The Adolescent Learning & Development Project
The Adolescent Learning and Development Project (ALDP) advances equity for middle and high school age learners by applying the principles of science of learning and development.
Policymakers and education leaders must transform their approach to creating equitable learning experiences for every young person and preparing them for life beyond K-12 education. Adolescents of middle and high school age are worthy of a big bet!
How We’re
Doing It.
Learn more about our plan.
Featured Districts and Partners
See how we’re working with local efforts.
Reports and Publications
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In communities in California, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, and New York the Opportunity Institute (OI) is working to identify practical changes to educational policy and practice aligned with the concept of “Whole Child Equity (WCE)”. The ALDP works in school districts and with communities and leaders across sectors--including state-based advocacy groups, community based organizations, youth groups, businesses, and local and state-level government officials--to forge strong and impactful partnerships in service of the young people soon to become our next leaders, workers, entrepreneurs, parents, and more.
Reorienting Public Education to Meet the Needs of our Youth
Lessons Learned from the Adolescent Learning and Development Project in Mississippi
By working in multiple school districts in different states, OI aims to broadly and effectively share information within and across communities to support sustainable change at scale.
It is the alignment of research, science, policy, and practice in efforts around implementation that produces meaningful and sustainable transformation in education. OI works to strengthen the cyclical relationship among on-the-ground practitioners, advocates, and policymakers. The success of even the most well-designed policies ultimately depends on how well practitioners are informed about the policy and how effectively they can apply their expertise to influence needed changes going forward.
Theory of Influence
Effecting scalable change.
This includes knowledge of actual conditions, including local concerns and incentives.
OI works in close partnership with community-based nonprofit advocacy organizations that are led and staffed mainly by people of color and that focus on educational and racial equity, community organizing, and policy change. We collaborate to:
Support a more broadly shared understanding of the relevance of the science of learning and development to local practices and policies, with a focus on adolescence.
Support statewide advocacy focused on racial justice and educational equity and excellence.
Help system leaders and policymakers identify how specific changes, including improved cross-sector collaborations, can better address whole child needs.
“Investments in programs and interventions that capitalize on the brain’s capacity to change during adolescence can promote beneficial shifts in young people’s life trajectories.”
