Monday, December 22, 2008

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Due to our holiday schedule, the newsfeed will resume on Monday, January 12, 2009

Education

Obama chooses Chicago schools chief Ed. Secretary
Associated Press – December 16, 2008
President-elect Barack Obama announced Arne Duncan, the head of the Chicago school system, as education secretary Tuesday and declared that failing to improve classroom instruction is "morally unacceptable for our children." "When it comes to school reform, Arne is the most hands-on of hands-on practitioners," Obama said, making the announcement at a school that he said has made remarkable progress under Duncan's leadership.

Lancaster school offers a second chance
The Evening Sun – December 20, 2008
With tears in her eyes, and a corsage from a proud aunt on her wrist, the 28-year-old woman received her high school diploma with 13 other graduates of Lancaster County Academy, an alternative school operated by 12 county school districts and Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13.

State report aims to lower dropout rates
The News Journal – December 19, 2008
Every at-risk student paired with a mentor. More high school students interning at Delaware businesses. State officials developing a tool to identify students at risk for dropping out based on attendance, behavior and academic performance. Those are some of the state's recommendations to lower Delaware's rising dropout rate.

Juvenile Justice

Why restorative justice programs are thriving in Mo.
Corrections News – December 21, 2008
Supporters of expanding restorative justice programs in Missouri say it's a great concept that makes victims feel more involved and helps youngsters turn their lives around. Advocates range from juvenile officers and law professors to prosecutors and police. A St. Louis teenager is among those they hope to help. The young man appeared recently before a Neighborhood Accountability Board, his third meeting before the panel that decides what he must do to make things right.

Group home considered for Atchison
Kansas City Star – December 19, 2008
The Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority hopes to convert the closed Atchison Juvenile Correctional Facility into a group home for youths. Authority Commissioner J. Russell Jennings said the state is working toward making the facility a 56-bed group home operated by a private company. About 420 youths are in group home placements, he said, and about 40 are generally on the waiting list. “This would get them out of detention centers quicker and into group homes,” Jennings said.

Foster Care

Helping hand for homeless youth in Oakland
Oakland Tribune – December 20, 2008
The Lend A Hand Foundation toy drive is special for Jeanette Lewis and her 12 children every year. It's a time when their hearts are touched by the warmth of others through holiday giving. The sixth annual event held Saturday in East Oakland provided gifts to 200 youths who reside in homeless shelters, foster care and to others needing support with toys, educational items, clothing and food.

New county program offers nursing visits
The Reporter – December 21, 2008
Visits by nurses are the cornerstone of a new program coming to Solano County that helps first-time moms, including current and former foster youth, to be successful parents. "With this program, first-time moms, including our former foster youth, will have a positive resource to guide them as they learn how to be good parents," said Linda Orrante, Child Welfare Services director. The U.S. Department of Health Services Administration on Children Youth and Families awarded grants to 17 organizations throughout the nation.

Treehouse, Big Brothers Big Sisters provide high-risk children with "options in life"
The Seattle Times – December 21, 2008
There are a half-dozen sanctuaries at Seattle Public Schools funded by the nonprofit organization Treehouse, which aims to give foster kids "a childhood and a future." It's a private place away from the classroom where he and other students from troubled families can eat snacks, play games and benefit from one-on-one tutoring. Both Treehouse and another agency that stresses the importance of mentoring children — Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound — benefit from The Seattle Times Fund For The Needy.

Monday, December 15, 2008

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Program aims to get high school students at risk off to a good start
Star Tribune – December 13, 2008
Ryan Gresafe wants to be a professional boxer, but he's staying in school to get an education "in case anything goes wrong, like I break my hand or something," says the 112-pound division fighter who's in ninth grade at North High School in North St. Paul. The school is fighting for Ryan to get a good education, too, by enrolling him into what it calls "Freshman Academy" -- North High School's new, first and, perhaps, last-ditch effort to keep kids on track to graduate.

Students get the Big Picture, find success
Houston Chronicle – December 13, 2008
It sounds like a student's dream school — no teachers, no homework, no weekly tests, no grades. At the Lafayette Big Picture High School, students get to design their own learning plan, set their own goals and spend two days a week away from school — bending the ear of a mentor.

'Upper houses' for Danville High School students taking shape
The News-Gazette – December 12, 2008
Danville High School freshman Tatiana Atcher said she's been able to make the leap from middle to high school without much problem, and she credits that to being part of a small learning community. A cornerstone of Danville High's state-lauded restructuring plan, the program creates an environment stressing rigor, relevance and relationships to improve things like student engagement, achievement and graduation rates and decrease things like discipline problems and drop-out rates.

Juvenile Justice

Prison system in need of correction
Star-Ledger – December 14, 2008
Faced with spending up to eight years at Mountainview Youth Correctional Facility in Annandale on drug and robbery charges, William Blaine -- for the first time in his 21 years -- had a moment of forced stillness to reflect on his future. Reinstating educational programming inside New Jersey's prisons is just one of the recommendations that has come out of "Counting The Costs," a series of public hearings seeking to elicit public input on how to improve the state's criminal justice system and the process of reintegrating ex-offenders into society upon their release.

Lawmakers, judge making strides in juvenile justice
Press-Register – December 14, 2008
When it comes to overall child welfare, Alabama historically has ranked at or near the bottom of nationwide studies, because in no small part of the state's high juvenile incarceration rate. But with new strategies being put in place in Mobile County and other metropolitan areas of the state, Alabama appears to be turning that around, according to one juvenile justice expert.

Channahon may get peer jury program
Chicago Tribune – December 9, 2008
Channahon teenagers may soon find themselves sitting on a jury judging one of their peers. With a new high school in town, Police Chief Joe Pena wants Channahon to become the next Will County community to use peer juries to help get first-time offenders back on track and give teens a look inside the justice system.

Foster Care

Aging out of foster care
The Daily Reflector – December 14, 2008
"Our sole mission is to help young people leave foster care and go on to post-secondary schooling,” said Eileen McCaffrey, executive director of the Orphan Foundation of America. And she's reaching that goal a little easier these days by spearheading a modern statewide program called NC Reach.

Maryland Based Group Helps Get Housing Vouchers for Foster Care Kids
Southern Maryland – December 13, 2008
When Temple Hills resident Crystal Skinner turned 21 in 2006 and was too old to stay in foster care, she was not sure where she would live. After switching between living with her biological mother and her aunt, Skinner received a voucher from the Prince George's County Housing Authority that paid rent and allowed her to find a job nearby.

Youth ranch gets $1 million grant
The Oklahoman – December 13, 2008
Little more than a year ago, 19-year-old Bre'Ann Hansen's prospects looked bleak -- at least in her own eyes. The statistics were stacked against her, and she worried that she'd end up like many of her peers who, after leaving foster care, found themselves alone, without help and in dangerous situations. But on Thursday morning, she beamed with excitement. She's now employed as a teacher's aide at the Hill Country Youth Ranch, where she was a resident and student for six years prior to graduating in 2007. Plus, she is planning to begin college in January, all furthered by a $1 million grant the youth ranch received on Tuesday.

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

College May Become Unaffordable for Most in U.S.
The New York Times – December 3, 2008
The rising cost of college — even before the recession — threatens to put higher education out of reach for most Americans, according to the biennial report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

Educators at conference plan ways to cut dropout rate
Union-Tribune – December 5, 2008
Take any five ninth-graders at a high school in the county, and one of them is likely to drop out sometime over the next four years. Michael Wotorson was joined by Jack O'Connell, California's state superintendent of public instruction, and other educators to discuss the dropout crisis and prescriptions for reform.

Juvenile Justice

Report: State’s juvenile laws need rewriting
Gainesville Times – December 7, 2008
Georgia’s laws governing juvenile courts are outdated, overly complicated, sometimes inconsistent and in dire need of a complete overhaul, a new report from a public interest law center suggests. "I’m very hopeful there will be a revision of the code in existence," said Ari Mathe, an attorney with the Northeastern Circuit Public Defender’s office. Mathe co-chaired a state bar committee that worked on the project for two years, interviewing hundreds of juvenile court stakeholders. "Obviously the people of Georgia are ready for it, and I hope the legislators will hear that and understand a change needs to be made."

Florida's 'cooling off' option soothes troubled families
Herald Tribune – December 7, 2008
Sarah Cooksey she felt bewildered and desperate when deteriorating relations with their adopted daughter, Amanda, culminated in a vicious physical fight, with the 17-year-old girl stomping out of the house. The police, who picked up Amanda, suggested an emergency shelter for a two-week cooling-off period, a place where troubled teenagers receive anger-management lessons, social-skills classes and counseling for themselves and their parents -- and later bedtimes if they follow the rules.

Foster Care

Reflections for Youth helping steer troubled teens in right direction
Reporter Herald – December 8, 2008
Although they might have made poor decisions in the past, teenagers should never be given up on. And Loveland’s Reflections for Youth, a residential treatment center, is there to make sure they’re not. With therapy groups, live-in homes, nonpublic schools and opportunities to volunteer in the community, the nonprofit is giving often troubled teens the skills to make it in life, and the power to make positive choices.

Helping youth from foster care to college, if they apply
Press of Atlantic City – December 8, 2008
One day, Courtney Godenich would like to help businesses develop programs to reduce stress in the workplace. But for now, the Richard Stockton College sophomore is focused on getting her degree in psychology and business studies, a degree that might not have been possible without a state program that helps pay for college.

Youth 'aged out' of foster care get a helping hand at Sunnyvale transitional home
The Mercury News – December 3, 2008
The instability of Marina Galan's youth began with her shuttling between her mother and father's home. It was replaced when she entered foster care at age 3 by the repeated shocks and insecurity of shuttling between foster homes. Galan, now 18, has lived for two months in an otherwise unremarkable house on a quiet southern Sunnyvale cul-de-sac, a group home operated by the faith-based nonprofit Jeremiah's Promise.

Monday, December 08, 2008

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

College May Become Unaffordable for Most in U.S.
The New York Times – December 3, 2008
The rising cost of college — even before the recession — threatens to put higher education out of reach for most Americans, according to the biennial report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

Educators at conference plan ways to cut dropout rate
Union-Tribune – December 5, 2008
Take any five ninth-graders at a high school in the county, and one of them is likely to drop out sometime over the next four years. Michael Wotorson was joined by Jack O'Connell, California's state superintendent of public instruction, and other educators to discuss the dropout crisis and prescriptions for reform.

Juvenile Justice

Report: State’s juvenile laws need rewriting
Gainesville Times – December 7, 2008
Georgia’s laws governing juvenile courts are outdated, overly complicated, sometimes inconsistent and in dire need of a complete overhaul, a new report from a public interest law center suggests. "I’m very hopeful there will be a revision of the code in existence," said Ari Mathe, an attorney with the Northeastern Circuit Public Defender’s office. Mathe co-chaired a state bar committee that worked on the project for two years, interviewing hundreds of juvenile court stakeholders. "Obviously the people of Georgia are ready for it, and I hope the legislators will hear that and understand a change needs to be made."

Florida's 'cooling off' option soothes troubled families
Herald Tribune – December 7, 2008
Sarah Cooksey she felt bewildered and desperate when deteriorating relations with their adopted daughter, Amanda, culminated in a vicious physical fight, with the 17-year-old girl stomping out of the house. The police, who picked up Amanda, suggested an emergency shelter for a two-week cooling-off period, a place where troubled teenagers receive anger-management lessons, social-skills classes and counseling for themselves and their parents -- and later bedtimes if they follow the rules.

Foster Care

Reflections for Youth helping steer troubled teens in right direction
Reporter Herald – December 8, 2008
Although they might have made poor decisions in the past, teenagers should never be given up on. And Loveland’s Reflections for Youth, a residential treatment center, is there to make sure they’re not. With therapy groups, live-in homes, nonpublic schools and opportunities to volunteer in the community, the nonprofit is giving often troubled teens the skills to make it in life, and the power to make positive choices.

Helping youth from foster care to college, if they apply
Press of Atlantic City – December 8, 2008
One day, Courtney Godenich would like to help businesses develop programs to reduce stress in the workplace. But for now, the Richard Stockton College sophomore is focused on getting her degree in psychology and business studies, a degree that might not have been possible without a state program that helps pay for college.

Youth 'aged out' of foster care get a helping hand at Sunnyvale transitional home
The Mercury News – December 3, 2008
The instability of Marina Galan's youth began with her shuttling between her mother and father's home. It was replaced when she entered foster care at age 3 by the repeated shocks and insecurity of shuttling between foster homes. Galan, now 18, has lived for two months in an otherwise unremarkable house on a quiet southern Sunnyvale cul-de-sac, a group home operated by the faith-based nonprofit Jeremiah's Promise.

Monday, December 01, 2008

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Community to tackle dropouts
The Herald – November 29, 2008
Rock Hill city and school officials hope a planned community-wide gathering will entice others to partner in stemming the flow of students who quit school. "Dropout Prevention Summit," scheduled for Thursday, boasts a list of 275 invitees. It includes parents, educators and leaders from area nonprofits, businesses, churches and community groups.

Districts seek to stop drop outs
Muskogee Phoenix – November 29, 2008
Muskogee High School’s teacher advocate program is one tool area schools use to improve student performance and reduce the drop out rate. Muskogee Public Schools offer several ways to stem the failure and drop-out rate. Superintendent Mike Garde said the district follows a Pyramid of Intervention, steps to change behavior of students who are at risk academically, behaviorally or socially. MPS Public Information Director Melony Carey said the pyramid involves student school staff and parents to make sure the at risk student is supported.

Program aims to cut drop-out rate
Opelika-Auburn News – November 25, 2008
A $400,000 gift from AT&T to Auburn University aims to keep high school students from becoming dropouts. The funds will support an initiative to reduce the drop-out rate in Alabama high schools which, according to the Southern Education Foundation, is about 40 percent.

Juvenile Justice

Law set to prosecute youth cut
Las Vegas Review Journal – November 27, 2008
The Nevada Supreme Court on Wednesday threw out a state law used to prosecute juveniles charged with serious crimes in adult court, saying the statute violated their constitutional right against self-incrimination. Under the presumptive certification law, juveniles 14 or older charged with gun crimes and violent sex crimes were automatically sent to adult court unless they could show that substance abuse, or emotional or behavioral problems led to the crimes. But in making that connection the juveniles admitted to the crimes, which could be used against them in future court hearings.

Juvenile justice topic of first regional conference of judges and prosecutors in South East Europe
UNICEF – November 28, 2008
UNICEF, Representative, Mr. Sheldon Yett and Deputy Minister of Justice, Mr. Ibrahim Ibrahimi opened today a conference to discuss issues related to juvenile justice and making judicial reform work for children. Judges and other professionals from Albania, Croatia, Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro have come to Skopje for the conference “The aim of juvenile justice systems should be the rehabilitation and reintegration into society of those children in conflict with the law, not their punishment,” said UNICEF Country Representative Mr. Sheldon Yett. “The police, the courts and other pillars of justice must be sensitive to the needs of children.”

Foster Care

Sterling foundation supports former foster youth
Loudoun Times-Mirror – November 24, 2008
The foster-care system is not always a fair shake, according to Doug Sprei of the Sterling-based Orphan Foundation of America. And when those children age out of the system, usually at 18, it gets worse. Enter the Orphan Foundation of America, known as OFA, founded in 1981 by Father Joseph Rivers. Its 30 employees and small army of volunteers across the country connect high school graduates with scholarships to colleges and vocational schools; oversee the federal government's Education and Training Voucher money in nine states; offer virtual mentoring to keep those students on track for graduation and success; and connect students with internships in business, government and nonprofit agencies.

Changes in state law try to get foster kids out of limbo
Free Press – November 30, 2008
A settlement agreement between Michigan's child welfare system and a New York-based child advocacy group, as well as recent changes in state and federal law, should mean that Michigan's foster children will find homes more quickly.

Monday, November 24, 2008

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Dropout rates down - Alternative programs keeping students in class
The Advocate – November 24, 2008
While the state eyes how it can quickly improve its high school graduation rates and reduce the number of dropouts, alternative programs in Lafayette Parish show success at keeping students in the classroom. In the 2006-07 school year, 635 students dropped out of high school in Lafayette Parish, according to figures reported to the Louisiana Department of Education.

Dropout rates spur solutions
Corsicana Daily Sun – November 22, 2008
Kids who drop out of school face an uphill battle in today’s world. Armed with few skills and experiences, no diploma, and no proof they can finish something important, drop-outs often end up working minimum-wage jobs and needing government or charitable assistance on a regular basis. Two years ago, the high school started a program called ATTACK, in which each student is assigned to an adult at the high school, and they meet in small groups on a regular basis to go over grades, and even in the students’ homes. Last year, the district began AVID, which beefs up students’ skills, like note-taking and test-taking, while also providing incentives, such as college trips and mentoring with local professionals.

There's a message for young people in 80-year-old's mission
Winston-Salem Journal – November 23, 2008
At first blush, Kenneth "Al" Williams of Thomasville might not seem like a poster boy for staying in school. He dropped out during World War II but rose to the level of plant manager, earning a decent living. It wasn't until this fall, long after he retired from the factory, that he got his general equivalency diploma -- at the age of 80. But when you hear all of Williams' story, you realize that he is an example for others of the importance of graduating from high school, in a state and region in need of much improvement on graduation rates.

Juvenile Justice

Officials consider juvenile peer juries
The Plainfield Sun – November 23, 2008
Besides fashion and music, local teens are getting a chance to influence their peers in the legal system. Local school administrators, police officers and social workers met with the Will County Juvenile Justice Council to discuss peer juries for juvenile offenders. Instead of going through the court system, law enforcement can refer a teen who's been arrested to a group of high school student volunteers who will hear the case and decide an appropriate punishment, which is typically assigning hours of community service. The teen is spared a criminal record and police and prosecutors are spared the time and expense of prosecution.

Restorative justice an option for young offenders
InsideBayArea.com – November 20, 2008
The consequences for the 13-year-old boy accused of bringing a loaded gun to school are serious. He faces expulsion from Cole Middle School and has been charged with five weapons-related misdemeanor counts, authorities said. The boy was arrested and now is among many other youth offenders who end up in the juvenile court system. But instead of responding with iron-fisted justice, do cases like this one provide a teachable moment and serve as an entry point for restorative justice intervention? The practice of restorative justice makes it possible to address harms, needs and causes, advocates say, adding that it is a model that enforces accountability, encourages moral transformation and meaningfully involves victims.

Restorative Justice offers more holistic alternative response to juvenile crime
Chicago County Press – November 18, 2008
The week of November 16-23 is "Restorative Justice Week." All around the planet societies and organizations are promoting this alternative model to responding to crime. Locally, our police officers, courts and schools have turned to the restorative justice model for non-violent and misdemeanor offenses. There are at least a couple hundred "cases" referred from Chisago County to the Youth Service Bureau Restorative Justice program.

Foster Care

Pinellas foster kids needn't fly solo
St. Petersburg Times – November 23, 2008
Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Ray Ulmer waits to hear cases of juveniles facing charges from shoplifting to drug possession. Most have an adult by their side. Some are with grandmas, others are sandwiched between mom and dad. But for the countless foster children who cycle through, it's often a solo endeavor. Pinellas-Pasco public defender Bob Dillinger has set out to change that with the Crossover, a pilot program that pairs foster children with public defenders who handle not only their criminal cases, but also matters involving their family situation.

CYF services help youths leaving system
New Pittsburgh Courier – November 20, 2008
In the past, youths in the foster care system have had to face harsh realities when turning 18 and leaving the system. However, the Office of Children Youth and Families has helped to create The Bridge of Pittsburgh, a facet of its services aimed at helping young people through this transition process.

Limbo lessened for Bucks County’s foster kids
Bucks County Courier Times – November 20, 2008
While many of Bucks County’s foster kids stay in the system too long, officials here — unlike other parts of the state — have a plan for every child that will free them from foster care limbo, a state child advocacy group said Wednesday. Lynne Rainey, executive director of Children and Youth, said that her staff works hard to protect children from slipping through the cracks by focusing on the problems that landed them in foster care in the first place.

Monday, November 17, 2008

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

New program attempts to narrow an education gap
Star Tribune – November 17, 2008
Minnesota consistently ranks in the top five states in test scores, high school graduation and college participation rates. And yet, even here, thousands of students drop out or fail to pursue any postsecondary education. Enter Ramp-Up to Readiness. A project of the College Readiness Consortium at the University of Minnesota, Ramp-Up has the ambitious goal of increasing the number and diversity of Minnesota students at postsecondary institutions.

Elizabeth City-Pasquotank schools sees its number of dropouts fall
PilotOnline.com – November 16, 2008
Jackson nearly left school last year before Sawyer, guidance counselor June Gibbs and others persuaded him to finish. Keeping Jackson and others like him in school is a priority nationally and statewide as dropout rates continue to rise. State and elected officials have created programs to curb the problem but without clear success. City schools tend to be the worst. In Elizabeth City, the numbers are improving. Since 2003, the number of dropouts in Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools has fallen from 129 to 81 at the end of the 2007- 08 school year. With about 1,700 high school students, Elizabeth City-Pasquotank has many of the same struggles as large inner-city schools, Sawyer said.

New program at Tempe High, Marcos targets at-risk kids
AZ Central.com – November 13, 2008
A few credits shy of earning his high school diploma, Tempe High School senior Dontae Bess, 18, is in a place many peers who share his past never reach. Bess was selected to represent Arizona at the JAG national conference in Washington, D.C., next month. New to Tempe High this year, JAG is a national program aimed at students who face obstacles that usually prevent them from graduating. Discipline problems, having parents who are high school dropouts, being a teen parent or, as in Bess' case, having a parent in prison, are among the long list of barriers JAG cites.

Juvenile Justice

Juvenile Justice Council working on Teen Court
Mt. Vernon Register-News – November 17, 2008
Organizers, in conjunction with the Juvenile Justice Council, are getting closer to their goal of implementing a Teen Court in which juvenile offenders would be juried by their peers. The council met early last week to discuss preliminary action plans and steps needed to begin the process of implementing the peer jury.

Program aims to help agencies work together
Sioux City Journal – November 15, 2008
Arrested for drunken driving while returning home from a party, Meis spent a year in the juvenile court system. But he successfully completed probation and, now 19, plans to attend school to become a police officer. And on Monday, he'll be on his way to Washington, D.C., as part of a group of local child-welfare advocates, juvenile-justice officials and volunteers who will attend training at Georgetown University in Washington. Sioux City is one of seven sites chosen to participate in the university's Juvenile Justice Reform Center's Certificate Program Breakthrough Series Collaborative.

Foster Care

Raising Kids Of Relatives Could Bring Federal Funds
Washington Post – November 17, 2008
A new federal law would steer monthly financial support to people who take in children their relatives have abused or neglected, a development expected to expand such assistance in Maryland and the District and perhaps launch a similar effort in Virginia.

Bipartisan legislation helps foster care and adoption
The Progress – November 14, 2008
Last week, in the midst of stock market meltdowns and election politics, a historic, bipartisan piece of legislation called the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act – H.F. 6893 was quietly signed into law. The bill will significantly improve the nation’s child welfare system, increasing children’s chances to leave foster care for permanent, loving homes, and extending foster care to youth from 18 to 21 years of age. Children’s Aid and Family Services applauds the legislators who reached across the aisle to come to a consensus on behalf of this vulnerable population.

New hope for foster teens
WPTV.com – November 16, 2008
Life must go on for foster kids who don't get adopted. But, they're often thrown into the world with little hope after they turn 18. Now, a new project is providing these teens with opportunity. With shovels in hand, adoption advocates marked the start of a project that will turn an empty lot in Vero Beach, into a center that will build opportunity for folks like Christine Bury and Sancia Jentil.

Monday, November 10, 2008

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

City school enrollment headed up
Baltimore Sun – November 9, 2008
Enrollment in the Baltimore schools has been plummeting since 1969. But not this year. City schools chief Andres Alonso threw a party at M&T Bank Stadium yesterday morning to announce that the enrollment decline has stopped - the result of more parents choosing to send their children to public elementary schools and fewer high school students dropping out.

New Hampshire plans to trim high school to two years
Examiner – November 7, 2008
In New Hampshire, educational officials are devising a system that will allow students to complete high school in the 10th grade and send students to high school and then send them to technical school or community colleges. For students whose intention it is to go to college, they may stay in high school and finish the last two years.

Churches unite to attack school dropout issue
The Muskegon Chronicle – November 7, 2008
A group trying to reduce the number of students dropping out of school is turning to the faithful for help. Church-goers throughout Muskegon County will be urged to become mentors to young people this Sunday. The hope is that volunteers' support will help prevent students from dropping out of school, said the Rev. John Brown, who spurred Creating a Graduation Generation!, a local effort to curb high school dropouts.

Juvenile Justice

Talk that works
Baltimore Sun – November 9, 2008
For months, the therapist took her place on the Langstons' overstuffed burgundy couch in Randallstown and listened to the teenager talk about his juvenile record, problems in school and the inability to control his anger. The Langstons are one of a small number of Maryland families who have undergone Multisystemic Therapy, an intense, family-based intervention program meant as an alternative to juvenile prison. Statewide, there are spaces for about 100 families at a time to undergo the therapy.

Police Schooled On Juvenile Justice And Other Human Right Laws
All Africa – November 4, 2008
The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mrs. Elizabeth Mills Robertson has commended the African Women Lawyers Association and UNICEF for their efforts in equipping the police to combat child trafficking and other crimes. Mrs. Robertson made the commendation at the opening of a three-week course on Juvenile justice and other human rights laws relating to children for police prosecutors in Accra last Monday.

Changes to teen life sentence laws sought
Hattiesburg American – November 10, 2008
A renewed push to change Mississippi's laws pertaining to life sentences for teenagers is on the horizon for the 2009 Legislature since the effort's original poster child has been acquitted of murder. Tyler Edmonds was 13 when he was arrested in 2003, accused of helping his half-sister, Kristi Fulgham, kill her husband, Joseph T. "Joey" Fulgham. A 2006 bill, which became known as Tyler's Law, would've given judges the discretion to consider whether juveniles sentenced to life in prison should be paroled when they turn 18.

Foster Care

Treehouse teams with Starfire to aid foster kids
Highline Times – November 8, 2008
They say it takes a village to raise a child. No one knows this better than Treehouse for Kids. In keeping with the needs of children, the non-profit organization recently partnered with the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila. The result is a dynamic program with resources for foster care children in South King County. On Oct. 18, the Treehouse Learning Center officially opened its doors. Amid colorful balloons, free youth haircuts by professional stylists, live entertainment, and indoor/outdoor sports fields, it was clearly a celebration for foster care youth.

County agencies hope deal will help provide stability for foster kids
Times-Herald – November 8, 2008
Solano County officials hope a new inter-agency agreement will make it easier for foster youth to transfer between schools, providing a bit more stability for children whose lives are often rocky. "Any time there's a change in their life it's usually detrimental as far as it effects another loss to them, a loss of something familiar," said Maria Moses, executive director of CASA Solano, which advocates for foster youth. The Solano County Board of Supervisors approved the agreement Tuesday, providing guidelines for agencies that work with foster youth to streamline the transfer process.

A new vision: Local looking to create nonprofit for foster youth program
Sierra Sun – November 7, 2008
Gia States thinks that the Truckee-Tahoe area’s resources — both natural and human — could make the difference for foster youth. Both the wilderness and the locals experienced in it could lend themselves to self-exploration, teamwork, and leadership, States said. “I don’t want to reinvent the wheel — I see myself as a coordinator,” States said. To be that coordinator, States is starting a nonprofit called “Remix,” to find funding and bring community members together for the benefit of foster youth, States said.

Monday, November 03, 2008

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Economy knocks education out of campaign spotlight
The Boston Globe – October 28, 2008
Forget Joe the Plumber. Joe the teacher wants to know what happened to education as an issue during the presidential campaign. "The country, if education is something they're concerned about, they've got to seek it out," said Joe Post, a 17-year-veteran language arts teacher at a middle school in the Cleveland suburb of North Ridgeville, Ohio. "It's not going to be on the front page of the newspaper in this election."

District hopes specialized staff can reverse trend
Houston Chronicle – November 3, 2008
As a high school junior, Francisco Cruz Mendez lived alone, worked as a busboy at night to pay the rent and then sleepily went to class. He came close to dropping out of school. But this fall, with help from his counselors at Lee High School, the aspiring physical therapist plans to be the first in his family to attend college.

CIS programs proven to help stem tide of dropouts
Tecumseh Herald – October 30, 2008
Communities in Schools of the Tecumseh Area (CISTA) Executive Director Susan Reeder told the Tecumseh School Board members on Monday night that national studies of CIS programs show scientifically-based evidence of effectiveness in preventing dropouts. The report also noted that CIS is the only organization proven to increase graduation rates. “We can find the same outcomes here,” said Reeder. “We do those same things. We have a lot of preventive programs that help kids in their process of staying in school.” CISTA, which is one of approximately 200 CIS programs across the country, will be making some adjustments in the upcoming months to follow a Total Quality System enacted by the national program to help document its success, and the process recently got underway with a Strategic Plan.

Juvenile Justice

Group to review juvenile justice practices in Tri-Cities
Tri-City Herals – November 3, 2008
Tri-City community leaders are analyzing juvenile justice data, practices and policies as part of a national reform effort aimed at making the system more effective and responsive. The group has targeted three areas for a closer look: How truancy is dealt with, care for youth with mental health issues and whether minorities are disproportionately represented in the system. The Models for Change initiative is a project of the Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Undo zero-tolerance policy in schools
The News-Press – November 3, 2008
The arrest and detention of a 9-year-old girl with mental illness at Royal Palm Exceptional School earlier this month was more than just a personal tragedy for the family. It was a sad reminder that children with disabilities are not getting the special care they need in our schools and that too many are being shoved needlessly into the juvenile justice system.

Foster Care

After 12 years in state care, Erica Holmes gets a place to call her own in Killeen
Killeen Daily Herald – November 2, 2008
Erica Holmes was too young to remember what happened the day she was removed from her mother's home. Initially her siblings were kept together in foster care, but after six years, all four were separated. Holmes can't even remember how many foster homes she's lived at, since she was transferred every couple of months. Holmes now lives in transitional apartments in Killeen, provided by Texas Youth Services' Project F.U.T.U.R.E., which stands for "focuses upon training, utilization of resources, and employment."

Help for foster kids
Oklahoman – October 29, 2008
This fall, Congress and the president acted to improve the lives and futures of children and youth in Oklahoma’s — and the nation’s — foster care system. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act will help more children leave foster care for permanent families.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Private schools get state funds to target dropouts
My San Antonio News – October 27, 2008
When bipartisan lawmakers passed a bill last legislative season to address the number of Texas high school dropouts, one of the programs, a $6 million investment in a pilot plan aimed at bringing students under 25 back to school to earn diplomas, stirred controversy statewide.

Key to stemming high-school dropouts: parents
The Christian Science Monitor – October 27, 2008
If America is going to stem the dropout crisis, low-performing schools will have to do a better job of reaching out to parents. That's the conclusion of a new report that found that, among parents with students in low-performing high schools, fewer than half said the schools did a fairly good job communicating about their child's academic progress.

A project to help high school dropouts opens in its new space
The Berkshire Eagle – October 25, 2008
Yesterday more than 30 representatives from the education, business, human service and other, community-based sectors gathered to herald the official opening of the Reconnect Center for teens and young adults. The Reconnect Center, part of the state Pathway-21 Network to advocate for at-risk youths, has three main objectives: to encourage youths not to drop out of school; to assist youths and young adults (ages 16 to 24) who have dropped out of school; and to help youths and young adults find a career pathway.

Juvenile Justice

Children need foundation of care to grow
CommercialAppeal.com – October 23, 2008
If society is to prosper, all children must have the opportunity to grow intellectually, socially and emotionally. The optimum development of our children is the foundation for community and economic development, as capable children become the foundation for a prosperous and sustainable society. Studies show the deeper youths go into the juvenile justice system, the harder it is to escape its tentacles.

Important national center for girls opens in Jacksonville
The Florida Times-Union – October 17, 2008
This week in Jacksonville, we celebrated a major step toward creating a better future for girls and young women in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. On Thursday, the National Council on Crime and Delinquency launched the Center for Girls and Young Women, a landmark venture to improve outcomes for girls - not just in Jacksonville or Florida, but nationwide.

Foster Care

Foster youths express fears, hopes for better lives
Ventura County Star – October 26, 2008
Voices rarely heard in discussions about the county's foster care system came from a uniquely qualified source Saturday: the youths who live in it. More than 30 of them gathered for a conference at Oxnard College to talk about ways to make life better for the hundreds of abused and neglected children removed from their parents' care.

Foster Youth and Adoptees Can Graduate College Debt-Free with NC Reach, a Statewide Scholarship Program
The Wall Street Journal – October 23, 2008
A successful new education initiative in North Carolina is enabling young adults emerging from foster care to graduate from college and enter the workforce without taking on years of student loan payments. NC Reach, launched earlier this year by the North Carolina Division of Social Services (DSS) and the Orphan Foundation of America (OFA), is a state-funded scholarship program that enables eligible foster youth and adoptees to graduate from college debt-free, and provides comprehensive support services while they are in school.

Monday, October 20, 2008

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Program helps stop kids from dropping out
Moorseville Tribune – October 20, 2008
Santario White decided to drop out of South Iredell High because he didn't want to repeat his junior year. White, 18, had missed 161 days and was already considered a dropout before he made up his mind. Then he heard about an alternative program that would allow him to continue high school in a different setting.

Mentors ease transition for freshmen
Arizona Daily Star – October 20, 2008
Lourdes Osuna, 15, wishes she had had someone to help her out with the transition from middle school to high school. And that she had had someone to introduce her to new friends. Fortunately, the 10th-grade student at Sunnyside High School not only survived the challenge successfully, she is now a mentor for ninth-graders, or freshmen, at Sunnyside. The purpose of the program is to address poor high-school graduation rates at a time when many students find varying reasons to drop out school.

DepEd sets early school registration
Inquirer.net – October 19, 2008
The Department of Education is asking parents of graduating elementary school students to register in the public or private high schools of their choice as early as January 2009. The early registration, scheduled every Saturday in January, is aimed at tracking the placement of incoming high school students and preparing intervention programs for those who could not be accommodated in the schools of their choice or those who may have to drop out due to financial and other reasons.

Juvenile Justice

Human services director's goal: Eliminate minority imbalance
DesMoines Register – October 19, 2008
Iowa Department of Human Services Director Gene Gessow says the state can eliminate the imbalance of racial minorities in Iowa's child welfare and juvenile justice systems within the next 10 years. Gessow is in his third week as the head of human services, Iowa's largest state agency. Shortly after Gov. Chet Culver appointed him to the job, Gessow shared with his staff a written description of his vision for the department. Among the goals he listed: "There is no racial or ethnic group, including Native Americans, which is disproportionately represented in the Iowa child-welfare or juvenile-justice system."

Panel wants to fix La. juvenile justice
The Advocate – October 18, 2008
After a lengthy panel discussion on juveniles and criminal justice issues in Louisiana on Friday morning, a retired state judge offered a concise proposal for stopping “skyrocketing” crime in Louisiana. “Send the drunks and the drug addicts to the (social workers) and health-care systems for treatment and let the criminal justice system focus on the criminals — the real bad dudes,” said Judge Calvin Johnson, who retired Jan. 2 as the first black chief judge of New Orleans Criminal District Court.

‘Missouri Model’ for juveniles praised nationally
The St. Louis American – October 15, 2008
Anyone who has set foot inside a juvenile detention facility in America has seen it first-hand n a sea of black and brown faces dressed in orange or blue jumpsuits with only a scattering of white faces in between. Although Congress sought to address the disparity 20 years ago, as part of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, young people of color still suffer disproportionate arrest rates and harsher prison sentences than whites, according to a new report out of the nation’s capital.

Foster Care

County, Davis help probationary youth get housing, food
Daily Democrat – October 17, 2008
The Yolo County Department of Employment and Social Services, in partnership with the City of Davis and Davis Community Meals, is helping six former foster and probationary youth transition to adulthood via the Transitional Housing Program Plus (THP+). This two-year program, which began in August 2008, provides housing, utilities, a stipend for food and a savings account to help participants become self-sufficient and productive young adults in our community.

Help for the young and formerly homeless
The Philadelphia Inquirer – October 20, 2008
For many homeless teenagers and those in foster care, the approach of their 18th birthday is cause for fear and confusion, not celebration. Now legally adults, they have "aged out" of the system and temporary youth shelters. Camden DREAMS - a program of the nonprofit Center for Family Services Inc., with offices throughout New Jersey - provides long-term, affordable housing to a fortunate handful of young adults who have crossed that threshold.

Monday, October 13, 2008

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Governor attends high school dropout prevention summit in Pittsford
MPNNow.com – October 10, 2008
Nearly 84,000 students dropped out of New York state high schools during the 2007-08 school year. It’s a number that bothers Gov. David Paterson. “This is the prelude to a disaster” Paterson said as he spoke to 500 students, educators and local officials Friday morning at Nazareth College. Devan Caldwell is someone who understands the consequences of dropping out of high school. When he was 17 and a student at Rochester’s Jefferson High School, he became very sick with a throat infection. He missed three weeks of school and later dropped out.

Grant helps dropouts get going again
Spartanburg Herald-Journal – October 10, 2008
Spartanburg Community College on Thursday announced the receipt of a $300,000 start-up grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation to implement a national program that helps high school dropouts complete their high school diploma requirements while they also earn college credit toward an associate's degree or certificate.

Juvenile Justice

Funding announced for juvenile delinquency prevention in Native American communities
Mission Valley News – October 10, 2008
Nevada Senator Harry Reid has announced that the Walker River Paiute Tribe and the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California will each receive $400,000 to support their tribal juvenile delinquency prevention efforts. The award, from the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, is designed to help the tribes implement juvenile delinquency prevention and intervention programs that address the specific risks facing their communities.

Juvenile justice act credited with reduction in youth crime
Metro News – October 10, 2008
The Youth Criminal Justice Act in place since 2003, has been mostly successful according to a recent study. The Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family (CRILF) conducted a study of data between 2001 and 2006, and noted a drop in the number of young offenders behind bars.

Foster Care

Foster care alumni works to turn a negative into positive
Beaumont Enterprise – October 12, 2008
Ryan Dollinger remembers what is what like to not know where he was going to live next. But something took hold of Dollinger that is rare in the foster-care system. First, he decided to finish high school. Only about half of foster kids do that, he said. And second, he decided to speak out. "Kids are scared to tell social workers what's really going on," he said, adding that they fear retaliation. For Dollinger, the motivation to speak did not come until after he aged out of the system.

Treasure Coast youth inspired by "Homeless to Harvard''
TC Palm – October 10, 2008
Christina Bury, 22, could relate as she listened to Liz Murray speak about her journey from homelessness to Harvard University. Bury, of Fort Pierce, has been in jail and has experienced dire poverty. “I’ve been homeless. I slept in my car,” said Bury, who, like many former foster youth, struggled after she “aged out” of foster care at 18.

Ex-foster kids getting help to vote
Freep.com – October 9, 2008
Mona Perdue spent years in the Michigan foster care system. Neila Johnson has spent years as a political activist. After years of watching the state struggle to do right by youths who age out of foster care unprepared for life, the duo is getting former foster youths more involved in elections. The pair partnered to create Foster the Vote, an effort to organize former foster youths to advocate for themselves and to vote.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

AT&T Awards $700,000 in Grants to Help Address High School Dropout Crisis in Sacramento Area
The Wall Street Journal – October 7, 2008
AT&T is awarding more than $700,000 in AT&T Foundation grants to six Sacramento-area educational institutions to support high school retention programs for at-risk students. The grants are part of the company's signature initiative, AT&T Aspire, which was announced earlier this year to help address high school success and workforce readiness. AT&T has committed $100 million in philanthropy through 2011 to schools and nonprofit organizations that are focused on high school retention and better preparing students for college and the workforce.

New Dropout program slated
The Pueblo Chieftain – October 5, 2008
Pueblo Community College is teaming up with Pueblo City Schools to develop a program that will allow for high school dropouts to earn a diploma and gain college credit at the same time. Beginning next fall, PCC and the school district will implement the Gateway to College program which will provide students 16 to 21 who have dropped out of school the opportunity to return to classes.

Ceres High students learn a trade and collect college credits
The Modesto Bee – October 6, 2008
In groups of five and six, Ceres High School students recently huddled around work benches in leather jackets, long gloves and welding masks. Sparks flew, as students exclaimed "Cooooool" and "Whoa." The students were learning to start an arc -- the flame used to melt the metals while welding.

Juvenile Justice

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Announces More Than $293 Million in Grants
PR-Canada.net – October 5, 2008
Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey today announced more than $293 million in grant awards to help at-risk youth and improve juvenile justice systems nationwide. These grants, administered by OJP's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), support community efforts to prevent crime and protect public safety through focusing on the well-being of our nation's young people.

Minneapolis' 'blueprint' to attack youth violence is a success
Star Tribune – October 3, 2008
Gathering outside the city's new juvenile supervision center Friday, Mayor R.T. Rybak and a dozen community leaders presented a progress report on the comprehensive plan. Some of the successes they discussed were simpler to achieve, such as recruiting 25 city employees to serve as mentors for area youth, or expanding summer hours and programming at parks where crime is a problem.

Youth Shelters Save Millions in Tax Dollar Money
WCTV – October 3, 2008
Capital City Youth Services is not only helping to keep kids on the right path, but saving tax payers millions of dollars each year. The most recent Florida TaxWatch study shows that it costs approximately $7,300 for one youth to enter the Juvenile Justice System for 6 months and roughly only $1,600 if they entered a preventative agency.

Foster Care

Battling for children’s rights by teamwork
Financial News & Daily Record – September 30, 2008
For child advocates looking to make a difference in the lives of foster and at-risk children, a little teamwork can go a long way toward furthering the cause. Since 2001, one organization with local ties has provided that place for teamwork. Florida’s Children First, an independent statewide 501(c)3 nonprofit child advocacy group for foster and at-risk children was created by attorneys from across Florida. It acts as a “watchdog” over child welfare organizations that are in place to serve children.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

‘Reach Out to Dropouts' finds many eager for second chance
My San Antonio News – September 28, 2008
It wasn't the knock on the door that got the attention of Michelle Lopez. It was the phone call at home. The principal would like to see you in his office. Uh-oh. That was one thought that flashed through her mind. “What have I done wrong?” was another. There was no need to panic. The principal didn't want to punish Lopez. He wanted to make a pitch.

District rallies to reduce dropouts
Sun Herald – September 29, 2008
School districts throughout Jackson County are holding a pep rally of sorts Tuesday, but it isn't for any sporting event. Rather, schools, businesses, government officials and parents are joining together to learn how they can work together to reduce the dropout rate throughout the county. More than 1,000 people are expected for the Jackson County Destination Graduation Dropout Summit, an event that will bring stakeholders together from different parts of the community to address this problem.

Learning to stick with it
The News Gazette – September 28, 2008
At this time last year, Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School freshman Brad Isernhagen found himself frequently getting into trouble with his parents, schools and the law. A year later, the 16-year-old from Paxton is a cadet at Lincoln's Challenge Academy, patrolling the dormitory halls as a squad leader and studying algebra so he might one day join the Air National Guard.

Juvenile Justice

County juvenile justice strategy gets notice
Indy Star – September 23, 2008
Indianapolis is playing host this week to a national conference on juvenile detention reform that will highlight the early success of changes at Marion County's lockup. The event, which started Monday night, focuses on an approach to juvenile justice that reduces reliance on incarceration. Since the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center adopted the program in 2006, admissions have declined by more than half.

Service helps kids in trouble
Pierce County Herald – September 23, 2008
A boy can now identify a dozen varieties of apples by sight. A girl learned to listen to nursing home residents. Youngsters learned responsibility by washing county trucks. Juveniles may go into Pierce County’s community service program grumbling, but they gain new skills, make connections, work with adult role models and learn the joy of being useful and appreciated, said social workers.

Foster Care

A way to help foster youth to age 21
Jackson County Floridan – September 26, 2008
Thanks to the efforts of Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., a crucial piece of foster care legislation passed both houses and is expected to become law. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act would offer federal support to states that extend foster care services to young people between the ages of 18 and 21. The measure also requires states to work with these youth on a transition plan for employment and housing.

Former foster children helping Fla. learn lessons
The Jackson Times – September 26, 2008
It wouldn’t have been surprising if India Marrero turned her back on the Department of Children & Families once she turned 18 and could finally walk away from the foster care system. But instead of putting DCF in her past when she aged out, she is now working for the agency as part of a program to hire young adults who have recently left the foster care system. The goal of the program — the only one like it in the country — is to help former foster children who need a job and to have DCF employees learn from their experiences.

New ‘Aging Out’ initiative helps foster kids transition into adults
The St. Louis American – September 25, 2008
Joy, 17, will be aging out of foster care soon. But thanks to a new program, her transition into adulthood should be easier than most. Joy (who had to keep her full name confidential because of Department of Social Services guidelines) is one of 200 teens in the St. Louis Aging Out Initiative, a program geared toward youth between the ages of 16 and 18 who are in State custody and approaching release from State-supported care.

Monday, September 15, 2008

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

PJSA goes door-to-door for dropouts
KGBT4.com – September 14, 2008
One parent wants to tell students who have dropped out of school across the Rio Grande Valley, "Yes, you can." When moral support comes along, it helps us and that motivates them the students," Cuevas told Action 4 News. "That someone cares about them and they still have time to do something."

New school in Tokyo offers free education for high school dropouts, Net cafe refugees
The Mainichi Daily News – September 14, 2008
A cram school operator has opened a special tuition-free school in downtown Tokyo to help so-called "Net cafe refugees", high school dropouts and others who are too poor to graduate from secondary education.Keisetsu Gijuku in the Sendagaya district of Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, was founded by Shotaro Namekata, 48, and others. School officials say they will offer free education for students wanting to pass the certificate of proficiency for high school graduates.

D-11 program coaxes dropouts back to school
The Gazette – September 13, 2008
For every 100 students who start high school in Colorado Springs School District 11, more than 30 don't graduate with their class. A couple of months ago, it looked as if A.J. Duran would be among them, a dropout from the class of 2009. Now, he's enrolled in Palmer Night School, and he thinks he can make up his credit deficiencies through some special programs. His mind, he says, is "set on graduating with my class in the spring."

Education association seeks community input on how to keep kids in school
The Saginaw News – September 19, 2008
The Michigan Education Association is sponsoring a public hearing Monday to talk about high school dropout solutions for Saginaw County. This is the ninth of 10 such hearings planned by the group to stir community reaction to help keep kids in school.

Juvenile Justice

Juvenile center acts to control population
CourierPostOnline.com – September 15, 2008
Camden County's Youth Detention Center was notorious for overcrowding, riots, assaults and rapes, he said, and the boy would have been held without treatment for 93 days. The county could help solve the problem, DiCamillo said, by using GPS-based electronic monitoring bracelets -- something it didn't have. In the past few months, though, the technology has been paired with the county's implementation of a national program designed to reform juvenile justice systems. And officials say it is helping.

Missouri leads the nation in juvenile justice reform
St. Louis Post-Dispatch – September 14, 2008
Hope for the once-fallen teen sparkles in an emerald green class ring under the fluorescent lights of the Hogan Street Regional Youth Center. "It's a blessing," says Terrell, 17, fingering the ring he earned for passing his GED exam with 1,000 points to spare. He was awarded the ring at a cap-and-gown ceremony last month in the facility's gym, where he was cheered on by 29 other teens also serving sentences for serious and sometimes violent crimes.

Juvenile program 'a place of last resort,' not rehabilitation
Star Tribune – September 10, 2008
Hennepin County is spending too much on residential treatment programs for juvenile offenders and could save money and get better results by leaving more young offenders with their families and placing them in daytime rehabilitation programs. That's the finding of a study group made up of judges and corrections officials who recommend overhauling programs at the Hennepin County Home School.

Hope of Redemption, Rehabilitation
Mount Vernon Gazette – September 17, 2008
Rody Phillips, 14 years old when he fatally stabbed a Mount Vernon 7-Eleven clerk in December 2004, turns 18 next week. Last Friday, Sept. 12, Judge Marcus D. Williams presided over Phillips’ first status conference in Fairfax County Circuit Court since Williams sentenced the teenager to the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice in September 2006. Ultimately, Williams could release Phillips when he is deemed rehabilitated. Or Williams could send Phillips to prison for the 25 years Williams suspended from Phillips’ sentence for first-degree murder and attempted robbery.

Foster Care

Expanded programs benefit kids in foster care
Times-Standard – September 14, 2008
At any given time, about 250 children are in foster care in Humboldt County. And being in foster care usually means a child has experienced a stressful or traumatic family situation. That's why the Department of Health and Human Services is expanding its programs to make sure every child in the system gets the care he or she needs earlier. Ten more mental health case managers and three clinicians are being hired to work with Child Welfare Services social workers and public health nurses. They will create holistic plans that will address each child's health and mental health needs.

New Library Outreach Program Promotes Literacy To Foster Children
The Jackson Times – September 13, 2008
Homebound and Volunteer Services of the Ocean County Library has launched Sparks' B.F.F. Reading Club, a new county-wide outreach program. B.F.F. stands for Best Friends Forever. This program will encourage children and teens to visit the library and take advantage of the many services and materials Ocean County Library has to offer. Sparks, the library mascot, plans to visit the reading club participants at future state-sponsored Ocean County foster family events.

Job fair helps at-risk youth explore possibilities
Broomfield Enterprise – September 21, 2008
More than 47 youth, who are involved in the Adams County Social Services system, participated in a Chafee Program Education and Career Training Fair on Aug. 13 at Front Range Community College in Westminster. The fair was hosted by the Best Practice Court Youth Involvement Committee of the Court of the 17th Judicial District and Adams County Social Services Department. Participating youth had the opportunity to visit with representatives from universities, state and community colleges, vocational training programs, apprenticeships and financial aid.visit the reading club participants at future state-sponsored Ocean County foster family events.

Monday, September 08, 2008

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

GISD goes after dropout students
The Daily News – September 8, 2008
Ovidio Sanchez, 18, stopped going to school when he realized he could make good money spending his days at Gulf Copper Dry Dock and Rig Repair instead of inside a Ball High School classroom. After four months of work and three months in jail, Sanchez said he wanted to go back to school. The Galveston public school district administrators who roused him from bed Saturday morning gave him just the push he needed to go back to school.

Reaching out to dropouts
Youth Radio – September 7, 2008
For some, the path to graduation can be frought with obstacles. Saturday, educators and concerned citizens reached out to dropouts to help them continue on the track to graduation. This year's Reach Out to Dropouts Walk kicked off at Madison High School in south Houston. Volunteers went to the homes of dropouts to encourage them to return to school.

Mayor, officials drop in on dropouts
El Paso Times – September 7, 2008
A crew of principals, teachers and campus administrators of the El Paso Independent School District, together with elected officials and local celebrities, went door-to-door Saturday to encourage high-school dropouts to return to school. Britaney Hernandez, a 17-year-old single mother, dropped out after she could not afford day care for her 2-year-old son. As EPISD declared dropout prevention and recovery the focus for this school year, Superintendent Lorenzo Garcia joined Mayor John Cook to call on Hernandez.

Juvenile Justice

Highfields program aims to guide at-risk girls
Lansing State Journal – September 8, 2008
Although the kinds of crimes committed by girls do not differ much from boys, the reasons behind their behavior are often different."In some ways, boys act out and girls act in," said Tim Monroe, who oversees treatment programs at Highfields, a nonprofit that has started a new program, called Girls Gender-Specific, that specifically targets at-risk girls. It seeks to change the behaviors that lead girls to commit crimes or fall into truancy problems.

Juvenile justice gets $2.8 million facility
Myrtle Beach Sun News – September 7, 2008
A nonprofit group presented the Department of Juvenile Justice with a $2.8 million facility where offenders can connect with family members, therapists, educators and others as they prepare to re-enter society. The 10,000-square-foot Bill Rogers Community Connections Center opened at DJJ's Broad River Road complex this weekend.

County increases capacity of juvenile rehab programs
Milpitas Post – September 3, 2008
Santa Clara County has taken several steps to increase the capacity of the rehabilitation programs it offers to high-risk youth in our juvenile justice system. In June, the Board of Supervisors approved the addition of 24 beds at the county's William F. James Ranch that staff will accomplish by installing temporary facilities. In August, the board contracted with a community based organization to provide space for six probation youth in its residential program for at-risk youth.

Foster Care

Valley Voices: Struggling child safety group tries harder
The Modesto Bee – September 8, 2008
Assistant Director Jan Viss helps run Stanislaus County's Community Services Agency, Child and Family Serv- ices Division, known to the community as CPS. Much of the work this agency does flies below the radar because of the strict confidentiality laws that govern its services. Last year, callers reported the abuse or neglect of 10,234 children on the county's child abuse hot line. Of those cases, CPS decided about 1,000 were serious enough to warrant assigned caseworkers. Nearly 400 of those children received services from the agency while staying at home. Almost 600 others were removed by the court to live with family, in foster care or to be adopted or placed under someone else's legal guardianship.

Keeping foster kids on right track
The Seattle Times – September 8, 2008
Washington state has been under a court order to improve its track record in foster care. A survey of youths once in the system highlights progress. About 88 percent of 700 teens interviewed by phone said they had been treated very well or somewhat well in foster care. An equal percentage reported being in good health and feeling optimistic about their futures. Those interviewed were between ages 15 to 18 and in foster care in 2007.

Call to aid youth leaving care
They Sydney Morning Herald – September 7, 2008
Those who have grown up in care say more support for young adults leaving foster homes, group accommodation and juvenile institutions is needed to help them fend for themselves. At the start of National Child Protection Week today, Jacqui Reed, the chief executive of the CREATE Foundation, which helps those in so-called out-of-home care, said transition to independent living was "the biggest burning issue". The call for greater assistance for young people comes as figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show the number of children in care nationally has almost doubled in the past 10 years, growing from 3 per 1000 children to 5.8 per 1000 at June 30, 2007.

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Youth in Transition: This Week's News

Education

Freedom’s dropout rate sinks
The News Herald – September 1, 2008
How do you prevent 40 percent of a high school's students from dropping out before they graduate? Freedom High School in Morganton starts by treating each one as an individual, not as a number. It's part of a multi-faceted effort to help more students graduate. According to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, Freedom High's campaign is scoring exceptional results. Freedom High's graduation rate surpassed more than 235 other N.C. schools' after 77 percent of the FHS Class of 2008 graduated this past spring. That is a remarkable turnaround in only two years. The FHS Class of 2006 had 630 freshmen. Almost 40 percent dropped out and less than 400 graduated. Freedom High's graduation rate ranked with the state's lowest fourth.

Leaders Brainstorm About School Dropout Prevention
RedOrbit – September 1, 2008
Local educators joined with leaders of nonprofit groups, city government, law enforcement, students and parents Thursday to brainstorm ideas for improving graduation rates at Tulsa high schools. The city and the University of Tulsa hosted the "Keeping Our Promise Dropout Prevention Summit" at TU. The event was sponsored by the America's Promise Alliance, which was founded by former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Tulsa was selected as the site of the second such summit because it ranked 12th among metropolitan areas in the U.S. for disparity of graduation rates between urban and suburban districts.

Dropout figures prompt new efforts
The Muskegon Chronicle – August 26, 2008
The issue of high school dropouts has taken on greater urgency in recent months, with a local effort under way to tackle the issue, and a commitment by United Way to also address it. Muskegon Public Schools has devoted two full-time staff members to keeping kids in school and bringing dropouts back. The new computations by the state were made possible by a relatively new system of tracking each individual student. As a result, the state released a variety of rates reflecting how many students are staying in school and graduating.

Juvenile Justice

Pendleton High School sold on restorative justice
Independent Mail – August 31, 2008
Pendleton High School Principal Danny Merck believes in restorative justice. Merck says the restorative justice program that the school initiated several years ago has reduced dramatically the number of fights among Pendleton High students. “We used to have a problem with fighting among students. … But since we have been using the restorative justice approach, we have cut the number to just a few fights a year,” Merck said.

Public responds to state report on racial disparity in youth services
News-Sentinel – August 28, 2008
In Allen and six other Indiana counties with the largest percentage of African-American youths, black youths are more than twice as likely to be arrested and are twice as likely to be transferred to adult court than other youths. Black teens are also more likely to be locked up than non-black teens for committing the same crimes, a 2007 study by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, ICJI, found. Those and other findings led to 2007 legislation creating a commission to address racial disparities in youth services. During a videoconference meeting Wednesday, recommendations were presented to the public gathered at seven sites around the state, including Ivy Tech Community College in Fort Wayne.

Foster Care

Reaching out to kids in trouble
The Leaf Chronicle - September 2, 2008
Drug abuse is the No. 1 cause of neglect cases in Montgomery County, said Johnson, who serves as liaison for the Foster Care Review Boards. Johnson also recruits volunteers for the boards and helps children through the foster care system. According to a July report, 211 children in Montgomery County are in state custody. Of those, 50 are children involved in delinquency cases, and 156 are children caught up in dependency or neglect cases. Five children are involved in unruliness cases.

Keeping families whole
Baltimore Sun – September 2, 2008
A recent study by Advocates for Children and Youth, a group that lobbies for children's issues in Maryland, found that while African-Americans make up only a third of the state's children, they constitute nearly three-quarters of the children removed from their homes, and are five times more likely than white children to be placed in group or foster home care. Yet rates of maltreatment among black and white families are virtually identical. This week, ACY will ask Gov. Martin O'Malley to issue an executive order that begins to address these disparities. The order would direct the state Department of Human Resources to identify specific sources of bias within the current child welfare system and to retrain child welfare workers in family-centered practices aimed at keeping more African-American children in their homes. The advocates want to redirect funds not being used for foster families toward a team approach to resolve problems that affect the entire family and ensure that they get the services they need.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Law shuts out some students
The Arizona Daily Star – August 10, 2008
Changing laws have made life tougher for illegal immigrants in Arizona, including young people giving up dreams of college and better lives because they are unable to pay out-of-state tuition as required by voters. With privately funded grants and scholarships lagging far behind the demand, some would-be students have dropped out, and others are considering a return to homelands they hardly remember in search of opportunity. Proposition 300 requires students to prove they are citizens or legal residents in the United States to qualify for in-state tuition at Arizona community colleges and universities. If they cannot, they must pay the higher out-of-state tuition fees. An in-state, part-time student can expect to pay $297 for six units while an out-of-state student will pay $504 for the same number of course units in college. Voters approved the proposition after backers said the state should not be taking taxpayers resources and giving them to people who broke the law. The estimated 200,000 to 250,000 illegal immigrants living in Arizona at the time were costing the state substantial amounts of money, backers said. Other states, including Colorado, Georgia and Oklahoma, also have laws denying in-state tuition benefits to students who entered the country illegally with their parents but grew up and were schooled in the state.

Changes go in effect this year for upcoming freshman, sophomores
Shreveport Times – August 15, 2008
Two big changes will happen in high school this year. Incoming freshman will be required to obtain 24 class credits for graduation. And sophomores enrolled in English II will be required to pass an end-of-course test to be promoted to English III. The changes are part of the High School ReDesign, an initiative that focuses on making courses more rigorous and cutting in half the number of high school dropouts. The credit requirement change is part of the statewide LA Core 4 program, a part of the redesign. Schools’ implementation of LA Core 4 means students will take four years of English, math, science and social studies. The additional credit added this year is a math class. Another part of the redesign is that incoming freshman will automatically be enrolled in the initiative’s college-preparatory track. Those who do not want to go to college, aren’t successful in the more rigorous classes or have another valid reason will be allowed to enter a vocational-program track after completing their sophomore year.

School test scores rise, but ethnic gaps persist
The Mercury News – August 15, 2008
Annual report cards issued Thursday show California students continuing to perform better and better, yet more than half fall short of proficiency in English and math. Locally, the good news is that nearly all racial and ethnic groups exceeded their peers statewide, according to scores for 2007-08 tests know as STAR. And more Santa Clara County high school students are taking harder math classes than in the past and –surprisingly – more are doing better. Yet a closer look reveals a grimmer picture. A yawning achievement gap persists between whites and Asians toward the top, and blacks and Latinos further down. Roughly 30 percent points separate high-and low-achieving ethnic groups in the state. In Santa Clara County, the gap stretches wider, up to 47 points between Asians and Latinos. The achievement gap points to a crisis in the education of African-American students, state schools chief Jack O’Connell said. Last month, statistics revealed that 41 percent of black students drop out of high school. O’Connell pledged to “redouble efforts” in education low-achieving groups.

When Schools Offer Money As a Motivator
The Wall Street Journal – August 21, 2008
More and more school districts are banking on improving student performance using cash incentives – a $1,000 payout for high test scores, for example. But whether they work is hard to say. In the latest study of student-incentive programs, researchers examining a 12-year-old program in Texas found that rewarding pupils for achieving high scores on tough tests can work. A handful of earlier studies of programs in Ohio, Israel and Canada have had mixed conclusions; results in a New York City initiative are expected in October. Comparing results is further complicated by the fact that districts across the country have implemented programs differently. Still, school administrators and philanthropists have pushed to launch pay-for-performance programs at hundreds of schools in the past two years. Advocates say incentives are an effective way to motivate learning—especially among poor and minority students—and rewarding teaching skills. Critics argue that the programs don’t fix the underlying problems, such as crowded classrooms or subpar schools.

Juvenile Justice

“Juvenile Transfer Laws: An Effective Deterrent to Delinquency?” appears in this month’s Juvenile Justice Bulletin from the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The report examines laws that a number of states have enacted which increase the types of offenders and offenses eligible for transfer from juvenile court to adult criminal court.

Prosecution of 17-year-old offenders decried
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – August 19, 2008
Wisconsin’s tough-on-crime policy of placing 17-year-old criminal offenders in adult court is a failed experiment that only increases the likelihood the teens will commit more crimes, according to a study released Tuesday. The study by the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families also finds racial bias in the policy’s implementation, citing statistics showing that African-American youth are far more likely to be incarcerated than white youths. “It’s becoming increasingly clear that trying youth as adults does not make communities safer,” said Charity Eleson, executive director of WCCF, which describes itself as a nonpartisan child and family advocacy organization. “In fact, it appears to have the opposite effect.” The results of the Wisconsin study are consistent with a report issued this month by the U.S. Department of Justice. That report concluded that “transferring juvenile offenders to the criminal court does not engender community protection by reducing recidivism. On the contrary, transfer substantially increases recidivism.”

Foster Care

Shortage endangers kids’ lives, judge says
IndyStar.com – August 8, 2008
More than 3,000 children in Indiana’s child welfare system, including 1,100 in Marion County, are without a state-mandated advocate looking out for them. “We are failing children, and we are failing them to the point that their lives are in danger,” Marion County juvenile court Judge Marilyn Moores said of the problem, the result of a lack of money to hire professionals who recruit, train and oversee the volunteer advocates. Advocates – required under a state law adopted in 2005 as part of wider reforms of the child welfare system – often are the only constant in the lives of the children who have been removed from their parents. They also are the only independent voice whose focus is strictly on what’s best for a child in cases that typically involve conflicting parties. Indiana – the last state to require an advocate for child victims – is not alone in struggling to provide coverage for all eligible children, said Michael Piraino, chief executive of the National Court – Appointed Special Advocates Association, or CASA. He said few states are able to attain 100 percent coverage, and solutions are hard to find in tough economic times.

Books For Youth Program at Colts pregame
IndyStar.com – August 22, 2008
The Indianapolis Colts and the DCS are asking you for your help in being part of a team to educate our foster youth and young adults by participating in the third annual Books For Youth pre-game drive. On any given day, over thousands of children are in the foster care system and too often they leave their belongings behind when they move. The Colts and DCS want to change that by helping place 25 age appropriate books per child into the hands of foster youth and young adults and are asking for community support to make a smart handoff to Indiana’s youth. The Books For Youth Program is one of many efforts to bring awareness to the growing need for community involvement in caring for Indiana’s children.