This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Grand Rapids trying to get high school dropouts back in the classroom
Michigan Radio, Grand Rapids, MI – August 30, 2011
A new program launching this fall in Grand Rapids will try to help high school dropouts earn both their high school diplomas and some college credit.  The program is a joint effort of Grand Rapids Public Schools and Grand Rapids Community College.

Yakima Valley schools are building a graduation foundation
Yakima Herald-Republic, Yakima, WA – September 3, 2011
With an increased dedication to personal classroom attention, as well as help from some huge federal grants, the Valley's challenged schools are working to keep their students in class and on track toward graduation.

Norman schools tapped for national pilot program
Houston Chronical, Norman, OK – August 30, 2011
Norman Public Schools is one of four school districts across the country selected for a national pilot program that focuses on digital learning.

Juvenile Justice

New program orders young female offenders to the gym
KENS5, San Antonio, TX – September 1, 2011
A new court diversion program requires young offenders to go to the gym. It’s an innovative new partnership between the district attorney’s office and the YMCA. The idea is to keep young girls from becoming repeat offenders.

Foster Care

Out of Foster Care -- and Into What?
Gotham Gazette, New York City, NY – August 2011
When Chimore Mack Glover recently turned 21, she aged out of the New York City foster child program and so needed a place to live.  "I usually plan things ahead of time, and my first step was to get a job and find a place to live," she recalled recently. She tried to stay with family members, but one turned her down, Her grandmother was sick and so could not help.

Online program helps with foster kids' education
San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, CA – September 4, 2011
The onset of the new school year in San Francisco comes with a new and relatively affordable attempt to help improve education for children entangled in the state's troubled foster care system. The San Francisco Unified School District is the latest in California to participate in Foster Focus, a Web-based service that allows school officials and social workers to track and share crucial records that often fail to follow foster children as they transfer to new schools.

Race a Major Factor in Foster Care Disparities
Los Angeles Sentinel, Los Angeles, CA - August 29, 2011
In Los Angeles and across the nation, there are clear disparities in foster care and Black children are faring far worse than their white counterparts. For Los Angeles Congresswoman Karen Bass, foster care reform has long care a top priority. She has repeatedly introduced legislation to increase foster care funding and the quality of services.

Teen Pregnancy

Parenthood Makes Finishing School Difficult For Hispanic Teens
EGPNews.com – September 1, 2011
While some people might think Hispanic parents are passive about their children’s education, the reality is that like most parents, Hispanics want the best for their children. In fact, a 2010 report in Social Science Quarterly shows that Hispanic parents hold higher education and economic achievement for their children as a higher priority than their non-Hispanic U.S. counterparts.  The high rate of teen pregnancy among Hispanic girls, however, is making it tough for many of them to realize their parents’ dreams: or their own dreams for that matter.

Advocates: Proper Sex Education = Fewer Teens Having Sex
Public News Service, St. Paul, MN – August 31, 2011
Giving students the basic details will not make them more likely to engage in sexual activity, supporters of sex education in Minnesota say. In fact, the opposite is true, according to Brigid Riley, executive director of Teenwise Minnesota.