What Drives Learning: Young People’s Perspectives on the Importance of Relationships, Belonging, and Agency

Can supportive relationships, a sense of belonging, and feelings of agency make a difference in students’ engagement and learning in school? The Center for Promise at America’s Promise Alliance conducted a nationally representative survey of 3,300 high school students to learn more about this connection.

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NEW: GradNation Shares Lessons Learned

What does it take to help more young people—particularly those navigating the greatest barriers to graduation—graduate ready and well for whatever their futures hold? The GradNation campaign explores answers to this question in three new case studies highlighting promising practices and important lessons learned from states and communities in the Acceleration Initiative.

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New: National Survey of High School Students During COVID-19

Students reveal pandemic's negative impact on learning time, emotional health, social connection.

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STATEMENT: Racial Trauma and Young People – Why We Can’t Stay Silent

As leaders of youth-supporting organizations, we cannot be silent. Violence against Black Americans, as we’ve seen with the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others this year alone, is emblematic of the systemic racism that remains in our country. These acts of violence are manifestations of the inequities and injustices that far too many of our young people encounter on a regular basis.

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Share how COVID-19 is impacting you.

America’s Promise Alliance is helping young people (ages 6-25) share their experiences about life during COVID-19. If you’re a young person, share your story about how the pandemic has affected you.

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America’s Promise Alliance COVID-19 Resource Collection

At America's Promise we are being proactive about learning from our partners and the leaders in communities we work with who are responding to the COVID-19 outbreak with evidence-backed strategies and with young people in mind. We have compiled a list of resources that can be helpful to young people, families, and those of you who work with and care deeply about young people and children.

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Every young person deserves to succeed and every adult is responsible for making that happen

Find out what it means to be the Promise of America .

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WHO WE ARE

America’s Promise Alliance is the driving force behind a nationwide movement to improve the lives and futures of America’s youth. By bringing together hundreds of national nonprofits, businesses, community and civic leaders, educators, citizens, and young people, the Alliance does what no single organization can do on its own: catalyze action on a scale that reaches millions of young people.

Our work is rooted in the belief that every young person deserves to succeed and every adult is responsible for making that happen, our campaigns and initiatives align organizations behind a common vision for a better future and bold goals to reach it. Through this alignment, we spark and support collective action across organizations, communities, and individuals to overcome the barriers that stand in the way of young people’s success. These efforts have reached millions of young people.

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OUR WORK

A healthy school is one that advances the education and social, emotional, physical, and mental health of all its students. By elevating practices, collaborative solutions, and the voices of people in communities – especially those of young people – the Every School Healthy campaign is aligning the nation toward making healthy schools the norm.

How Learning Happens is an effort to advance the understanding that learning is social, emotional, and cognitive and to fuel the growing movement to educate children as whole people.

The GradNation Campaign mobilizes education leaders to a 90 percent high school graduation rate to put more youth on the path to adult success. The campaign supports those working to raise graduation rates by sharing data, best practices, and opportunities to connect and learn from one another.

The YES Project is a national initiative launched by America’s Promise Alliance that brings together youth, employers, and a diverse network of stakeholders and advocates working to support and grow our youth workforce — with the goal of ensuring every young person seeking a job, can find a job.

Our Alliance

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National Partners 450+

National organizations that share our belief that children and youth are a national priority and are committed to working collaboratively to ensure all children have all 5 promises.

State & Community Partners 250+

National organizations that share our belief that children and youth are a national priority and are committed to working collaboratively to ensure all children have all 5 promises.

Individuals 17K+

Individual champions committed to the shared goal of increasing the number of children who have access to and are receiving the most fundamental resources, what we call our 5 promises.

Promise No.1

Caring Adults

Caring adults are the centerpieces of children’s development. They serve as guides, caretakers and advisers, who give positive and productive guidance throughout their development.
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Promise No.2

Safe Places

To develop intellectually and emotionally, young people need physical and psychological safety at home, at school and in the community. Without such “safe places” – environments that support and encourage inquiry, exploration, and play without fear of harm – children aren’t able to get support, form positive relationships and concentrate on school.
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Promise No.3

A Healthy Start

Healthy and well-nourished children are more able to develop their minds and bodies as they should, and they are far more capable of concentrating, learning and thriving throughout their school years.
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Promise No.4

Effective Education

Our increasingly knowledge-driven world demands people who have the education and skills to thrive in a competitive marketplace, and to understand the increasingly complex world in which they live. That means that in order to compete and succeed, all young people will need an effective education that prepares them for work and life.
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Promise No.5

Opportunities to Help Others

Through service to others, young Americans develop the character and competence they need to be helpful, hopeful and civically engaged all their lives, regardless of their own life circumstances.
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Recent News

September 23, 2020

Fewer than Half of Students are Experiencing Supportive Conditions Linked to Engagement in Learning, Survey of High School Youth Finds

A nationally representative survey of 3,300 America high school students shows that fewer than half are experiencing the supportive conditions that are linked to engagement and learning in school and out-of-school time settings.