The 14 Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA)-funded youth employment programs to which the Academy for Educational Development (AED) has delivered technical assistance for the past 5 years illustrate several important conditions for effective programming and "best practices" in the field of youth employment and training. Four of the JTPA youth employment programs (one each in the South Bronx and Brooklyn and two in Manhattan, New York), illustrate the importance of the following underlying principles: developing a clear mission to provide services with a clear focus on a particular group of young people and a firm belief that young people are resources to be developed; judging the quality of staff by their knowledge of their specialty/technical skills and their interpersonal skills with other staff, young people, and service/employment providers; and designing organizational structures that support the program's mission. In AED's experience, the following elements of a local network must be in place to facilitate, replicate, and support program change: research-driven principles; participation of administrators, instructors, and other staff; incentives for participation; examples of good practices provided through workshops and observations; opportunities for practitioner-led performances or exhibitions of good practice; and opportunities to discuss and advocate for changes or improvements in local youth employment policies. (MN)