeking to improve their youth outcomes by providing alternatives to system involvement and incarceration, instilling a positive youth development mindset and increasing cross-system collaboration. 

We anticipate selecting up to 20 sites who commit a team of 2-3 trainers to participate in the institute. Selected training teams  will participate in approximately 20 hours of  instruction which will be supported by one-on-one coaching and connection to a peer network of experienced trainers. 

Transform your system through a positive youth development framework. Join JDAIconnect and learn more at RJJ 4.0 Training Institute

 

Wednesday
Jul012020

After LEAP 2.0

While we are definitely not in normal times, the 10 local partnerships (located in 8 states) have continued to focus on managing the current situations and climate we are in today and finding creative ways to keep supporting LEAP youth.  Recent peer learning calls have provided opportunity and space for folks to have conversations, hear about what’s happening and share challenges, opportunities and what is shifting in light of COVID-19 and the movement for racial equity/justice in our communities and across the network.

The first year of LEAP 2.0 drew to a close on June 30, and the local partnerships have submitted their application outlining their focus and efforts for Year 2 to boost employment and educational opportunity pathway practices.  Virtual site visits were conducted in June to help support the planning for this systems and scaling work.  

An addendum evaluation is also in process during Year 2.  Led by MDRC the goal of this evaluation is to look at continued outcomes for the tail end of the LEAP 1.0 period and to collect more feedback directly from young persons - with a particular focus on how LEAP helps young people to persist and engage in accomplishing their goals.

The planned in-person LEAP convening in San Diego is being shifted to a virtual event this year.  We are very disappointed as we hoped to go to San Diego in December and showcase the work the South Bay local collaborative as we brought everyone together. With Casey Foundation, SMI is sending out a survey to the LEAP network and young leaders to get input and ideas on virtual convening options.

The national LEAP youth fellows - a cohort of 10 young-adults - continue their work with Casey Foundation staff and MDRC with the addendum evaluation activities.  The Casey Foundation has also provided and invited each fellow to apply for a “mini-grant” to design and lead a project that connects their peers to one another and engages them in their communities.  While the mini grant is optional it is a great opportunity for the youth fellow to lead a local community service project and affect the other youth around them.

Read more information on The Annie E. Casey website. 

In a Nutshell

Founded in 1985 at Brandeis University’s Heller School of Social Policy and Management, School & Main Institute (SMI) has grown into a nationally recognized, independent non-profit training and partnership development organization that has worked with organizations and state agencies in more than 35 states.

Projects

School & Main Institute staff and faculty have years of expertise as organizational leaders, program developers, trainers, and facilitators in the fields of education, workforce preparation, youth and community development.

Read more about what we are currently working on >

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