Monday, August 29, 2011

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Family, income, student interest impact high school dropout rate
The Herald Bulletin, Indianapolis, IN – August 25, 2011
Indiana’s high school dropout rates are smaller than they were five years ago, but according to one measure, one in five of the state’s public schools are still struggling to graduate 70 percent of their students on time.

Joliet Job Corps graduates lauded for their success
The Herald-News, Joliet, IL – August 26, 2011
When Jeff Pierson graduated from Joliet West High School in 1982, the national unemployment rate was 9.7 percent.   Now the president of the Joliet Township High School Board, Pierson was the guest speaker at summer commencement ceremonies for Joliet Job Corps, where he told students the unemployment rate is now 9.2 percent.

Polis renews fight to lower school dropout rate
The Colorado Independent, Colorado – August 26, 2011
The number-one factor fueling high school dropouts across the country is pregnancy and parenthood, a problem Colorado Congressman Jared Polis hopes to address by reintroducing his Pregnant and Parenting Students Access to Education Act.

Juvenile Justice

County program helping troubled youths stay out of detention centers
Southwest Review News, Dakota County, MN – August 21, 2011
As a result of the problems facing the juvenile detention facility, Dakota County Community Corrections, the county attorney's office, the county board and others got together and brainstormed about what could be done to help at-risk youths in the community without overpopulating the detention facility.

Legislature Ponders Juvenile Justice Reforms
WCTV, Tallahassee, FL – August 24, 2011
Florida lawmakers will continue in the coming year to look for ways to save money in juvenile justice and prevent incarcerated kids from committing crimes again.  A procession of juvenile justice experts spoke before a panel of lawmakers and other stakeholders Wednesday to pitch ways to better educate and train incarcerated youth so that they are not tempted to become lifelong criminals.

Youth court gives young offenders second chance
North County Times, Escondido, CA – August 22, 2011
None of the young offenders gathered Tuesday evening in Escondido City Council Chambers looked happy as they answered for their crimes before their parents and a court of their peers ---- but juvenile hall would have been a lot worse.

Foster Care

Burbank program opens its doors to emancipated youth
Southern California Public Radio, Burbank, CA – August 26, 2011
A new program set up to assist 18 to 24 year-old emancipated and homeless youths with transitional housing opened its doors Thursday. The opening of Linden House comes on the heels of the passage of AB12, a bill that extends the age limit for foster care youth from 18 to 21.

A Bag Full of Hope
Morning Star, Traverse City, MI – August 22, 2011
For many foster children “aging out,” the world becomes an even more uncertain place, often with little or no resources or support systems.  Child and Family Services is working to combat those obstacles with special programming to teach foster children life skills. The “Elements” program teaches independent living skills to youth ages 14-18 who are preparing to transition out of foster care.

Teen Pregnancy

Erie's teen birthrate drops to 20-year low
Erie Times-News, Erie, PA – August 23, 2011
Erie teenagers are giving birth at the lowest rate in more than 20 years, turning around one of the city's most pressing public-health concerns.

Teen works to empower other girls in need
San Antonio Express-News – August 22, 2011
You can't always see how you can change someone's life with a small but meaningful exchange of the heart. But if you can change how they look at themselves - their world and their possibilities - change has been set in motion.  In May, Joi Stevens, a 16-year-old junior-to-be at Saint Mary's Hall, interviewed two girls from Seton Home, which provides residence and support services for homeless pregnant teens and teen moms and their children. Stevens did the interview for The Girls Inc. MVP's Town Hall on teenage pregnancy and prevention.  Girls Inc. is a nonprofit organization that encourages girls to be empowered and proactive and bold in fulfilling their potential and being advocates for themselves and others.

Monday, August 22, 2011

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Normandy School District Reach Out To Dropouts
Fox2Now, Normandy, MO – August 20, 2011
An in your face approach to getting kids back in school is seeing success in Normandy. They call it their annual "Reach Out to Drop Outs". Volunteers go door to door, talking face to face with kids who should be enrolled but aren't.

Coastside schools boast lowest dropout rate in county
Half Moon Bay Review, San Mateo County, CA – August 18, 2011
Local school officials say online academic recovery programs and a strong counseling force contributed to Cabrillo Unified School District's having the lowest high school dropout rate in San Mateo County.

Why Are More Black Males Dropping Out of High School?
BET – August 16, 2011
In a new PBS special, Tavis Smiley investigates why factors such as generational poverty, unemployment, and the lack of positive male role models in schools are contributing to staggering drop-out rates in Black male youth.

Juvenile Justice

New Juvenile Justice Law Aims To Keep Young Offenders Out Of Prison
Huffington Post, Illinois – August 16, 2011
Legislation signed Monday will require juvenile court judges to review additional factors before issuing sentences in Illinois, in the hopes sending fewer young people to state prison.

Advocates aim to change youth sentencing of life without parole
San Francisco Bay Guardian, California – August 16, 2011
Christian Bracamontes was 16 years old and had never been in trouble with the law when he made a decision that landed him in a California prison, serving out a sentence of life without parole.

Foster Care

'Superkids' Going Above and Beyond
Norristown Patch, Montgomery County, PA – August 17, 2011
Superkids in Montgomery County is trying to make a difference and let children know that they’re not forgotten. The group is a nonprofit organization that aims to help foster children with more than just their basic needs.

Genesee County program helps foster children prepare for life outside the system
The Flint Journal, Michigan – August 21, 2011
Sixteen teenagers living in foster care prepared last summer for life after they become too old for the system through a program called Foster Your Future. Tennison Barry directed the program and gave students a variety of experiences ranging from self-awareness to job interview training.

DHS honors students who beat the odds
6ABC.com, Philadelphia, PA – August 17, 2011
The Philadelphia Department of Human Services held a big celebration Wednesday afternoon for young people aging out of the foster care system, young people who have worked extremely hard against incredible odds. According to DHS, approximately 500 young men and women in Philadelphia age out of foster care and must prepare to live on their own.

Teen Pregnancy

PEACE Program peers speak up about teen pregnancy
ConnectAmarillo.com, Amarillo, TX – August 18, 2011
Teen pregnancy is a hard enough issue for parents and adults to talk about, much less teens. But that's what this group of young people is committed to doing in their own schools.  Wednesday, members of the PEACE Program, or Peer Educators Acting for Change and Equality, met with the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition.

Educators: Parent Involvement Vital in Kids’ Sexuality Education
Public News Service, Phoenix, AZ – August 15, 2011
Arizona schools are putting added emphasis on getting parents involved in their children's education. A PTA official says parents have an even greater responsibility when it comes to sexuality and relationships.

Monday, August 15, 2011

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Facing reality on dropouts may aid reform
Daily News, Los Angeles, CA – August 14, 2011
The California Department of Education made an announcement on Thursday that will have earthshaking impact on the entire state.  For the first time, it acknowledged the massive numbers of County Office of Education dropouts that have been largely invisible to the public. It also acknowledged the existence of the significant numbers of especially tragic dropouts who do not even complete middle school before dropping out.

Murkowski Unveils High School Graduation Bill
KTVA11, Alaska – August 12, 2011
Senator Lisa Murkowski has introduced a new bill she hopes will raise high school graduation rates. Several states have very low rates, and Alaska is one of them.

Georgetown study says college degree still worth the front-end costs
The Washington Independent – August 10, 2011
Despite the soaring costs of college (rising at 3 percent above inflation for over a decade), a new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workplace argues the lifetime financial benefits are still worth the five-digit amounts of debt graduates endure.

Juvenile Justice

NM receives nearly $1 million in grants for juvenile justice
The Republic, Albuquerque, NM – August 8, 2011
New Mexico has received nearly $1 million in grants from the Justice Department for programs aimed at protecting youth.

Redirecting the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Take Part – August 13, 2011
America’s prison-industrial complex is unlike any other in the world. U.S. prisons cost taxpayers more than $32 billion per year, and house 25 percent of the world’s inmate population.  Most prisoners have two things in common: They come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and they're high-school dropouts.

Foster Care

Rutgers program for homeless students graduates 40
MyCentralJersey.com, New Brunswick, NJ – August 12, 2011
The recently expanded Summer Housing and Internship program funded by the state Department of Children and Families graduated its largest class of 40 on Thursday at Crossroads Theatre. The program is for young adults who are aging out of the New Jersey foster care system.

Unraveling the Black Adoption Myths in America
The Atlanta Post, Oakland, CA – August 15, 2011
Adoption. At first glance it’s just another word in the dictionary. But its power is vested in the weight of the word – conjuring images of abandonment, cherished blessings, adamant secrecy and self discovery.  For African Americans adoption has yet another layer of imagery. Families being torn apart by drug use, poverty, homelessness and even death. At any given moment there are 500,000 children in foster care across the United States with 26% being African American according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010 statistics.

Teen Pregnancy

Woman's work in pregnancy prevention keeps teens on right path
The Item, South Carolina – August 12, 2011
A local woman is putting the foundation she gained from her parents to help area teens stay on the right path.  Melanie Dees, director of the United Way Diamonds Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, was recognized a few months ago for her work in teen pregnancy prevention.

Officials want to pinpoint risks in school divisions
NVDaily.com, Woodstock, VA – August 15, 2011
One school division at a time, the Lord Fairfax Health District wants to learn more about the risky behaviors that lead to potentially deadly problems among teens.  Two district representatives addressed the Shenandoah County School Board on Thursday about a survey that would be administered to seventh- and ninth-graders next year. Sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the survey focuses on youth health risk behaviors that result in such things as violence, drug use, alcohol abuse, sexual activity and unhealthy dietary habits.


Monday, August 08, 2011

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Bloomberg to Use Own Funds in Plan to Aid Minority Youth
The New York Times, New York, NY – August 3, 2011
The administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, in a blunt acknowledgment that thousands of young black and Latino men are cut off from New York’s civic, educational and economic life, plans to spend nearly $130 million on far-reaching measures to improve their circumstances.

Kindergartners already planning for high school graduation
WLOX 13, St. Martin, MS – August 3, 2011
The school bell rang and buses rolled throughout Jackson County Wednesday morning.  Schools in St. Martin, Vancleave and East Central welcomed back thousands of students.  Kindergartners at St. Martin North Elementary spent part of their first day learning how to walk quietly along the hallway. They also sang songs, listened to stories and made new friends. They seemed to be adjusting well to their new environment.

Graduation rates increase in Cleveland County: More minority students get diplomas
The Star, Shelby, NC – August 5, 2011
The  number of minority students earning diplomas from Cleveland County Schools continues to increase.  Nearly 70 percent of black students and 75 percent of Hispanic students entering ninth grade in Cleveland County graduated in four years or less, according to 2010-11 graduation data released Thursday from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Juvenile Justice

New limits on charging 17-year-olds as adults
NECN.com, Biloxi, MS - August 7, 2011
An amended law that took effect in July prevents law enforcement officials from charging 17-year-olds as adults in most nonviolent felony cases.  Youth Court and law enforcement officials are keeping a close eye on the law to see how it's going to affect the already overburdened Youth Court system.

Youth Aid Program Gives First-time Juveniles Second Chance
Upper Southampton Patch – Upper Southampton, PA  - August 3, 2011
The Upper Southampton Youth Aid Panel offers local juveniles an alternative to the criminal justice system.  First-time juvenile offenders can be referred to the panel as a means to avoid immediately going through the system.

Foster Care

Crossroads provides housing for young adults aging out of foster care
Sun Sentinel, FL – August 2, 2011
The Parent-Child Center's Crossroads Independent Living program hosted its first "Open House" on July 15. More than 50 people from the community attended the event and received a personal tour of the program, including county commissioners and visitors from the Department of Juvenile Justice, foster care programs and disability services.

Utahn hopes to help youth who are homeless, in foster care
The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah – August 1, 2011
Sam Bracken says growing up in his family was like belonging to a whacked-out version of the Brady Bunch that was starring in an episode of the reality TV show "Cops."  And that’s putting it kindly.  "You can’t always determine where you start in this world," he said, "but we can determine how we end."  That message is at the center of Bracken’s campaign to help youth who are homeless or aging out of foster care through his Orange Duffel Bag Foundation — named after the fluorescent bag that held his belongings when Bracken was forced from home.

Youth Villages to Expand Transitional Living Program with $42 million grant
Youth Today – August 4, 2011
A major multi-state provider of child welfare services will receive perhaps one of the largest grants ever made to a social service agency to expand its transitional living program for youth aging out of foster care.  Youth Villages, a Memphis, Tenn.-based nonprofit that operates residential and community youth programs in 12 states, will receive a $42 million challenge grant from The Day Foundation. YV will start receiving the grant money soon, but it is also required to match the $42 million with commitments from other revenue streams.

Teen Pregnancy

Teen pregnancy prevention program offered
Parkersburg News and Sentinel, Parkersburg, OH – August 4, 2011
A new program for sixth-graders will offer support and information to help students develop goals and self-esteem to help them make positive choices for their lives.  The Children's Home Society was chosen as one of nine of 75 applicants from across the country to receive the grant funding.

UC Merced students look at how culture affects health

Merced Sun-Star, Fresno County, CA – August 4, 2011
Marisol Chavez was used to seeing pregnant Latina teens in her classrooms when she was attending high school in Cantua Creek, a small Fresno County town.  Latina teens continue to have higher pregnancy rates compared to teen girls from other ethnicities, the soon-to-be senior at UC Merced said.


Monday, August 01, 2011

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

National graduation rates likely to dip as states switch to more accurate calculation formula
The Washington Post, Kansas City, MO – July 27, 2011
States are bracing for plummeting high school graduation rates as districts nationwide dump flawed measurement formulas that often undercounted dropouts and produced inflated results.  Education wonks long have suspected the statistics used by some people to determine how their neighborhood high school is faring — or even where to buy a house — can be figured using various formulas that produce wildly different results.

Examining the high school dropout crisis
KPCC 89.3 – July 27, 2011
An NPR series this week has focused on the high school dropout crisis, which disproportionately affects black and Latino teens. According to U.S. Department of Education statistics, in spite of lower overall dropout rates since 1980, Latino teens’ rates remain the highest. And while boys receive much of the attention, nearly as many girls drop out, too.


U.S. firms spend $3.5 billion a year on education
Market Watch, Washington, DC – July 26, 2011
Big business and the Obama administration are teaming up to better target the $3.5 billion corporations invest in the U.S. education system each year, with a focus on fixing lagging skills in science, technology, engineering and math. The first step: A meeting in Washington last week to announce new financial commitments from Bank of America Corp., Microsoft Corp. and Nike Inc. The next step: Business leaders plan to look to employees and communities for answers.

Juvenile Justice

Trio of Juvenile Justice Bills Signed Into Law
Ledyard Patch, Connecticut – July, 29, 2011
Three juvenile justice bills aim to rebalance the scales.  Ending racial disparity, decreasing recidivism, and making the system more fair and accountable – lofty goals to be sure. But children of color are more likely to enter juvenile justice system and are treated more harshly than white peers, according to the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance.


Juvenile Lockups Locking Their Doors This Week
Public News Service, Austin, TX – July 27, 2011
Four Texas Youth Commission (TYC) lockups are locking their doors for good this week, as the state's juvenile-justice system prepares for a major transformation.  TYC and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission are slated to merge into a single department by December. The goal, says Benet Magnuson, an attorney with the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition's Juvenile Justice Initiative, is to dramatically reduce the number of juveniles who wind up behind bars, diverting many toward rehabilitation programs in their own communities.

Foster Care

"Project Now" helps foster youth
VolunteerTV, Knoxville, TN – July 28, 2011
The program teaches foster care youth how to manage money and save. It gives them the knowledge and tools to succeed in life independently.  Thousands of children "age out" of foster care once they turn 18 years old. Many go out on their own without the knowledge they need to succeed.

Homes for Those That Could Have Been Homeless
East Atlanta Patch, East Atlanta, AL – July 27, 2011
“When I needed my real mom the most, she wasn’t there for me. I go to bed every night just thinking about her. It’s tough,” said Tracy Joachim, a 21-year-old Atlantan who spent his childhood in the city’s foster care system.  Joachim’s story is painful, but things have been looking up for him since he entered the CHRIS Kids’ TransitionZ program and moved into Summit Trail, the EarthCraft-certified apartment complex in East Atlanta where the young adults in the program live.

Making A Difference In The Lives Of Foster Kids
WLWT News 5, Cincinnati, OH – July 26, 2011
A Tri-State program is helping teens bridge the gap between leaving foster care and becoming adults. On any given day, there are 850 kids in foster care in Hamilton County. Dozens get too old to stay in the system, and many have nowhere to turn for help.

Teen Pregnancy

Proven Programs and Community Ownership Are The Keys
Gaston Gazette, Gaston, NC – July 31, 2011
Parents, professionals, and community leaders have a landmark opportunity to help all young people grow to be healthy adults, and to help those least privileged break the sad cycles of poverty and poor health that last for generations. Gaston Youth Connected gives the community more tools to do this by addressing adolescent pregnancy in the most effective ways possible.

Groundbreaking Bill Integrates Pregnancy and Violence Prevention Strategies for Young People of Color
RH Reality Check – July 28, 2011
While the rest of the policy world is going a bit crazy arguing about the debt ceiling or trying to restrict women’s reproductive health access, how about a bit of good news for young women?  Today a groundbreaking bill was introduced in Congress with a first-ever policy approach that combines teen dating violence prevention and teen pregnancy prevention in communities of color.