webinar

The Promise of Meaning-Based Interventions and Opportunities for Philanthropy

PAST EVENT
September 10, 2024

On September 10, GTY talked with Arnold Chandler to learn about meaning-based interventions and how they hold promise in narrowing racial gaps in academic achievement (grades, high school graduation, college enrollment) and behavioral outcomes.

Watch recording

Top Takeaway

Meaning-based interventions are highly effective for youth of color. They significantly improve academic and behavioral outcomes and have longer-lasting effects than traditional skill-building approaches.

By focusing on perceptions and fostering a sense of belonging and identity, these interventions can lead to significant improvements in academic achievement and overall well-being.

Recording

More Takeaways

  1. Meaning-based interventions address underlying perceptions and barriers, such as stereotype threat, rather than focusing solely on skills.
  2. The effects of meaning-based interventions persist for an average of 20.5 months, compared to 4.1 months for typical academic interventions.
  3. The principles behind meaning-based interventions can be applied beyond educational settings. By addressing how individuals perceive their roles and capabilities in various contexts, these approaches have the potential to facilitate transitions into the workplace or improve health outcomes.

Resources

Arnold Chandler has released the first of a three-part series on racial mobility: Striving and Thriving: Racial Mobility Gaps and Patterns. Chandler’s paper focused on meaning-based interventions will be the third in the series and is expected in February 2025.

What Can Philanthropy Do?

Funders supporting youth can:

  • expand their understanding of these interventions, 
  • embrace the importance of addressing meaning alongside skills in reducing racial disparities, and 
  • improve access to evidence-based practices for field practitioners through more modular and adaptable implementation strategies.

Memorable Quotes

Meaning-making interventions focus on altering how youth interpret themselves and their environments, significantly impacting their academic outcomes without traditional skill-building.

—Arnold Chandler, Forward Change

Contact the Speaker

Speakers

Arnold Chandler

President of Forward Change

Arnold Chandler is an advocate, researcher, trainer, and social change strategist who for more than 17 years has helped nonprofits and foundations develop evidence-informed strategies to advance programs and policies focused on social and economic equity. He is the co-founder of Forward Change based in Oakland, California. Recently, he was a Senior Research Associate at the Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy at the U.C. Berkeley School of Law. Before that, he was a research analyst working with a team to reform the Oakland Police Department as part of a federal lawsuit settled in 2001. Prior to that, he was a researcher and policy strategist at PolicyLink for six years. Chandler has authored several important policy analyses and studies in the social justice field as well as advised several nonprofit organizations on the use of Internet tools for supporting advocacy and social change efforts. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a M.S. in Information Systems. He lives in Oakland, California, with his wife Janet.

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Grantmakers for Thriving Youth

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