Monday, July 30, 2012

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

A new Camden County program will give high school dropouts a second chance
Philly.com, Camden County, PA – July 25, 2012
The eight months that Aniyah Drummond, 18, spent as a high school dropout were, she said, "the lowest part of my life."  But then she heard about a program that was starting at Camden County College last fall - Gateway to College, a second-chance scholarship program aimed at giving Camden dropouts the opportunity to earn their high school diplomas and college credit at the same time.

Nevada school program reaches out to struggling students, gives them hope
The Republic, Nevada – July 25, 2012
The now 17-year-old was on her way to becoming part of a Nevada statistic that puts the Silver State at the bottom of U.S. high school graduation rates.  "I would not have finished school," said Villariza, who didn't study, skipped classes and spent too many evenings partying. There were many nights she just didn't go home.

Superintendent turns school district from 'dropout factory' to state recognized
KGBT 4, Texas – July 27, 2012
The Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District used to known as the "dropout factory" among school districts across the state.  Once at 500 students a year, now only about 50 to 60 never return to the classroom, according to Superintendent Dr. Daniel King.

Juvenile Justice

Project to help juveniles make successful transition
CarmiTimes.com, Springfield, IL – July 28, 2012
The Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission on Tuesday announced the start of a demonstration project to reduce the recidivism and improve the outcomes of juvenile offenders.  The project will provide intensive reintegration services to help youth transition back into their home communities.

Summer work program brings change; teens congratulated for personal growth
Jackson Sun, Tennessee – July 26, 2012
Just months after Darnisha Williams faced charges in the juvenile justice system, a local juvenile court judge congratulated her Thursday evening for working hard to better herself.

Foster Care

New Delaware Law Helps Foster Children
WBOC 16, Dover DE – July 26, 2012
Identity theft has become an issue for children in the foster care system. But Delaware legislators are hoping a new law will curb the problem. Gov. Jack Markell signed House Bill 269 on Wednesday afternoon. The law mandates the state to run credit reports for foster children when they turn 16.

New apartments will provide homes for youths too old for foster care
The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO – July 24, 2012
Graduates of a program for homeless youth joined with representatives of Freeman Health System, Ozark Center and other local officials Tuesday morning to break ground on a new apartment complex.

Former foster youth works on Hill to change child welfare system
CNN, Washington, DC – July 29, 2012
These days, Marchelle Roberts is a confident 22-year-old who smiles easily and talks excitedly about her plans for the future.  But the rising senior at Philadelphia's Temple University had to travel a long and difficult road to get to where she is today.

Teen Pregnancy

Survey finds big drop in sexual activity among black teens
WZVN ABC7 – July 24, 2012
Black teenagers in the United States have become much less sexually active over the past two decades, and those who do have sex appear to be more likely to use condoms, a new survey has found.  The declines are "dramatic," said report author Laura Kann, who studies adolescent health for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Monday, July 23, 2012

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Texas’s Dropout Rate Shows Positive Signs
The New York Times, Texas – July 22, 2012
When it comes to the number of students who graduate from its public high schools, Texas is not accustomed to being called a success.  Yet even as the latest round of school finance litigation goes to trial this fall, it appears there is reason for optimism about the number of students leaving high school with a diploma.

Transition Academy lets struggling students get a start on high school
Statesman Journal, North Salem, OR – July 22, 2012
Students launched straws, fired squirt guns and shot cotton balls as far as 93 feet across a North Salem High School field in a mock Olympics.  It might not look like education, but the freshmen are learning how to work together, gather data and interact with their future teachers.

Magic Johnson Bridgescape Academies to help high school dropouts
Fox 19, Cincinnati, OH – July 18, 2012
Ten alternative schools that have been helping high school dropouts and at risk students in Ohio complete their education, earn their diplomas, and be prepared to either enter college or receive the necessary credentials to get a job upon graduation – will now be known as Magic Johnson Bridgescape Academies.

Juvenile Justice

Study Re-Starts on Juvenile Justice Overhaul for Georgia
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, Georgia – July 17, 2012
After more than five years of drafting, a comprehensive juvenile justice reform bill is expected to appear in the Georgia General Assembly in January, which would give children in the court system access to updated intervention and rehabilitation.

Juvenile hall camp alternatives catch on
San Francisco Chronicle, La Honda, CA – July 22, 2012
Redwood trees line the road to Log Cabin Ranch, a 640-acre property in the woods of La Honda that's home to snakes, deer, turkeys, hawks and up to 24 of San Francisco's most troubled youths.

Foster Care

Foster kids learn money savvy, thanks to Mechanics
San Francisco Business Times, California – July 20, 2012
More than 60,000 children in California are in foster care. A majority of them are between the ages of 13 to 18, making it likely that they will eventually age out of the system without ever finding a permanent home. Many of them lack the financial skills necessary to get by on their own — and that’s where Mechanics Bank comes in.

Access to foster care to grow for older youth in Bradford County
The Daily Review, Towanda, PA – July 21, 2012
Faced with increased homelessness and joblessness among young people, the Pennsylvania Legislature is expected to pass legislation this fall that would give more children the option of remaining in foster care after they have turned 18, according to officials from Bradford County Human Services Department.

Teen Pregnancy

Girls Can! teams with Teen Health Now, sessions kick off next month
Richmond County Daily Journal, North Carolina – July 19, 2012
Girls Can!, a program that started in April 2011, has been enjoying growing numbers since the program’s inception.  It was originally started with the hope of reaching around 50 adolescent girls, and introducing them to self-esteem and relationship building tools.

Monday, July 09, 2012

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

Utah school says adding ninth grade will boost grad rates
The Salt lake Tribune, Granger, UT – July 6, 2012
Jerry Haslam, principal at Granger High School, has a problem. But he also has a solution.   Construction is under way on a new Granger High that can hold 2,400 students, a sizeable jump from the current enrollment of 1,650. By the 2013-14 school year, administrators hope to help fill the building by including ninth-graders.

DISD graduation rate up for fourth straight year
WFAA.com, Dallas, TX – July 2, 2012
For the fourth straight year, Dallas ISD has increased its graduation rates.  The district reports that last year, 77.3 percent of high school seniors graduated, more than 7,000 students.

UMSL program bridges high school to college
The Beacon, Missouri – July 6, 2012
Would you be willing to give up your leisurely summertime sleep-ins to enter a program that has sent 100 percent of its participants to college?  Hundreds of teens, from middle school through high school, are doing just that during this heat, showing up at 7:45 a.m. to attend the Bridge Program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Juvenile Justice

Teen Court youth attend summit at Sonoma State
Redwood Times, California – July 3, 2012
The Boys & Girls Club of the Redwoods sent five Teen Court youth representatives to the seventh annual Youth Court Summit at Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, on the weekend of June 22-24.  This conference brought together youth from jurisdictions throughout California and representatives of the court system, educators, and community organizations providing a range of law-related educational and leadership opportunities.

Department of Juvenile Justice shifts focus, restructures
Fresh Loaf, Georgia – July 5, 2012
This week, following a number of high-profile and sometimes violent incidents at various youth detention centers in months past, Georgia's Department of Juvenile Justice took additional steps to help ensure safe and secure conditions for kids in detention facilities around the state.

Foster Care

Metro to pick up cost of bus, train rides for thousands in foster program
Daily News, California – July 2, 2012
Thousands of youths aging out of the foster care system can get free rides on buses and trains operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and dozens of other carriers under a first-in-the-nation pilot program launched Monday.

College bound: Program guides potential students to degree path
Times Free Press, Tennessee – July 7, 2012
After Katrina Piatt graduated from high school almost 20 years ago, she went to college a couple of times, but always dropped out.  "I've made a lot of bad life choices," she said, without saying more.  But several years ago she decided she had to turn things around.

Teen Pregnancy

Teens balancing Parenting
WREG CBS, Memphis, TN – July 7, 2012
Fifteen year old Donisha Eatmon has had more life changes than most her age.  However, weeks after giving birth Donisha is back in class at Memphis City Schools Adolescent Pregnancy Program.

Monday, July 02, 2012

This Week's News: Youth in Transition

Education

California improves high school graduation, dropout rates
ABC7, Los Angeles, CA – June 28, 2012
More high school students graduated and fewer dropped out in California over the last year, the state Department of Education said Wednesday.  California's graduation rate was at 76.3 percent, up 1.5 percent from 2010. The dropout rate was 14.4 percent, down by 2.2 percent from 2010.

Dropout recovery charter school idea to return to Rockford
Rockford Register Star, Rockford, IL – June 27, 2012
Organizers behind a green career-focused charter school for high school dropout recovery will pitch their plan again to the Rockford School Board next month.

Juvenile Justice

High court ruling on juvenile life sentences offers thousands of inmates a chance at freedom
The Washington Post, Detroit, MI – June 26, 2012
The Supreme Court ruling that banned states from imposing mandatory life sentences on juveniles offers an unexpected chance at freedom to more than 2,000 inmates who had almost no hope they would ever get out.  In more than two dozen states, lawyers can now ask for new sentences.

Juvenile justice: Courts turn focus to rehabilitation
Coshocton Tribune, Coshocton, OH – July 1, 2012
It might seem like a simple process: commit a crime, go to court, go to jail.  But what if the offender is just a kid?  For juvenile courts, they're continually striking a balance between punishing offenders and trying help them through counseling and mentoring programs, said Doug Schonauer, Coshocton County Probate and Juvenile Court administrator.

Iowa report says number of juvenile arrests falls
San Francisco Chronicle, Des Moines, IA – June 27, 2012
The number of minors getting arrested in Iowa has dropped, and officials credit a new philosophy of keeping juveniles out of the justice system as long as possible and programs such as family therapy, according to a state report.

Foster Care

Nixon sign bills to help foster care children and parents
 Liberty Tribune, Webster Groves, MO – June 25, 2012
Gov. Jay Nixon has signed three bills to support foster care parents and children, and to help support agencies that provide residential care and treatment for Missouri youth.

Kids to Love: Tennessee Governor Signs Law Extending Foster Care Age
WHNT19, Tennessee – June 25, 2012
Turning 18, moving out and heading to college is hard with a support system.  Imagine doing it alone.   That’s what nearly 20,000 children nationwide in foster care face each year.  But now a new law signed by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam will help to change the fate of many kids in care in Tennessee.

Teen Pregnancy

Rate of pregnant Latina teens reaches record low
KSBY.com – June 27, 2012
Latinas have had the highest teen pregnancy rates compared to other groups for decades, but now rates are down more than 30-percent.  "I think what's really critical is the fact that the CDC has attributed this to the access to birth control. I think that really emphasizes the importance of education and prevention," said Nora Vargas, Vice President of Community Engagement at Planned Parenthood.

Abortions and teen pregnancies drop to historic low
KTAR – June 26, 2012
Teen pregnancy rates in the U.S. are at a historic low among all racial and ethnic groups, dropping 40 percent during the period studied, according to a new report released by the National Center for Health Statistic (NCHS).  "The impressive declines in teen pregnancy have been both wide and deep," Sarah Brown, director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, said in a press release.