The Impact of RAPSA Membership in Supporting the Opportunity Youth Field and Empowering Students
At-Promise and Opportunity Youth—young people navigating adverse life circumstances, disconnection from school, or involvement in justice or foster care systems—face immense structural barriers in accessing education, work, and long-term stability. While several national organizations advocate for these students, RAPSA offers year-round support to the educators, administrators, workforce professionals, juvenile justice partners, and community-based practitioners who serve them daily.
The Reaching At-Promise Students Association (RAPSA) fills a critical gap. RAPSA is a cross-sector professional membership network dedicated exclusively to supporting practitioners who work with At-Promise and Opportunity Youth. RAPSA democratizes access to learning, policy insight, and professional development—reaching practitioners who are often excluded from at the table conversations yet are closest to the work. Professional Development that is backed by research. RAPSA provides high-quality, research-based professional development and training opportunities. RAPSA works to close the gap between what researchers and experts are working on and what the field needs to better understand At-Promise and Opportunity Youth, the opportunities and challenges they face, and the best strategies to meet their needs and support their leadership and well-being.
RAPSA brings together educators, researchers, workforce agencies, alternative school leaders, probation staff, and youth voices through a robust membership model that includes:
- Open-access professional development through the annual RAPSA Forum, the only national conference fully dedicated to at-promise youth and their practitioners.
- Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) for cross-sector collaboration.
- Legislative updates, bill tracking, and tools for navigating rapidly shifting policy issues.
- Periodic webevents on topics such as apprenticeship models, upstream strategies, workforce literacy, youth voice activation and reengagement strategies.
RAPSA plans to expand its membership network and develop its policy and training infrastructure. This important work will strengthen the field by connecting research to practice, enhancing youth leadership, and creating a unified learning community for those working in education, workforce, and justice systems. Our goal is to support practitioners have the knowledge, resources, and cross-sector collaboration necessary to improve outcomes for Opportunity Youth nationwide.
Membership Structure
Click a membership type to see a dropdown description of benefits.
This membership is for an individual, regardless of their organizational affiliation
- Individual RAPSA Forum 20% Registration Discount
- Access to current and archived RAPSA webinars
- Access to Professional Learning Networks (PLN) – Connect with peers, exchange ideas, collaborate and share resources, and engage in meaningful discussions with other professionals serving at-promise students aimed at enhancing professional development.
- Policy alerts and updates Stay abreast of the latest in relevant events and policy. Through its suite of news publications and online resources, RAPSA provides its members with timely updates on education and workforce policies.
- Member Directory. See the members of RAPSA in one easy place, with the ability to reach out at the click of a mouse.[In development for 2026 launch]
- Member portal- Access to resources and events for members only. [In development for 2026 launch]
This membership is for organizations with 1-50 employees. Access to resources applies to all employees of the organization.
- RAPSA Forum 20% Registration Discount up to three (3) organizational members
- Access to current and archived RAPSA webinars
- Access to Professional Learning Networks (PLN) – Connect with peers, exchange ideas, collaborate and share resources, and engage in meaningful discussions with other professionals serving at-promise students.
- Recognition of Membership on website
- Policy alerts and updates Stay abreast of the latest in relevant events and policy. Through its suite of news publications and online resources, RAPSA provides its members with timely updates on education and workforce policies.
- Access to RAPSA’s bill watch list on legislation
- Legislative Webinars: The latest research and reports on the most critical education issue areas related to At promise students and educators. When an important topic arises around legislation, members get exclusive access to top-quality webinars
- Member Directory. See the members of RAPSA in one easy place, with the ability to reach out at the click of a mouse.[In development for 2026 launch]
- Member portal- Access to resources and events for members only. [In development for 2026 launch]
This membership is for organizations with 51-100 employees. Access to resources applies to all employees of the organization.
- 1 Complementary RAPSA Forum Registration
- RAPSA Forum Registration 20% Discount up to five (5) organizational members
- Access to the latest news around alternative education, workforce development, as well as federal legislative updates relating to the education of at-promise students.
- Access to current and archived RAPSA webinars
- Access to Professional Learning Networks (PLN) – Connect with peers, exchange ideas, collaborate and share resources, and engage in meaningful discussions with other professional serving at-promise students.
- Policy alerts and updates Stay abreast of the latest in relevant events and policy. Through its suite of news publications and online resources, RAPSA provides its members with timely updates on education and workforce policies.
- Member Directory. See the members of RAPSA in one easy place, with the ability to reach out at the click of a mouse.[In development for 2026 launch]
- Member portal- Access to resources and events for members only. [In development for 2026 launch]
This membership is for organizations with 101-500 employees. Access to resources applies to all employees of the organization
- 2 Complementary RAPSA Forum Registrations
- RAPSA Forum Registration 20% Discount up to ten (10) organizational members
- Access to the latest news around alternative education, workforce development, as well as federal legislative updates relating to the education of at-promise students.
- Access to current and archived RAPSA webinars
- Access to Professional Learning Networks (PLN) – Connect with peers, exchange ideas, collaborate and share resources, and engage in meaningful discussions with other professional serving at-promise students.
- Recognition of Membership on website
- Policy alerts and updates Stay abreast of the latest in relevant events and policy. Through its suite of news publications and online resources, RAPSA provides its members with timely updates on education and workforce policies.
- Member Directory. See the members of RAPSA in one easy place, with the ability to reach out at the click of a mouse.[In development for 2026 launch]
- Member portal- Access to resources and events for members only. [In development for 2026 launch]
This membership is for organizations with over 501 employees. Access to resources applies to all employees of the organization.
- 3 Complementary RAPSA Forum Registrations
- RAPSA Forum Registration 20% Discount up to ten (10) organizational members
- Recognition of Membership on website
- Access to the latest news around alternative education, workforce development, as well as federal legislative updates relating to the education of at-promise students.
- Access to current and archived RAPSA webinars
- Access to Professional Learning Networks (PLN) – Connect with peers, exchange ideas, collaborate and share resources, and engage in meaningful discussions with other professional serving at-promise students.
- Policy alerts and updates Stay abreast of the latest in relevant events and policy. Through its suite of news publications and online resources, RAPSA provides its members with timely updates on education and workforce policies.
- Member Directory. See the members of RAPSA in one easy place, with the ability to reach out at the click of a mouse.[In development for 2026 launch]
- Member portal- Access to resources and events for members only. [In development for 2026 launch]
This membership is for companies providing services and solutions to our individual and district/organization members.
- Marketing throughout the year- website
- Vendor booth discount- priority
- List serve access
- Presentation slot/ office hours
- Webinar opportunities
RAPSA Membership Registration Form
At RAPSA we believe ALL students deserve a quality education. That’s why we’re dedicated to providing educators and other leaders with the tools they need to help struggling students beat the odds and stay in school. Your support is critical to our ongoing success.