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.


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